At the recent WFS Madrid, leading executives from both organisations presented  a model rooted in selectivity and culture. Rather than chasing visibility across dozens of assets, New Balance focuses on partnerships that live at the intersection of sport and culture — built on the belief that identity-driven relevance compounds more meaningfully than reach-driven volume.

Values-led partnerships in a performance-driven football economy

New Balance’s positioning in football diverges from the dominant playbook. Rather than racing for scale, the brand has built a smaller, carefully curated footprint — prioritising clubs and athletes who can operate at the intersection of sport and culture.

As New Balance Global  CMO Chris Davis explained, it’s a model designed not for maximum reach, but for cultural relevance, long-term resonance, and identity consistency across markets:  “It’s about being the best and most authentic version of ourselves, not the biggest. We’re not doing things purely to drive revenue or commercial return — we’re doing things to cement authenticity within the marketplace,” Davis said.

Davis contrasted this long-term approach with what he identified as a structural short-termism shaping much of elite football: “Football has been extremely guilty of short-term financial thinking. Too many in football bounce from one sponsor to the next, chasing 5% or 10% more instead of thinking about cultural and community legacy.”

That insight reinforces the brand’s selective approach. New Balance focuses on cultivating partnerships at the intersection of sport and culture — designed to sustain a shared story over time.

This mindset prioritises personality, community engagement and long-horizon brand storytelling over short-term commercial spikes. Internally, the team describes it as operating more like a boutique: not the biggest footprint, but one with clarity and coherence.

As Andrew McGarty, Global Sports Marketing Director at New Balance, explained, the brand’s focus is not on accumulating athletes or shirt deals, but on building cultural alignment.The aim, he suggested, is not scale but curation. The brand wants players and clubs who embody a certain identity —on and off the pitch— capable of representing a point of view in sport and culture rather than simply wearing a product.

“We’re not signing players for what they do on the pitch, they need to do it off the pitch, in the community, be good brand partners, be able to live in that intersection of sports and culture. We’re not looking to sign 50 percent of every team out there, we want that one who is willing to be unconventional and lead.” — Andrew McGarty

Atalanta’s model

The partnership with Atalanta brings that vision to life. New Balance and Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio — both family-owned organisations — share a long-term mindset built on identity and authenticity.

As the club’s Co-Chairman Stephen Pagliuca explained, Atalanta BC has grown through continuity in leadership, a defined sporting model, and a commitment to its academy. “The Atalanta way is to play hard, to be fair, to have high integrity. And we teach that to the kids starting from six years old,” said Pagliuca. “The partnership with New Balance now allows those values and that vision to reach audiences around the world.”

The New Balance Arena reflects that approach. Pagliuca explained how the club renovated the old stadium — much like Boston’s Fenway Park — preserving its iconic character while modernising facilities with parking and luxury boxes. The result, he said, has been transformative for both fans and the club’s partnership with New Balance. He was particularly enthusiastic about the club beneath the stadium, featuring Italian marble and one of the country’s top chefs. “Maybe if you don’t even like football, you should come and eat there,” he joked. “It’s an incredible experience.”

Through the New Balance Arena, both organisations have created a tangible demonstration of their shared approach: selective partnerships, identity-driven storytelling, and infrastructure that reflects values rather than chases scale. The stadium renovation mirrors the partnership philosophy — preserving what matters while evolving what must.

As WFS’s exclusive regional partner, M.A. Sports will help strengthen and grow the WFS brand in Saudi Arabia by developing the right partnerships, supporting investment, and creating real opportunities for clubs, federations, brands, and talent. The partnership is not limited to this year’s summit. It is part of a wider plan to build a long-term presence for WFS in the Kingdom and ensure the platform continues to grow in quality, impact, and relevance.

Majed Al-Ali is recognized for shaping major national initiatives and creating the structures that enable sector growth. Through M.A. Sports, he focuses on steering strategic partnerships, attracting investment, driving commercialization, and embedding global best practice into the Kingdom’s sports vision, all critical elements in WFS’s long-term expansion strategy.

