Following the largest-ever ECA General Assembly in Athens, we continued our October activities with engagements in Greece and Cyprus; a women’s high-performance meeting in Milan, and the season’s first ECA Academy visit at Feyenoord in the Netherlands.
On the sidelines of the 31st ECA General Assembly in Athens, our membership team arranged a meet-up with Greek clubs. ECA Chairman, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, ECA Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Marshall and representatives from UEFA and the Greek Football Federation met with a host of Greek clubs to discuss collaborative initiatives, deepen relationships, and explore new avenues for enhancing the role of Greek teams in football across the continent.
Following the conclusion of 31st ECA General Assembly in Athens, the football membership team made a short trip to Cyprus, where officials from nine Cypriot First Division clubs—AEK Larnaka FC, AEL Limassol FC, Apollon Limassol FC, Aris Limassol FC, Lefkothea, Nea Salamis Famagusta FC, Omonia FC, and Pafos FC—along with representatives from the Cyprus Football Association, gathered in Nicosia to discuss the latest developments in European club football.
Later in the month ECA Women’s High Performance Advisory Group came together in Milan. The event saw 60 participants from 40 clubs, each contributing to meaningful discussions and shared strategies for advancing player welfare.
FC Bayern Munich, AFC Ajax, and hosts AC Milan shared case studies highlighting the latest advancements in women’s training. A key moment of the two-day event was a discussion on the critical issue of eating disorders, enriched by insights from psychologist Meghan Dawe, a specialist in the field.
Arsenal FC’s Club Doctor, Matthew Ogunsanya, also presented a practical case study, detailing their approach and the support systems in place to help athletes recover and build resilience. Participants of the October 24 to October 25 meet-up also took part in a site visit to the Milanello Training Centre and Casa Milan.
October 27 saw ECA’s Membership Project Leader Jeremy Cottino speak at the Legia Sport Business Programme event. The keynote speech in Warsaw shared insights on strategic management from the European club game, whilst also looking towards the future of football focusing on how clubs can engage with younger, tech savvy audiences and how AI will play a definitive role in the next generation of the game.
A busy October for ECA concluded with the first academy visit of the season at Dutch side Feyenoord. A group of 63 participants representing 44 clubs met in Rotterdam for a hands-on experience at the academy of the 16-time Eredivisie champions. The specially curated program featured a mix of dynamic workshops, engaging discussions, practical on-pitch sessions, and insightful classroom presentations.
Attendees participated in the two-day event which was split into two distinct areas focusing on football methodology at the Varkenoord academy and performance methodology at the De Kuip Stadium. Staff from Feyenoord led the discussions and offered real-life examples which fostered a collaborative environment between the participants.