Valencia CF become the first club to obtain the LALIGA and the General Council of Economists Sustainability Reporting Seal

In the VIP Box at Mestalla, a conference titled “Sustainability and Corporate Reporting: Challenges and Opportunities” was held, organised by LALIGA, the General Council of Economists of Spain (CGE) and the Valencia College of Economists, in which the main challenges and developments regarding sustainability (ESG) reporting regulations and non-financial information were addressed, both for companies in general and football clubs in particular.

The conference featured, among others, David Baixauli, Sustainability Director at LALIGA; Salvador Marín, president of Economistas Contables (EC-CGE) –the specialised body on financial and non-financial information of the General Council of Economists– and member of the Sustainability Reporting Board (SRB) at EFRAG; Cristian Schneider, Operations and Infrastructure Director at Valencia CF; Francisco Gracia, auditor-accountant at the CGE; Juan José Enríquez, dean-president of the Valencia College of Economists; and Esther Ortiz, vice-president of EC-CGE and member of the Project Task Force at EFRAG.

Christian Schneider highlights: “It is an honour for Valencia CF to receive this Sustainability Reporting Seal because it recognises our real commitment to responsible management. This achievement reflects the coordinated work of the entire club to integrate social and good governance criteria into every decision. Being the first club in LALIGA to obtain it drives us to continue leading with coherence and transparency. This seal is a starting point towards more ambitious sustainability.”

This conference is part of the ambitious process of training, documentation and transmission of this new culture in sustainability matters that, since 2018, have been promoted by the General Council of Economists of Spain (CGE) and LALIGA among the clubs and SADs.

CGE–LALIGA SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING SEAL FOR VALENCIA CF

At the end of the conference, attended by the financial directors of some of the most important companies and organisations in our country, David Baixauli –on behalf of LALIGA– and Francisco Gracia and Salvador Marín –on behalf of the CGE–, accompanied by the dean-president of the Valencia College of Economists, presented the Sustainability Reporting Seal to Valencia CF, the first club to obtain this certification granted by the General Council of Economists of Spain and LALIGA. The person in charge of receiving this distinction was Cristian Schneider.

WHO IS AWARDED THIS CGE AND LALIGA SEAL?

Any club or SAD in LALIGA that wishes to be voluntarily recognised with the CGE–LALIGA distinctive seal must meet a series of requirements. The CGE–LALIGA Sustainability Reporting Seal is awarded to those clubs and SADs that demonstrate an informed and verifiable commitment to transparency in sustainability matters.

To this end, the granting of the recognition is based on two structural criteria: having published their Sustainability Report in accordance with the requirements demanded by the current regulations, and ensuring that the report clearly and traceably reflects the key ESG issues defined by LALIGA and the CGE as essential, in accordance with the standards established in the Sustainable Clubs Guide developed by LALIGA (the Guide includes an evaluation system, exclusive to the sector, which identifies 99 criteria structured into 17 impact areas that group the main governance, social and environmental issues with direct application to football activity).

Both requirements are complementary and decisive. The obtaining of the seal will therefore be a guarantee that the club not only reports in accordance with the regulations, but does so by incorporating a strategic approach aligned with the shared vision of LALIGA and the CGE in matters of sustainability.