“We are at an extraordinary moment for sport in Saudi Arabia,” said Majed. “Our work with WFS is about nurturing the Saudi sport ecosystem and building long-term value by developing talent pathways, strengthening the industry’s infrastructure, and attracting the right investments and partners. This December’s WFS Riyadh will help drive a wider global dialogue on the future of football, with Riyadh at its core.”

WFS Riyadh will convene leaders from international clubs, leagues, federations, investors, brands, and technology innovators to explore investment trends, media transformation, youth development, and the road toward the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup 2034.

“The industry needs clear, informed insight into the scale and ambition of Saudi Arabia’s plans,” said Jan Alessie, Co-Founder & Managing Director of World Football Summit. “Majed brings strategic leadership, an understanding of both the national vision and global dynamics, which strengthens our ability to build meaningful, long-term impact in the region.”

The partnership underscores WFS’s strategic focus on the Middle East as a key pillar of its global expansion, with Saudi Arabia at a the center of that vision.

On December 10-11, over 2,500 attendees from 80+ countries will gather at Misk City for WFS Riyadh — the platform where Saudi Arabia’s football leadership connects directly with the global industry. Taking place one year after the Kingdom was awarded the 2034 FIFA World Cup, WFS Riyadh 2025 arrives as this vision continues to accelerate. From the Saudi Women’s Premier League launch to the privatisation of three clubs opening doors to global investment, the past year has seen significant progress. The event will explore what this means for clubs, leagues, federations, brands, and investors worldwide.

WFS Riyadh 2025 is backed by regional and international football properties, with the Saudi Pro League as Institutional Partner and LALIGA among the event’s Corporate Partners. Over two days, the agenda will explore the evolution of Saudi football, the long-term impact of hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the growth of international club partnerships, innovation in technology, and the role of inclusion and sustainability in the game’s future.

The event will be hosted by Mo Islam, presenter of The Mo Show, a popular podcast known for interviewing the key figures driving the social and economic transformation of Saudi Arabia. The agenda will address football’s most relevant topics through panel discussions, roundtables, and fireside chats — connecting business growth with long-term purpose:

• Governance & Leadership: Football’s evolving models of management and ownership.
• Growth & Investment: Capital, infrastructure, and the business of the game.
• Media, Content & Fan Engagement: Broadcasting, storytelling, and the digital transformation of fandom.
• Performance & Development: Talent, academies, and pathways ahead of 2034.
• Innovation & Technology: Data, AI, and smart stadiums shaping performance and fan experience.
• Culture, Community & Purpose: Inclusion, education, and legacy.

Confirmed speakers include: Khalid Alaraifi, (Chief Experience Officer, Misk City), Saleh Alshehri (Footballer, Al-Ittihad), James Bisgrove (CEO, Al Qadsiah), Esteve Calzada (CEO, AL Hilal), Adlene Guedioura (Former player and football expert), Ben Harburg (Owner, Al-Kholood Club), Peter Hutton (Board Member, Saudi Pro League), Magda Pozzo (Chief Commercial Officer, Udinese Calcio), Ralf Reichert (CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation), and Javier Tebas (President, LALIGA), among many others.

WFS Riyadh will take place at Misk City. As the first nonprofit city of its kind, Misk City is a vibrant, human-centric hub where young and creative minds live, learn, share, and grow. Its state-of-the-art facilities and purpose-built design provide an inspiring setting for WFS Riyadh 2025, where leaders and innovators come together to shape the future of football.

Jan Alessie, Co-Founder & Managing Director of World Football Summit, said: “WFS Riyadh has become a must-attend event for football professionals worldwide. This edition feels especially significant — it’s been a year since the 2034 World Cup was awarded, and the progress across the Kingdom has been remarkable. WFS Riyadh gives that progress a global stage while creating real opportunities for dialogue and partnership between regional leadership and international expertise.”

Few people in football combine the authority of a former Ballon d’Or winner with the strategic vision of a senior executive. Nadine Kessler, now Managing Director of Women’s Football at UEFA, brought both perspectives to WFS Madrid, where she offered a grounded yet ambitious take on where the women’s game stands — and where it still needs to go.

