Spain’s LaLiga and TackleAfrica, a British NGO aiming to promote HIV-related sexual health education in Africa through Football, are the first winners of the 2019 WFS Industry Awards, created by World Football Summit to recognize the best professionals within the different strands of the football industry. These awards are handed every year during WFS, the international event for the football industry, that will celebrate its fourth edition on September 24th and 25th in Madrid.
Javier Tebas signing the first LaLiga permanent football academy in China
The organization led by Javier Tebas has been granted the Best Internationalisation Strategy presented by Deloitte award, a category created this year to recognize an increasingly important aspect in this era marked by globalization. LaLiga outvoted DAZN, the streaming platform for sports content on demand, and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the other two finalist candidates.
The ambitious internationalisation strategy carried out by LaLiga under Javier Tebas’ leadership has enabled the organization to triple its international audience and increase by over 30 percent its revenues from audiovisual rights. According to the jury, composed of executives from leading global firms Deloitte, Delta Partners, Laureus España, Mediapro, Movistar, Santander and Senn, Ferrero, Asociados, “In the last years, LaLiga has shown a clear and consistent focus and commitment on growing internationally, making the necessary internal changes and executing the necessary actions to achieve that goal”.
“LaLiga, together with the clubs, has been intensively working in expanding our brand in every corner of the world for five years and we are proud to say that we have more than 2,7 billion global spectators” – Óscar Mayo, Head of Marketing and International Development.
“We live in a global World where internationalisation strategies are becoming more and more important. This is why it is a tremendous honor to be rewarded for this concept, especially in an event that is a global reference for the industry. LaLiga, together with the clubs, has been intensively working in expanding our brand in every corner of the world for five years and we are proud to say that we have more than 2,7 billion global spectators through more than 100 broadcasters in 178 countries. All this thanks to LaLiga’s team, present in 55 countries through 9 offices and 46 delegations”, said Óscar Mayo, Head of Marketing and International Development at LaLiga.
TackleAfrica uses football to teach young kids about HIV and sexual health
TackleAfrica, founded in 2002 in the United Kingdom to fight Africa’s HIV epidemic, outvoted the Australian NGO Football United, the Colombian Fundación Tiempo de Juego and the American Football in the Streets, the other three finalists. The jury, composed of leaders from Common Goal, Fundación Selección Colombia, Plan Internacional, Soccer Without Boardersor UEFA Foundation for Children, highlighted the long career path of the organization and the proven efficiency of its unique programs that use fun interactive football drills with inbuilt health messaging to deliver HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights information and services to young people on football pitches across Africa.
Only during the last year, TackleAfrica trained over 600 professionals which coached 12,000 youngsters in sexual and reproductive health through football in 11 African countries, demonstrating football’s unique power to drive social change.
“This award is very exciting for everyone involved at TackleAfrica and recognises the hard work and quality delivery of programmes for young people that we strive for every day” – Yianny Ioannou, Head of Coaching and Operations
“It was an honour to be nominated for the World Football Summit Football for Good Award among so many other fantastic organisations and we are
thrilled to have won! This award is very exciting for everyone involved at TackleAfrica and recognises the hard work and quality delivery of programmes for young people that we strive for every day”, said Yianny Ioannou, Head of Coaching and Operations for TackleAfrica.
LaLiga and TackleAfrica are the first two WFS Industry Awards 2019 winners. The rest will be announced during the upcoming weeks. Next Thursday the winners of the Best Club Commercial Initiative presented by McCann and the Best Women’s Football Initiative presented by Women in Football categories will be published. The awards will be handed on September 24th, first of the two WFS19 days in a ceremony that will take place at Florida Retiro to which the finalists of each category, jury members, WFS19 speakers and attendees with corporate ticket are invited.
