In the season marking its 125th Anniversary, AC Milan took centre stage at Soccerex Miami 2024, the premier global event dedicated to the football business.
Elisabet Spina, the Head of Women Football of the Rossoneri, participated in the "Game Changers" panel, further affirming what AC Milan represents in Italy and around the world: a Club that constantly innovates, evolves both itself and the game of football, while remaining true to its legendary essence.
Spina addressed an international audience of industry professionals and sports experts from over 60 countries, presenting the vision and initiatives of AC Milan's Women’s Sector: from the Club's innovative maternity policy for female players and technical staff, to a finalist project at the ECA Awards focused on nurturing young talent through equal opportunities. She also analysed the potential growth opportunities for Italian women’s football.
At the start of the current season, AC Milan introduced a world-first maternity policy for female players and staff guaranteeing protections during pregnancy and early motherhood. This includes a one-year contract extension under the same financial conditions if a player’s contract expires during the pregnancy season. Spina remarked: "As AC Milan, we feel the responsibility of representing a legendary Club not only on the field. That’s why our Women’s Sector aims to create a special project every year to contribute to a positive evolution of the entire football world. With this policy, our goal was to ensure our players and staff members wouldn’t have to choose between their personal and professional lives. It’s the first time a football club formally guarantees automatic contract renewal for players starting a pregnancy with an expiring contract. This policy enables players to consider having children without abandoning their careers, revolutionizing how future generations plan their lives on and off the pitch.”
On the Rossoneri Youth Sector and the project for developing young male and female talents through equal opportunities, a finalist at the ECA Awards, Spina stated: "For Italian women’s football, a turning point came in the 2015/16 season when the Federation mandated that any club wishing to register its men’s team in a professional competition had to invest in its women’s Youth Sector. Today, thanks to a virtuous path, we have six teams ranging from under-10 to under-19 that use the same facilities as their male counterparts – a scenario that would have been unimaginable when I was young. Last year, our Primavera team won the Scudetto, and this year many of those players have reached our First Team. Barriers have fallen. We chose to offer them the same opportunities as the boys in terms of professionals, infrastructure, and education, and thanks to our project to protect and develop youth talent via equal opportunities, we’ve seen significant benefits not only for our female players but also for our male players. These benefits extend to their daily lives, their school environments, and naturally, they are reflected on the field. We are truly pleased that the ECA recognised the value of this project. Women’s football has long tried to follow in the footsteps of the men’s game, but in the future, we’ll be able to help each other grow. For older generations, this might seem unusual, but for young people, it’s perfectly normal. After all, these boys and girls train together, use the same facilities, and are supported by the same professionals.”
On the further growth opportunities for Italian women’s football, she added: “In our country, female footballers are still the only professional athletes. This means football can currently serve as a model for other sports. We are growing, but there is still work to be done on specific issues. Compared to other nations, for instance, Italy lacks a league that addresses the needs of the teams. The competition format is also under review and will change next season from what we’ve been accustomed to recently. Then there’s the regulation regarding homegrown players, which probably doesn’t provide enough room for international players who wish to join our league. Additionally, TV rights, which in recent years have been distributed equally regardless of investment levels, are a point of discussion. We can say that, right now, there is an effort to strike a balance across many different aspects. While having a Women’s Sector wasn’t initially sustainable, it is now being recognised as a real investment. As a Club, we always invest with long-term results in mind – not just on the pitch but also to build something meaningful for future generations."
In the United States, AC Milan – boasting 43 million local fans – is both the most followed Italian club (Nielsen data) and the one with the best reputation (YouGov data). According to a Men in Blazers and YouGov study, the Rossoneri’s American fanbase grew by 50% over the past year, driven by brand visibility efforts, a strong focus on fan engagement activities, and effective storytelling, further amplified by the presence of players like Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah in the men’s First Team squad. The Club has also chosen the United States as the host country for its Pre-Season Tour for the past two years, organizing various fan engagement, media, and institutional activities. These efforts have strengthened AC Milan’s connection with the country, as evidenced by the results of the most recent tour, which saw the Rossoneri play in sold-out stadiums in New York and Chicago.
During last year’s Soccerex Miami, AC Milan was also one of the key participants, sharing its strategic vision for a market like North America through innovative approaches to brand development beyond the pitch.
Source: acmilan.com
