Arsène Wenger, the legendary Arsenal manager now serving as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, leads a compelling line-up of prominent figures from across football for ECA’s second Club Connect in Madrid on 19-20 March.
More than 480 club directors and operational leaders will make this the biggest ECA Club Connect to date. Bringing together clubs of all sizes, Club Connect provides a platform to exchange ideas, gain crucial insights and strengthen relationships across European football through network opportunities, breakout sessions and inspiring keynote speakers. The event underlines ECA’s role in driving key conversations across the game and is designed to support all 700+ member clubs across the continent to ensure that they stay at the forefront of the game’s latest developments.
This edition of Club Connect will focus on two key areas: men’s football and youth football.
Arsène Wenger is widely regarded as one of the most respected managers in football history. During his 22 transformative years at Arsenal, he revolutionised English football with tactical innovation, sports science and a commitment to youth development, shaping generations of top players. An "Invincible" in 2003/04, he guided Arsenal through an unprecedented unbeaten Premier League season. Now at FIFA, he spearheads global initiatives in player development, coaching and technical advancement.
Wenger will be in conversation with renowned TV presenter Hayley McQueen, who will anchor much of the day’s activities.
Hayley will open with a plenary session featuring Aki Riihilahti, ECA Men’s Football Workstream Lead, and Dennis te Kloese, his Youth Football counterpart.
Riihilahti, Managing Director of HJK Helsinki and ECA Vice-Chair, is a former Finnish international who played in the UEFA Champions League with HJK and spent seven years at Crystal Palace, including a spell in the Premier League. Te Kloese, CEO of Feyenoord Rotterdam, has held senior roles in Mexico and the USA. Under his leadership, Feyenoord reached the 2022 UEFA Conference League final, the 2023 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, won the 2022/23 Eredivisie title and advanced to the round of 16 in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by Inter Milan.
The morning session will include two breakout discussions. Club Brugge Director of Football Devy Rigaux and Brighton & Hove Albion Technical Director David Weir will present case studies on Efficient Squad Building & Recruitment. Both Rigaux and Weir play key roles in shaping their clubs’ squads through strategic player acquisitions, earning a reputation for smart recruitment.
The other session, chaired by Hayley, will explore Talent Development Integrating a Holistic Ecological Approach. Panellists include Corné Groenendijk, a key figure in Ajax’s renowned youth academy, responsible for developing world-class talent through the club’s distinctive football philosophy; Marko Marin, a former German international who transitioned from a successful playing career to Technical Director at Serbian side FK Crvena Zvezda; and Ignacio Villarroel, Vice-President of River Plate, who has been a driving force at the Argentinean giants.
That split-session pattern will be repeated after lunch when President and CEO of LOSC Lille Olivier Létang and Sporting Director of Estoril Praia Helena Costa discuss the success of their respective clubs. Under Létang’s leadership, Lille secured the Ligue 1 title in 2020-2021 and reached the round of 16 in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Helena Costa, prior to joining Estoril this year, has coached Benfica and both the Qatari and Iranian national women’s teams, while also holding scouting roles at Celtic and Eintracht Frankfurt and serving as Head of Scouting at Watford.
In the other session, Hayley will host a high-profile panel on Successful Transition Into the First Team, featuring Carlos Aviña, Technical Director of AS Monaco; Pedro Marques, Director of Football Development at Premier League leaders Liverpool FC; and Patricia González, Technical Director of Club Atlético de Madrid Women. All have a strong track record in talent development and player integration into first-team football.
They will be joined by respected coaches Roger Schmidt and Julen Lopetegui, both known for their work in player development. Schmidt has managed clubs across Europe, including Bayer Leverkusen, PSV Eindhoven and Benfica, while Lopetegui, a former Spanish national team coach, has managed clubs including FC Porto, Sevilla and most recently West Ham United.
The final panel of the day, Under Pressure: Player Development and Squad Management in a High-Performance Environment, features three leading figures in football.
Edin Terzić rose through the coaching ranks at Borussia Dortmund to lead the club to the UEFA Champions League final. Giorgio Chiellini, now Head of Football Institutional Relations at Juventus, played over 400 games for the club, earned 117 caps for Italy and captained them to European Championship glory. He brings invaluable insights into leadership, defensive excellence and player development.
They will be joined by Dr Simon Timson, Performance Director at Manchester City and City Football Group, who played a key role in City’s 2022/23 treble-winning season and oversees CFG’s academy programmes. Previously, he led performance strategy at the Lawn Tennis Association and helped drive record medal hauls for UK Sport.