Armand Duka determined for investments: Let's increase the inventory of fields at any cost

2023-12-24 08:49:00, Sport CNA

Armand Duka

The successful elimination campaign and qualification for the 2024 European Championship has made the Albanian National Team more attractive from a commercial point of view.

Armand Duka, President of the Albanian Football Federation, says in an interview for "Monitor", that the objective is to double this income in the following period.

However, Mr. The Duke underlines that the costs of participating in activities of this type are very high and a large part of the rewards that will be obtained will go to cover these costs.

According to him, the AFL is investing in the addition and construction of new fields throughout the territory of Albania, starting from the launch of the "100 Fields" project.

Mr. Duka says that the purpose of this initiative is to improve and develop the sports infrastructure in the country, with a focus on the improvement and development of football as a sport, starting from academies and clubs.

Full interview:

How do you assess the impact of the positive campaign of the qualifiers and the qualification for the European Championship in increasing the attractiveness of the Albanian National Team from a commercial point of view?

The impact is at most positive. It is an old (unwritten) law in sports marketing, as the experience of Euro 2016 has further taught us: The team that wins, sells, even easily.

What has been special this time is that the National Team grew significantly, in performance and results, match after match.

The qualification came convincingly, as a result built with experience, maturity and working hard every day. It came thanks to the vision we have had and the strategic objectives we have set for a long time, accompanied by significant investments and modern infrastructure.

Also, the victory against strong opponents even in their field was no longer a surprise, so the fans became more lively and enthusiastic step by step.

Under these conditions, it is natural for people to want to come to the stadium, buy T-shirts or follow the National Team and the players on TV, but also on social media.

If a rough calculation can be made, how much can the Albanian National Team benefit from qualifying for the 2024 European Championship, including direct and indirect income (sponsorships, marketing income, etc.)?

Of course, we are waiting to officially learn the reward that UEFA will assign us for qualifying for the Euro 2024 finals, at a time when UEFA also gives rewards for ongoing victories.

Meanwhile, the other incomes, which are also direct, but from other sources, are to be calculated in potential at this moment, as it is necessary to see how the market will react to the numbers.

We can only make predictions on this and talk about targets. The Federation generates on average each season certain income, such as the contracts according to the qualifying seasons. Our objective is to double this income in the period ahead.

What we have to keep in mind here is that in a big competition like Euro 2024, the expenses are also considerable, unimaginable for our market.

I can tell you that a good part of the rewards we receive from qualifying for the European Championship finals will be used precisely to cover the costs of participating in this major tournament.

How much does the brand of the Albanian national team "sell" today and how much does the AFL manage to benefit from sponsors and marketing?

Part of the values ??are those above, but other income will come from the percentages that will be earned from the t-shirts that the Macron company will sell, as well as from new contracts that will be signed, from the increase in tickets sold.

But now they cannot be predicted exactly. Other initiatives will be organized to have a better service for fans and the public.

How far has the AFL managed to use the income from products related to the image of the National Team (eg uniforms, sports materials, joint products offered with sponsors, etc.)?

In different years there are different incomes. T-shirts, for example, including other national team clothing, which are the most natural and fan-favorite product, reach high levels, even over 50,000 shirts in 2016 in just a few months, but it could be just a few thousands of such, moving as much in values ??for the percentages benefited. For this European, we hope to double sales and make every stadium in Germany red.

What effect has the new "Air Albania" stadium had on the marketing of the National Team and, in general, on the income of the AFL?

Almost immeasurable. A stadium for a country, for a whole country is a very important national asset. It is a kind of business card for every international meeting, where we ourselves, that is, the public, in addition to the players, are also ambassadors.

This view is very important in terms of international and national image. Image, after all, is paramount for every team and federation.

From the monetary side, it is enough to think that this stadium has 6,000 seats more than the previous "Qemal Stafa", which are not few, but also many other opportunities to create, in addition to income, some important services for sponsors and partners. our national and international, as well as for VIP clientele. We are talking about services that were previously missing.

Approximately how much does the AFL invest each year to develop football in the country and which can you list as your most important projects? How much will the benefits of participating in the European serve to projects of this type?

The annual focus for the Football Federation, starting from the presentation of the "100 Fields" project, has been the addition and construction of new fields throughout the territory of Albania, whether natural or artificial.

The purpose of this initiative is to improve and develop the sports infrastructure in the country, with a focus on the improvement and development of football as a sport, starting from academies and clubs.

We can mention here the field recently built in Ahmetaq, Vorë, Kamëz or in the Dinamo complex, which are used by age teams, but also by adult teams.

These investments are definitely valid, even for the 2025 European Championship for the age of U-17, which will take place in Albania, because in addition to the 4 stadiums that are the main ones in hosting this competition, another important point is the training grounds. , that is, the fields we have built so far, within the "100 Fields" project.

I can tell you that the financial bill for these investments is considerable, but we are determined to improve the infrastructure and increase the inventory of fields at all costs.

Do you believe that the participation of the National Team in competitions of this size can bring positive effects in the attention to the Albanian Championship and in its attractiveness in various commercial aspects?

I believe that is. Qualifying for the European Championship brings an increase in the image and popularity of football in general.

A positive climate around football and the National Team brings increased attention to what we do. Local football, the championships we organize and the Cup of Albania are definitely part of this.

But what we believe in the most and where we are working with intensity, is football for young ages, starting from schools./ Monitor