Have you ever been driving towards a stadium where you can
see it in the distance and you can’t help but fidget in your seat like a little
kid? If not, then picture it as your favorite restaurant with that dessert you know
you’ll order. Good. Now you understand the feeling of anticipation I had while
sitting in the presentation day dreaming about playing. Luckily, Sebastian
Soria, the Commercial Manager of Universidad Catolica gave a very captivating
and informative presentation to snap me and everyone else back to reality. Let’s
begin…
The 1148 capacity stadium is home
to Universidad Catolica. Not only does the club offer a professional level
team, it offers numerous age level academy teams. They range from U10-U19
(mostly guys), with the most successful being the boys U15 team. In 2012 they
won their age bracket’s World Cup, which was hosted by a little known club
called Manchester United. These young athletes also have the privilege of
attending the high school and the university associated/run by the club. There are
two campuses: one that is focused on sports the other focused on academics. For
athletes with financial trouble or unstable family life, the club and its
business administration help pay for all or some of the tuition. Of these kids,
many are from lower class families who depend on the success of their kid
within Universidad Catolica’s soccer program. This pressure put on the kids is recognized
by the club, and as a result they offer counseling and “life skills” classes. These
athletes are taught to be good people with strong morals while getting a good
education, and of course playing LOTS of soccer (I would transfer here, sorry
Bryant Women’s Soccer).
The
market/industry for soccer is one of the largest in South America. They love
their futbol! That being said, of Chile’s 18 million people population, the
soccer industry brought in $157 million in revenue last year. The country has
32 professional teams, with Universidad Catolica being the 3rd most
popular. The club estimated that their fan base is about 1,176,058 people, with
61% being men. This number has increased in the last several years, as the club
has transitioned into its 3rd “legal structure.” They are now
being operated by the group Cruzados SADP. Their focus is on growing the brand,
improving their marketing campaign, and introducing more specialized business administration
groups. Outsourcing different business departments is one of the main ways they
save money. Their focus in marketing has been updating their website, app and
social media platforms, as well as using the professional players in
presentations and graphic campaigns. Overall, the clubs' revenue stream consists
of the following, in order: Commercial, TV rights, Match day sales, and
Transfers. The transfer process refers to that of the professional players.
Universidad Catolica has a difficult time retaining their best players because
other clubs offer higher salaries and better leagues. Despite this, the club is
still producing the best players in the country, with 7 of them on the Chilean
National Team.
At this
point I hope I haven’t bored you with too many facts, lo siento! We still need
to talk about the field and how I could have slept on it, it was so beautiful.
We started walking towards the main gates where all we could see was concrete.
As we approached, the white walls disappeared and a sea of green spilled onto
the landscape. The grass was glimmering from the sprinklers and Chilean sun
(sorry if you’re reading this while seeing snow out your window). I could tell
that my fellow soccer fanatics were itching to lace up and step on the field. Once
that dream was crushed we replaced it by taking pictures on the most
comfortable sideline bench I have ever seen (picture below & Bryant
administration take notes).
After, we headed to the locker rooms to check out
the facilities. The visiting locker room is a shack compared to Universidad
Catolica’s room. Our final stop was the half field line, about 10 rows up. We
were able to sit and experience the stadium as spectators. Whether you’re a
soccer fan or not, you could sense that Universidad Catolica has a passion for
its' athletes and a special atmosphere on game days.
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