After returning from a conference, you find yourself caught between worlds.
You're still connected to the conference vibe, but with half your mind on the reality of home.
I had the opportunity to participate in ECA Madrid, where the key topics were sustainability and innovation.
Sustainability is no longer just a global trend, but has become a mandate on how we operate.
Clubs abroad have had a sustainability officer for some time, just as we have a press officer or security officer.
Under the new UEFA direction, sustainability is not just a recommendation, but a mandate for the world we live in.
Of course, UEFA did not come out of nowhere with this directive; it aligns with a global direction.
Beyond sustainability, innovation is a mandate towards the growth targets we set for ourselves.
After discussions with over 20 clubs, larger or smaller compared to FC Rapid, I realized that the innovation we see as principles is not far from the vision of Western clubs.
There is still a visible lack of courage to innovate compared to the momentum of those abroad.
Sustainability and innovation are interesting, complex, and indispensable subjects in the world we live in, but one aspect that fascinates me about clubs abroad is their continuous concern for refining their identity.
"Who are you?" is a question I constantly received throughout the conference, and the answer provides a pathway to innovation and sustainability.
Today, we look at football clubs as a continuous construct that we nourish precisely to exist.
Compared to the last decade, the details of the football context send clubs towards the role of an economic, social, technological, environmental, and ultimately sporting binder.
In the end, regardless of the new perspectives offered by information, I am glad that together with Mircea, Marian, Catalin and Valentin we have brought FC Rapid 1923 beyond the field onto the radar of clubs abroad.
