LaLiga reveals end of sponsorship agreement with Banco Santander post-2022/23

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LaLiga
Image provided by LaLiga

Having entered a partnership from the 2016/2017 season, LaLiga and Banco Santander have mutually agreed to terminate the current sponsorship contract between the organisations.

The change, which will take effect from the 2023/2024 campaign onwards, is the result of a joint decision by both organisations to explore new ways of collaboration, both together and with third parties. LaLiga will announce new developments regarding the competition’s naming rights from the 2023/24 season onwards in the coming weeks.

During these six seasons of collaboration, the relationship between LaLiga and Banco Santander has transcended mere official sponsorship of the competition. It has been a period of close collaboration between the two institutions, with strong understanding and rapport that has fomented the promotion of successful joint projects such as LaLiga Promises (U12 football) in addition to main sponsorship of the LaLiga competition.

Both organisations have developed a close and fruitful relationship during the six seasons of collaboration, with great achievements that go beyond just advertising presence, involving strategic national and international development projects, in digital environments and at an observable level for football fans.

Education has been another pillar of the relationship between LaLiga and Banco Santander, joining forces to create LaLiga ProPlayer and to promote university education and in the creation of sports scholarships in the USA for players in lower categories, as well as the creation of a training programme for active professional footballers in 2021. LaLiga Business School’s Global Players Program was the first of its kind among major European leagues and was attended by 30 players in its first edition.

One of the most iconic products of this collaboration is undoubtedly LaLiga Genuine Santander, the competition for players with learning disabilities. So much so that Banco Santander, which has been one of the main driving forces behind this initiative since its inception in the 2017/18 season, and LaLiga are working together on a model to continue sponsoring this competition which has meant that LaLiga, together with its Foundation, is the first professional football league in the world to have a competition for footballers with learning disabilities.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas said in a statement released by LaLiga:

“We thank you for the trust you have placed in LaLiga over the years, and we are convinced that we will continue to collaborate on future projects with Banco Santander in order to grow and promote both brands.”

Antonio Simões, Regional Head of Europe and CEO of Santander Spain, added via LaLiga:

“We are delighted with our partnership with LaLiga over the years and are keen to explore further avenues of collaboration.”

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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