Building on a Record-Breaking Summer

Before looking ahead, Kessler reflected on one of the tournaments that has done more than any other in recent times to cement women’s football’s place in the mainstream: UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. “The EURO is obviously our north star,” she said, describing it as one of the most positive events UEFA has ever delivered.

The tournament, held in Switzerland, set new standards for women’s football in every sense. Twenty-nine of the 31 matches were sold out — a milestone that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. It drew travelling fans from 160 countries, with women representing 50% of total attendance — more than triple the share seen in the men’s edition. “Do we attract a new audience with our competitions? Yes,” she said, underscoring the tournament’s role as a key driver not just for national teams but also for club football.

Kessler also credited the media for its part in that success. “I really want to compliment the media,” she said. “It was solely positive.” The combination of sporting quality, fan enthusiasm, and constructive storytelling, she argued, has set a new benchmark for what women’s football can achieve when given the right stage.

That success, however, brings new responsibilities. For Kessler, visibility is no longer the main battle — structure is. The women’s game has the audience, the momentum, and the credibility; now it needs the framework to sustain them.

A Shift from Visibility to Strategy

“The space is not the problem for the women’s football calendar,” she explained. “It’s finding specific days and times that don’t clash with the amount of men’s matches we have going on.”

That distinction — between space and time — may sound subtle, but it points to a deeper truth. Women’s football doesn’t need to be squeezed into football’s existing ecosystem; it needs an ecosystem of its own. One that allows fans, broadcasters, and sponsors to engage fully, rather than as an afterthought between other fixtures.

Kessler also pushed back against the narrative that women’s football has suddenly “arrived.” Its growth, she reminded the audience, is the result of years of work, investment, and belief from those who kept building when few were watching.

Investment, Not Coincidence

“It’s also sometimes a little bit patronising,” she noted, “if you pretend that women’s football wasn’t there before, and now a magical recipe was found for it to be put on a stage that everyone talks about.”

That stage, she argued, has been earned — not gifted. The billions invested by clubs, leagues, and federations in recent years have turned what was once considered a cause into a market of its own. But growth, for Kessler, isn’t just about numbers; it’s about building something sustainable.

“Women’s football is not a victim — it’s a rising star. And investors come in because they see return, they see a road to profitability — and that’s totally legitimate.”

The Next Chapter: Expanding Europe’s Club Game

Looking ahead, Kessler highlighted the launch of UEFA’s new club competition cycle as a major step forward. “We’re really excited to kick off this new cycle,” she said, “because it expands the number of competing teams at European level.” Alongside the Women’s Champions League, the creation of the new Europa Cup aims to broaden access and visibility for clubs across the continent.

The commercial impact is already clear. “Revenues will increase by more than 100%, and the clubs will get all that money,” she explained. UEFA has also secured groundbreaking broadcast partnerships — including deals with Disney+ and free-to-air networks in key markets such as Spain — taking women’s football to 229 countries.

For Kessler, these achievements demonstrate that professionalisation and growth are not abstract goals but measurable realities. “Our role is to provide the best club competition possible,” she said, “one that’s built on sporting merit at the centre of it all.”

From record attendances to global broadcast deals, the message was consistent: women’s football no longer needs to prove its worth. The challenge now is to consolidate that momentum — with structure, strategy, and vision.

En el marco del World Football Summit, celebrado el 15 de octubre, LIN3S Sports impartió un workshop exclusivo dirigido a clubes de fútbol, con el objetivo de compartir una visión estratégica sobre cómo la gestión y activación de datos puede convertirse en una palanca real de crecimiento económico y de relación con el aficionado.

Durante la sesión, se abordaron los principales retos que enfrentan los clubes en la integración de sus fuentes de información (ticketing, CRM, eCommerce, hospitality o app) y se presentó un modelo de trabajo que permite unificar, procesar y explotar los datos para generar acciones medibles e impacto directo en los ingresos.

Descarga el informe para conocer todos los detalles.