"I want to emphasize how important it is to gather together in these challenging times, how important it is to try to help each other, help the league, help the clubs to overcome the difficulties that we are facing," Jordi Bertomeu, President and CEO of Euroleague Basketball, told the business area directors. "But it's no less important to understand the solutions to the problems we have in front of us, in difficult times, have never been solved individually or by looking back to the past. This is important to remember. Today once again, we will share information, we will have a constructive dialogue and we will try to be creative. But as always, we have to take responsibility for our performance. To have a league like the EuroLeague has one main purpose: the ability to define and reach good common policies that help the growth of the group."
That future will include such steps forward as a Digital Transformation Fund for the clubs to tap in order to engage better and more closely with fans, as well as Pandemic Response Guidelines that specify how Euroleague Basketball and the clubs can overcome the new set of challenges brought on by the pandemic so as to provide a safe and fun environment when doors eventually open for tens of thousands of fans who enjoy EuroLeague games live every week.
A centerpiece of the Business Area Directors meeting was the review of a new, five-year business strategy devised by Euroleague Basketball and its joint-venture partner, IMG, following extensive market research conducted by Deloitte Sports Business Group, to define the EuroLeague's market position for the future. The long-term analysis confirmed that the EuroLeague is impressing fans and stakeholders alike with its authenticity, cultural impact, creativity and pioneering spirit. Those attributes are key elements in new statements of the vision, mission and values that center on the tenacity, humanity, leadership, curiosity and passion that are poised to distinguish the EuroLeague in the sports market of the next decade.
