Global Fútbol

As an institution, RCD Espanyol are very committed to fighting for social causes, something that was made clear once again through a gesture that took place at the first team’s game against Real Valladolid on October 14th. As part of the activities for the ‘Superliga Solidaria’ (‘Solidarity Super League’, in English), the team’s players took to the Stage Front Stadium pitch alongside dogs from shelters from across Catalonia. The campaign was called ‘Los Pericos no abandonan’ (‘Pericos do not abandon’) and it was put together by the social area of the Catalan club with two main objectives: to raise awareness of animal abandonment and adoption and to promote the collection of materials for these animals at the official club stores at the Stage Front Stadium, Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque and Balmes.

With this, the Catalan institution became the first LALIGA club to ever take to the pitch accompanied by dogs. The canines, of different sizes and breeds, accompanied the home team’s players as they walked out onto the pitch for their clash with Real Valladolid, raising awareness of the issue of animal abandonment and pet adoption among society in general but particularly among the club members and supporters. Moreover, blankets and food are also being collected and will be donated to the animal shelters where these animals came from. These associations, all of which are located in Barcelona, are: Life 4 Pitbulls, El Club de Kat and ProGolden Barcelona.

RCD Espanyol have also created a special commemorative scarf to support the campaign. It’s clear that the club are going all in to make this initiative a success, to the point where any member or supporter who buys this scarf and who donates food and a blanket will be given a free ticket for the team’s upcoming match against SD Eibar, which will take place at the beginning of November. These tickets can be collected at the three donation points mentioned above.

At RCD Espanyol, there is a clear desire to be a committed and socially responsible organisation and that’s why they have put together these types of actions, which form part of what they call the ‘Solidarity Super League’. In the club’s words: “RCD Espanyol, as well as being a football club, is characterised by being a committed and socially responsible institution, which is why in December 2022 we started the ‘Solidarity Super League’, where we include all the actions carried out by the social department, which, in collaboration with the other departments of the club, is always on the side of those who need the most help. On this occasion, we wanted to do our bit and raise awareness of the great work being done by the animal shelters in Catalonia, while raising awareness of the importance of adopting animals, as there are many that need to find homes.”

The feedback from the supporters to the ‘Pericos do not abandon’ campaign has been positive, while the club also saw how the impact of these kinds of actions can quickly move across borders. They have received many messages of congratulations about the campaign. The club explained: “The response to the campaign among our supporters has been very positive and, even beyond our fanbase, there have been many from the world of football who have applauded the campaign and have shared it. We’re seeing how Los Pericos are getting right behind the donation drive.”

Along with the praise received from around the world of football, the virality of the image of the players walking out on to the pitch alongside the dogs was striking. That moment has been shared on social media, achieving an impressive impact for RCD Espanyol’s profiles. The club added: “The impact has been spectacular, demonstrating that football is a great amplifier for social causes. The audiovisual clip that we produced, with the signal of the match provided by LALIGA, had a great impact on social media, tripling the engagement of a usual matchday and exceeding eight million views to date across the club’s social media profiles.”

And not only in social networks, but also in the media. From the club they count a total of 18 impacts in newspapers, some of them at international level as The Guardian, who did not want to miss the opportunity to tell the original initiative of the Pericos.

When asked about the initiative itself and how they came up with the idea of collaborating with the animal shelters, the club explained that they always look to work with the most vulnerable sections of society. They stated: “As a club that stands with those who need the most support, we always try to focus our solidarity actions on all groups and minorities that have special needs and we strive for total integration. On this occasion, we felt it would be a good idea to take a step forward and to focus on an animal action that would raise awareness of a problem as important as abandonment and the need to adopt and help animal shelters.”

Finally, the club explained that they are staying informed about the dogs that took to the pitch at the Stage Front Stadium with the RCD Espanyol players. They concluded: “The most visible action was the players taking to the pitch with the dogs, but our work in this campaign isn’t stopping. In addition to the donations we’ll soon make to the shelters, we are also monitoring each of the 11 dogs so that they find the homes they deserve. From speaking with the shelters, there are already some people who are in the process of adopting some of the dogs that went out onto the pitch accompanying our players.”