During the lockdown period, LaLiga, its clubs and its players once again demonstrated their firm social commitment by taking part in a range of charitable projects
Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi raises La Liga trophy as he celebrates becoming La Liga champions after winning the Spanish League football match between FC Barcelona and Levante UD at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona in April 2019.
The big milestone of the 2019/20 season has undoubtedly been the adaptation to the new situation created by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 12 March, La Liga had to suspend the competition due to the situation caused by the virus. During the lockdown period, LaLiga, its clubs and its players once again demonstrated their firm social commitment by taking part in a range of charitable projects (#LaLigaSantanderFest, for example, a massive online concert which raised €1 million for healthcare equipment). They also sought to keep their followers entertained remotely with content on social media, various projects such as the eSports tournament – eLaLiga Santander –, and the clubs moving their academy content online.
As the public health situation improved, work commenced on the return of professional football in Spain. LaLiga, in coordination with several European leagues and other industry stakeholders, worked closely with the clubs, the High Sports Council and the public health authorities on two ambitious protocols: a Return to Training Protocol and, subsequently, a Match Protocol.
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Thanks to these projects, their set of strict rules and recommendations, and the endeavour of all involved, the clubs were able to return to training with all of the necessary measures to protect their health. After this, matches started to be held again on 11 June 2020.
Following the recommendations of the authorities, LaLiga matches returned behind closed doors with no fans in the stadiums, which meant that LaLiga also had to adapt its broadcasting to these new circumstances. In order to face this challenge, new locations were chosen for the television cameras and virtualised stands and crowd audio was created so that the viewer experience would be as close as possible to the one they had always enjoyed. Fans also had the option to listen to the real sound in the stadium during matches if they so desired.
On 11 June, La Liga resumed on Matchday 28 of LaLiga Santander and Matchday 20 of LaLiga SmartBank, relaunching an important industry which generates 185,000 direct and indirect jobs, equates to 1.37% of GDP and contributes 4.1 billion pounds in tax.
LA LIGA 2019/20 SEASON INDIA MILESTONES
Ace Batsman, Rohit Sharma became the first-ever brand ambassador for La Liga in India
BKT and Dream 11; becoming the first two Indian companies to become global and regional sponsors for LaLiga.
The La Liga Football Schools Scholarship Programme organized regional and national camp and chose 4 young athletes to train with the LaLiga Club in Spain
The La Liga Football Schools at Home initiative helped adapt to the new normal and consolidate our school network throughout India where coaches organised around 60 classes a week for more than 1500 kids across eight cities.
La Liga celebrated its third anniversary in India along with an exciting screening of the Madrid Derby
La Liga was broadcasted exclusively and free on Facebook for the Indian subcontinent.
LA LIGA 2019/20 SEASON INSTITUTIONAL MILESTONES
1. LaLiga received R&D+i certificates for around 20 of its apps and platforms
2. LaLiga surpassed 100 million followers on its social media channels
3. LaLiga grew abroad and approached 2.8 billion cumulative viewers
4. LaLiga reached more than thirty agreements with foreign leagues and federations
5. LaLiga reached €100 million in sponsorship
6. Over hundred sporting projects were carried out around the world
7. LaLiga's apps surpassed 110 million downloads
8. LaLiga taught its values to over 10,000 schoolchildren
9. LaLiga continued with its commitment to fighting audiovisual piracy
10. LaLiga's OTT platform reached 1 million users
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