ANNUAL REPORT 2019/20
Who We Are
Learn more about ECA, its membership, governance structure and purpose of Placing Clubs at the Heart of Football.
Chairman’s Message
Andrea Agnelli pens his thoughts on the most unusual season in the history of European club football. The ECA Chairman takes a look at the impact of COVID-19 on members and what the outlook of the game might be following a pandemic no one could have imagined.
CEO’s Report
ECA CEO, Charlie Marshall reports on the Association’s activities during the 2019/20 season, both before and after the impact of COVID-19, and introduces the strategic mandate and goals of the ECA Board for the 2019-23 membership cycle.
Message from Michele Centenaro
Michele Centenaro details his experiences of the past year as he transitioned from leading the ECA Administration as General Secretary to becoming the Association’s first ever Independent Executive Board Member.
Message from the UEFA President
UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin reflects on a turbulent and unprecedented season, praising the collaboration between ECA, UEFA and all European football stakeholders who returned the game to play and successfully completed UEFA Club Competitions in the face of adversity.
Building the Future of Club Football
The focus of the Building the Future of Club Football goal and work stream is on the development of UEFA Club Competitions post-2024, the evolution of the FIFA Club World Cup and the harmonisation of the International Match Calendar.
Putting ECA at the Heart of Decisions
The Putting ECA at the Heart of Decisions work stream aims at implementing the most appropriate strategies for engaging with stakeholders to continue to solidify the position of clubs at the heart of decision-making in football.
Transforming the Commercial Model
The Transforming the Commercial Model work stream seeks to conceive and test new commercial models for football that are in line with the new digital market reality, and it also seeks to evolve our commercial operating models with UEFA and FIFA.
Guiding Policy, Regulatory and Financial Matters
The Guiding Policy, Regulatory and Financial Matters work stream enhances processes for shaping a regulatory environment which ensures that European clubs can thrive and evolve, and that the industry is well governed, transparent and sustainable.
Driving Growth and Development
The Driving Growth and Development work stream was established to look in-depth at areas essential to the social role and sustainability of professional football clubs, such as youth development, women’s football and social impact issues.
Evolving ECA for the Next Decade
The Building an ECA for the Next Decade work stream was created to ensure that we identify, propose and help deliver continual improvements across all features of our organisation, from its membership and governance through to its administration and modus operandi.