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Sevilla announced a five-year partnership with FC Bengaluru United last year in an effort to expand their reach and contribute to the Indian football circuit. A team of high-profile delegates from the Andalusian club visited Bangalore earlier this week and launched a supporters' club to solidify Sevilla's presence in the city.
Sevilla and FC Bengaluru United have enjoyed a fruitful relationship as part of the World Club Alliance Program. The Spanish giants are reportedly willing to share their technical and administrative knowledge with FCBU and assist their ambitions in the I-League and the ISL.
The club has also announced a Hackathon that could potentially nurture a culture of data-driven player assessments in the city's footballing ecosystem. The partnership between Sevilla and FC Bengaluru United has already won an award at the World Football Summit, and both clubs now seem intent on taking their alliance to new heights.
Sportskeeda was able to catch up with Sevilla president Jose Castro Carmona during the club's recent press event in Bangalore. Mr Carmona explained the club's long-term objectives in the Indian market and also shed light on the impact that this partnership could have on their broadcasting revenues.
Sevilla FC x Bengaluru United Partnership
How have you liked your visit to Bangalore so far?
President Carmona: My visit has been very positive and enjoyable, and it corresponds to the plan that we have determined over the last few weeks. We loved the sentiment and the passion that we found in FCBU’s management team, about growing and developing something that will become a stronger entity in the future.
In a way, FCBU can try to learn as much as possible from what Sevilla FC has achieved in the last 15-20 years, with the six European titles and so on.
For us, it’s a pleasure to share everything related to our sports model and to the things we need to achieve success – which is never enough, by the way.
There have been efforts taken by Sevilla FC to grow their fanbase in Bangalore and India. A hackathon has been organised this year, and you’ve also organised a Juniors Cup to increase engagement among youth.
The club has also signed big names in recent years - for example, Anthony Martial who’s come from Manchester United, or Ivan Rakitic, who has a fanbase in Barcelona. How do you leverage your star players to tap into their fanbases?
President Carmona: The way broadcasting rights and TV rights are organised in Spain, there is a part that is equal to all teams. But then the other two chunks - about fifty percent - are related to community volumes and social media interactions. It’s the transition to the future, and that’s the way broadcasting rights are going in our industry.
For us, it’s very important to help FCBU grow, but also for us to grow in India hand-in-hand. These are the things that will determine broadcasting rights in the short-term future. We are here to help FCBU, but we are also here to sell our brand.
In terms of leveraging your brand value here, does this partnership also open up your avenues towards sponsorship here? Will you be able to get Spanish or global brands interested in targeting India, and could we see Indian brands through FCBU becoming sponsors of Sevilla FC?
A growing fanbase is critical for brand value, and therefore, for commercial revenue. We have a prime example of these sponsorship avenues - Valvoline, the engine oil company. One of their key markets is India. That’s why they’re so happy that we have this presence in India and that we are inaugurating the Junior Cup during this trip.
As a part of this program, we are also visiting some of the top companies from Bangalore, we have meetings and also a dinner with different potential partners.
