On Wednesday, May 29th, LALIGA announced a new partnership with McDonald’s USA to help bring greater soccer opportunities to Hispanic and Latino communities across the U.S. Together the Spanish professional soccer league and the American fast-food chain are offering free week-long soccer camps to youth soccer players across the country. Twelve lucky participants will even be offered a trip to Spain to train and watch a LALIGA game.
According to LALIGA, “This collaboration marks a significant step in bridging the accessibility gap by offering a platform for talent development to the next generation of Latino and Hispanic youth soccer players, at no cost.”
The collaboration is also another attempt by LALIGA to make inroads into the North American market. LALIGA is one of the most popular soccer leagues in the world, in large part due to Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. However, in the past several years, the other teams in Spain’s top two divisions have made concerted efforts to internationalize and appeal to new markets, most notably the U.S. and Mexico. Last summer, LALIGA announced its first annual Summer Tour, which saw Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Sevilla FC and Atlético de Madrid play four friendly matches amongst themselves in Monterey, Guadalajara and San Francisco.
The desire to forge enduring relationships in these markets is a no-brainer. The U.S. sports market is the largest in the world, and will generate increased revenue for any club or league that can penetrate it — the Premier
Premier
League has profited greatly from this in recent years. Moreover, both the U.S. and Mexico have large Spanish-speaking populations. These communities have a natural cultural and linguistic affinity for LALIGA and take pride when one of their own plays in Spain.
In recent years, Americans Luca de la Torre, Johnny Cardoso, and Yunus Musah have drawn American eyeballs to Celta de Vigo, Real Betis and Valencia CF respectively. Meanwhile, Mexicans have a long history of succeeding at the highest level in Spain. Hugo Sanchez and more recently Rafa Marquez and Andres Guardado have all been standout performers for top clubs in Spain, and RCD Mallorca is currently managed by former Mexico National Team Coach Javier Aguirre. The success of these players and coaches not only draws eyeballs, it serves as proof to the next generation that they can aspire to play in one of the biggest soccer leagues in the world.
By routinely coming to the U.S., and now associating itself with a major American brand, and providing expert-led soccer camps to youth players in traditionally marginalized communities, LALIGA is tapping into American soccer’s underbelly. Not only is it a wise marketing move on the league’s behalf, it is a fantastic way to generate a new wave of talent from communities that have a natural love for the game, but have not always seen a clear path to reach the highest level due to the pay-to-play model employed in the U.S.
Speaking about the new joint project, Boris Gartner
Gartner
, CEO of LALIGA North America, said “We are thrilled to team up with McDonald’s
McDonald’s
to elevate and grow the game of soccer in the United States. This is a significant milestone in LALIGA’s growth in the region, allowing us to join forces with one of the most notable and influential companies in the world committed to leveraging sports to positively impact the community. This partnership will allow us to share LALIGA’s world-renowned soccer methodology and bring culture to every corner of the United States.”
Max Gallegos, Head of U.S. Multicultural Marketing Strategy & Engagement at McDonald’s USA was equally excited about the new partnership with LALIGA and the opportunities being provided to young Latino boys and girls. He said, “For more than 30 years, McDonald’s has been a proud supporter of soccer moments globally and locally, and we’re excited to extend this support through our partnership with LALIGA,” adding, “Through the McDonald’s x LALIGA Soccer Camps, we’re not just building better players; we’re opening doors for Latino and Hispanic youth who dream of playing soccer and face barriers due to high costs. Our free camps empower young talents to follow their passion and make a positive impact in their communities through the beautiful game.”
The partnership and camps were announced with a promotional video in a Los Angeles McDonald’s where former Barcelona captain and center back Carles Puyol made an appearance.
Who Can Participate in the McDonald’s x LALIGA Camps?
Boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17 (born between 2007 and 2015) from anywhere in the U.S. will be allowed to participate in the LALIGA camps. The camps will be totally free and will offer players the opportunity to train under the direction of professional LALIGA coaches with UEFA Pro certification. The coaches will create sessions using the LALIGA methodology that engages players and help them develop technical, tactical and coordination skills, while furthering their physical fitness and mental toughness.
The boys and girls selected for the LALIGA x McDonald’s camps will train five days in a row, from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM — with a pause for lunch in the middle of the camp day, 11:00 AM — except for on Friday when the camp will be extended until 4:00 PM for an “end-of-camp fan fest.”
On day one of camp, players will be separated into age groups and a skills test will be run to assess player abilities. These skills test will determine the group placement of each player, although they can moved to a different group during camp if the coaches determine that is the best thing for the player.
Families and community members are being encouraged to attend to the fan fest as it is the culmination of the week-long event and there will be prizes announced during it. Moreover, attendees will have the opportunity to meet LALIGA legends including Argentina and FC Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano, and former LALIGA top scorer and World Cup golden ball winner Diego Forlan.
While the camps are completely free of charge, meals and transportation are not included. Campers will be expected to pack their own lunches and find their own way to and from the facilities. Furthermore, they should bring their own cleats, shin guards, and sunscreen.
Where are the McDonald’s x LALIGA Camps?
The camps will be spread across six cities in the U.S. Gartner says the locations have been specifically chosen because they are multicultural urban centers with large Hispanic and Latino populations. The idea being that these locations will provide maximum opportunity for young boys and girls from marginalized, soccer-loving communities to benefit from elite-level coaching. The cities and dates for each camp are listed below.
Miami, FL from June 17th to June 21st
Los Angeles, CA from July 8th to July 12th
Hartford, CT from July 15th to July 19th
Dallas, TX from July 22nd to July 26th
Chicago, IL from July 29th to August 2nd
Union City, NJ from August 5th to August 9th
In Dallas, the camp facilities will be at Foro Sports Club. In Chicago, the camp will be held at Olympic Park and in Union City Kane Stadium will be used for the McDonald’s x LALIGA camps. The rest of the participating cities are yet to confirm the exact location for the camps.
Gartner also insists that LALIGA has a strong fanbase in all six cities with which they interact throughout the season through different activations.
Perks and Rewards
Aside from the top-level training program, participants will be given two jerseys, two shorts, two pairs of socks, one water bottle and one LALIGA tote bag. Moreover parents can watch camp from the sidelines and are encouraged to participate in the final day fan fest.
Even more exciting, twelve of the most talented participants (two from each camp, one boy and one girl) will be selected for an unforgettable, all-inclusive, McDonald’s sponsored experience in Spain where they will train with LALIGA coaches, compete with LALIGA Academy teams, visit LALIGA stadiums and watch a game live.
Players between ages 13 and 17 can be selected for the Showcase in Spain. The evaluation of players will be done solely by the coaches, and will be an assessment of players’ strengths, weakness and potential.
Whether this program helps LALIGA in its battle for soccer hegemony against the Premier League, is yet to be determined. What is clear is that the Hispanic and Latino population of the U.S. will benefit from LALIGA’s determination to build a following in North America.
