From the first Board and Executive Committee Meetings of the year to a headline-grabbing ECA Club Connect and a Medical and Performance Advisory Group meeting in Warsaw, March has been a memorable month for the European Club Association (ECA).
The month began with a significant commercial development with UC3, the joint venture between ECA and UEFA, appointing Relevent as the UEFA men’s club competitions global marketing and sales partner from 2027. Relevent will provide UC3 with strategic and sales support in the worldwide marketing and sale of the commercial rights, together with account management and associated services for all UEFA men’s club competitions for the next two commercial cycles (2027/28 - 2032/33).
This move further strengthens the ECA-UEFA strategic partnership and will help secure long-term financial stability for European football, benefiting all 745 ECA member clubs.
In addition, ECA held its first Executive Committee and Board Meetings of 2025 in Brussels, marking an important step in reinforcing relationships with key EU stakeholders. ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and ECA’s Board hosted Commissioner Glenn Micallef, the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, alongside Members of the European Parliament and EU officials at an event held ahead of the Board Meeting.
Meanwhile, ECA CEO Charlie Marshall addressed the European Parliament Culture Committee, reaffirming ECA’s position on the future of the European Sports Model and the EU’s role in shaping policy to strengthen club football throughout its pyramid.
Madrid played host to ECA’s largest-ever Club Connect event, which focused on men’s and youth football as part of ECA’s commitment to equipping clubs at all levels with the insights and best practices needed to navigate the evolving landscape of the game. Close to 500 club directors and operational leaders from ECA member clubs attended sessions on squad building, talent development, and the integration of young players into first-team football, alongside discussions on high-performance management in elite environments.
The event featured a stellar line-up of speakers, including Arsène Wenger (FIFA Chief of Global Football Development), who highlighted global trends in player development, former Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini, who shared his experience of performing under pressure, and Olivier Létang (LOSC Lille), who provided an in-depth look at the strategies behind his club’s recent success.
ECA’s partnership with the UEFA Academy took another step forward with the launch of the inaugural Sporting Director Programme in Madrid. Designed to equip sporting directors with the tools and expertise to adapt to football’s changing environment, the first session focused on football governance and strategic decision-making to enhance club performance.
Top medical and performance experts from clubs across Europe gathered in Warsaw for ECA’s Men’s Medical and Performance Advisory Group meeting, hosted by Legia Warszawa. This two-day event explored the latest innovations in player health, injury prevention, and performance management, with insights from leading practitioners and researchers.
Regional engagement continued throughout March, with 20 clubs attending the latest Platform for Executive Consultation (PEC) meeting in Riga, Latvia, to discuss ECA’s strategic priorities. Meanwhile, the membership team hosted a club meetup in the Faroe Islands, where 7 clubs and members of the Faroe Islands Football Association gathered in the capital, Tórshavn, to discuss key developments in European football.
It was a busy and productive March, reinforcing ECA’s position at the heart of European football and laying the groundwork for continued progress across the continent.