ECA 31st General Assembly

This year's 31st General Assembly of the European Club Association (ECA) in Athens was a historic event. With over 700 associations, it was the largest ECA event ever. The General Assembly was hosted at the Grand Hyatt and InterContinental Athenaeum in Athens from 8 to 10 October. The three days were packed with numerous sessions. On the first day, networking, showcasing ECA services, and the photo area were part of the program. Unlike last year, no service presentations were held at fixed times. This meant that visitors were able to seek individual advice. However, there was a separate event on the following day for the clubs that have joined since the 30th General Assembly in Berlin in 2023.

For Gibraltar Wave FC and its Managing Director Heiko Mock , networking has become a big "Nice to see you again" with old acquaintances from the European football cosmos. At the end of the first day, there was the ECA Family Welcome Party, where you could meet club representatives who had traveled there later and some celebrities from the football business. These included Eric Abidal , Gaizka Mendieta , and Edin Terzic (just to name a few).

The second day began with the ECA Football Leaders Forum. The program was hosted by the well-known presenter Reshmin Chowdhury . The topics were:

• Where is European Football Now - teams and fans in the post-Messi and Ronaldo era? Simon Kuper - a sports expert at the Financial Times - was welcomed as a guest.
• ECA Awards: Clubs were honored for their commitment and activities in seven different club management and sustainability areas. Congratulations to the clubs VfL Bochum 1848 GmbH & Co. KGaA , FC Bayern München , Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , AC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s. , Liverpool Football Club , AIK, and VfL Wolfsburg .

• Anita Elberse , an award-winning professor at Harvard Business School , presented the Future of Sport and Entertainment.
• The CBS Champions League Today Show was a unique ECA GA production of the popular CBS show. Kate Scott was joined by her well-known co-hosts and football legends Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards. This part of the event provided much amusement for the entire audience.

The afternoon was dedicated to the individual subdivision meetings. After a welcome address by Nasser El-Khelaifi, news from the ECA Governance, FIFA and UEFA was reported, and club representatives could present their questions to the panel. The free time in the afternoon was again dedicated to networking before the official dinner in the evening.

A breathtaking outdoor location by the sea provided a fantastic end to this eventful day. In addition to excellent Greek food, there were dance performances, including club representatives joining in the Sirtaki.

The plenary session took place on the final day. This began with a welcome address by the Alternate Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sport. This was followed by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and Nasser El-Khelaifi's greetings before Gareth Southgate gave an exclusive interview. This was introduced by a video in which his former players in the national team thanked their 'boss' for their time together. This video gave the audience and presenter Reshmin Chowdhury goosebumps.

This was followed by a keynote from the Meta Group on Technology that will shape the future fan. This keynote was followed by an update on the UEFA club competitions and new elections to the ECA Board in Subdivision 2. The ECA Administration Report and the Financial Report concluded the program.

After a joint lunch, the participants returned home with many impressions, new connections, and lots of information.

It was the second ECA General Assembly for Gibraltar Wave FC, and we really felt at home and welcome in a big European football family. We made a lot of friends there and many new friends.

We are already looking forward to the other upcoming ECA events and the associated exchange of knowledge, as well as the fact that we can actively contribute with ideas and suggestions.