Global Fútbol

Not only is Cádiz CF an essential component of the local community in a social and cultural sense, but it has been shown that the LaLiga Santander club is also a major driver of economic activity in this part of Spain and even across the whole country.

A study was recently compiled by the University of Cádiz, authored by economics professors Manuel Acosta Seró and Daniel Coronado Guerrero, and it showed that the economic activity Cádiz CF was responsible for over the course of the 2021/22 season reached a gross value added figure of 143m euros.

The study looked at three main pillars of Cádiz CF’s economic impact, which is the business generated by the institution itself, the business generated on matchdays by fans attending matches, both home and away, and the business generated by the carry-over effect, referring to Cádiz CF’s participation as part of the larger footballing community.

The conclusion was that Cádiz CF played a role making 1,979 different jobs possible, with 701 of them being direct employment, 736 indirect and 542 induced. From club staff to employees in associated industries such as media, hospitality, gaming or advertising, Los Amarillos have become a major driver of employment.

Much of this economic activity is very local, as 72m euros of the total 143m euros and 713 of the total 1,979 jobs were in the province of Cádiz. This underlines how significant Cádiz CF is in the city and region.

At an event presenting this study, Cádiz CF president Manuel Vizcaíno stated: “I’m a person who believes that things don't happen by luck, that things happen from hard work. In other words, I believe sporting results are based on the economic results, on providing the business with a structure, reliability and base and on hard work. That's why things work out well. All Cadistas should be proud of our team, for what it means in our hearts, for what it means as a company and for what it means as a generator of jobs.”

Cádiz CF, among the 47 companies out of 64,000 in the region with more than 250 employees

Also speaking at the event, Cádiz CF vice-president Rafael Contreras added: “Of the 64,000 companies in the province of Cádiz, only 47 have more than 250 workers and today Cádiz CF is one of these companies. I think this is an important element and the club is a fundamental asset, as it’s about more than what is created when the ball gets rolling, since there are many families that are living off football in this sense.”

It’s true that many families rely on the professional football industry to live, not just in Cádiz. In Spain as a whole, the socio-economic impact of professional football, which is made up of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank, is 185,000 jobs, 4.1 billion euros and a turnover equivalent to 1.37% of Spain’s GDP. It is one of the country’s most important industries.

Looking to the future, vice-president Rafael Contreras expressed great optimism and believes that Cádiz CF can keep generating even more of a positive economic impact, thanks to Boost LaLiga. He concluded: “What Cádiz CF is doing is the result of a strategic project, Boost LaLiga, which is an industry initiative. With any sector that incorporates 2,000 million euros for its growth and business development, that would obviously be an important asset. In the football industry, that is what has happened.”