CBFA: Football Management Evolution & Talent Scouting

A Brazilian Football Confederation (CBFA) It has in your hands a great opportunity to make the sport a power in Brazil. With new resources consequent to the entry of Flag Football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the NFL increasingly advancing in the Brazilian market, the entity moves to take advantage of the wave.

On the eve of the first match of the National Football League (NFL) in Brazil, in September last year, Football has had a growth of 310% since 2014, according to Sponsorlink, a survey by Ibope Repacom.

Shortly before the match, 35% of Brazil’s connected population was a fan of football, which corresponds to 41 million people.

Earlier, the announcement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in October 2023, that the Football flag would be at the Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028 enhanced the existence of a fertile land for the development of oval ball modalities in Brazil.

“It was like a dream come true. We imagined that one day the Football flag would become Olympic, but we didn’t know when. We saw it as a tremendous opportunity to start experiencing a slightly more professional reality,” Cristiane Kajiwara, president of CBFA, told CBFA, Sports machine.

Incentive

The first major impact felt by CBFA is the partnership with the Brazil Olympic Committee (COB). With Flag Football guaranteed in Los Angeles 2028, the entity began to receive incentive funds, which greatly increased its investment capacity in sport.

“We are receiving funds to perform our actions. All training of the teams, travel for international competitions, have been paid with COB appeal,” said Kajiwara.

In the list of COB members since April 25, CBFA will receive $ 3.5 million in the first year of the Olympic cycle, as well as the other new modalities. The value, despite being less than a quarter than other entities will receivealmost triple the annual revenue of the organization.

“Every budget is very planned and discussed in four hands, with CBFA and COB. The first major goal is to work on athletes training, thinking about high performance, classifications and main competitions,” explained Cristiane.

“It is also part of all this to foster the sport in the country, in the championships and in the construction of the grassroots categories. The investments of each cost center are already defined,” he added.

The approach with COB also guarantees CBFA support for organizational management, something that has been one of the entity’s focuses at this time of sports evolution and capital arrival.

“We are bringing professionals who have been in the market for a longer time, especially in the area of communication and marketing, as well as in the financial and administrative part,” said the president.

“We know that increases visibility, but also responsibility and other things. Parallel to sports work, we have to organize ourselves to suit the most modern management standards,” he said.

Hierarchy

It is common for sports with similar rules to have different treatments from the public and the regulatory entities themselves. Futsal, for example, has already been treated as a gateway to field football. In volleyball, on the other hand, this hierarchy is not so present between the modalities of court and sand.

As a regulator of football and flag football in Brazil, it is also up to CBFA to define the relationship between the modalities. The intention, then, is to use the facilities offered by each one for different purposes, but with the same importance.

Flag Football has a smaller entry barrier, as it depends on less equipment and being considered less aggressive. Therefore, it offers better conditions for entry into oval ball sports.

Traditional American football, on the other hand, carries with it the popularity created by NFL and has attracted the Brazilian audience more and more in recent months.

“They are complementary, but the money that comes from the Olympic Committee today can only be used by the flag. Still, we know that football offers major plasticity and commercial elements,” said the president of CBFA.

In addition, the exchange of athletes between the modalities strengthens the evolution of both and enhances the strength of Brazilian teams.

“Within the national team, we have a lot of athletes who play both. Before, it was still very separate, but nowadays there is this mix,” he said.

Influence

The influence of NFL is inevitable, but in CBFA’s understanding, it should not guide the development of football in Brazil. The entity’s intention is to follow the league’s good practices, but to adapt the language to the Brazilian public.

In this sense, the increase in football contact with a wider audience is like a “blue ocean” for the entity to develop sport with its own communication characteristics.

“First, the goal is to create communication in which people can understand what sport is. Having more knowledge about the rules, but especially how it works in Brazil,” explained Dayyán Morandi, CBFA Marketing Director, to Sports machine.

In social networks, the strategy is to attract influencers, celebrities and people of great visibility in the media to participate in the process of expansion and development of the sport in the Brazilian market.

“We do not intend to ‘Americanize’ the communication around football in Brazil. We want to ‘abrasile’ the sport, but following the consumer steps of the audience,” emphasized the executive.

Among the characteristics that are interested in being imported, is the consumer relationship established by NFL in the United States, where there is a strong tradition of having games as a possibility for generating experiences that transcend disputes on the pitch.

“In Brazil, the football fan also follows this trend. We need to start bringing this behavior into Brazilian football, to our teams,” said Dayyán.

“We should have more experiences, events and great games to start showing the Brazilian that the event here is also very interesting, which is a great experience,” he added.

Visibility

Last week, football marked an important touchdown in the Brazilian market, after the Grupo Globo reaches an agreement to broadcast NFL matches.

With a two-year contract, some US League games will be broadcast on GETV, freely on the Internet, and on SporTV, among the subscription channels. For CBFA, this is another great opportunity.

“The entry of a new player is very beneficial because it will facilitate communication with the public. We will have an even greater connection, as we have more information,” said Dayyán Morandi.

“We can increase the volume of information that is made available to the football fan in Brazil compared to the national team and national championships,” he continued.

The movement, coupled with the second game of NFL in Brazil, created a visibility scenario that will be enjoyed by CBFA immediately with the realization of a forum.

“The idea is to bring together experts who can contribute to the development of modalities and distribute this knowledge to expand the quality of what is already done here, today, in Brazil,” explained the director of marketing.

Interest

CBFA currently has among its partners Oakley and Zurich Seguros. Both bet on football as a way of connecting with youth.

Zurich, besides being present in CBFA media and communication assets, also uses sport as a tool for social transformation. The insurer supports the entity’s social projects to encourage the development of modalities.

“What attracts the brands most is the fact that we have well -defined communities. So you create a direct relationship, can work activations and create involvement with a community that is highly connected to that modality,” said the executive.

With Oakley, the partnership allows the brand activations in various CBFA initiatives. Next Monday (8), for example, the company will be at the launch of the uniform of Brazilian flag and football teams.

“It is a very large movement, where the teams connect, fans of the sport connect and only the fact that it is present there already creates a direct relationship with all this base,” he said.

Still, the great challenge is still to achieve new partnerships that align with the ideals of development thought by CBFA, to evolve the experience generated by football and the Football flag.

“We need supporters for broadcasts, sponsors who want to invest, bring a great experience to the public. With this, we can start giving another level, bring the sport to another level here in Brazil,” concluded Dayyán Morandi.