MADRID, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from 15 Chinese football clubs completed a four-day fact-finding trip to Spain on Monday night, with the aim of learning more about La Liga and its organization.
Speaking exclusively to Xinhua, Chinese Super League (CSL) vice president Yan Peixue said the goal of the trip was to ensure that the knowledge acquired in Spain can be implemented across Asia's football landscape.
"La Liga is a long-established competition, and its history is unmatched, but we can learn a lot from its business organization, including the creation of a business environment between clubs," Yan said after an event held at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.
The representatives of the 15 clubs took part in a training session at Getafe CF, where they observed several operational procedures, such as how to manage a matchday in the stadium, and how to televise a match.
They also visited the stadium and high-tech training facilities of UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid.
During his presentation, Yan also stressed that the recent growth of the CSL in recent years has made it necessary to learn from major European leagues such as Spain's La Liga.
"In 2004, the average CSL crowd size was 10,600. That figure now stands at 24,068. Next year, we have set ourselves the goal of continuing to close the gap between the CSL and other major championships," he explained.
La Liga's head of international development, Oscar Mayo, stressed that one of the organization's goals was to use its 75 years of history to help other competitions develop and expand.
"Through our experience in Spain and abroad, we can offer advice on competition, safety, pitch maintenance and more, and at the same time, learn from the best practices of clubs in different countries," Mayo observed.
La Liga's vice general manager for China, Zhang Le, highlighted the benefits of the visit for the representatives of the CSL clubs.
"We understand this visit is a mutual learning process, because Chinese football has its own characteristics and the Spanish league has a much longer history and is therefore much more established. Through this exchange, the two sides can learn a lot from each other."
The visit was also an opportunity for La Liga clubs to forge closer connections with the lucrative Chinese market.
"I am very surprised to see how much the Chinese clubs have improved in such a short period of time," said Shao Xinyi, manager of business development in China at Valencia CF. "This shows the rapid process of the professionalization of Chinese football."
