The management of sports facilities and their impact as drivers of economic development, social cohesion and brand value creation was the focus of the latest session of the Financial Education for Sport Cycle, held this Monday by the Edufinet Project, a financial education programme promoted by Fundación Unicaja and Unicaja.
The event brought together representatives from the business and institutional sectors of sport to analyse the various models for managing and marketing these facilities, as well as their profitability, financial viability and their capacity to revitalise the economic and social environment in which they operate.
The Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Málaga (UMA) once again hosted this series, the sixth session of which highlighted the growing role played by these facilities, not only as spaces for sporting activities, but also as hubs for job creation, tourist attraction and commercial activity, contributing to the promotion of physical activity and reinforcing the identity of the cities that host them.
The discussion featured Josefina Brugnini, marketing manager at the World Football Summit, and Lolo Merinero, vice-president of the Observatory of Women’s Sport in Spain. The panel discussion was introduced by the academic secretary of the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the UMA, Daniel Ruiz, and by Arnie Zareei, a member of the Edufinet Project team.
During her presentation, Brugnini highlighted the international reach of the sports industry and the development opportunities linked to major events and specialised platforms, whilst Merinero reviewed the evolution of sport in Spain, with particular attention to its institutional and social dimensions, as well as its role in promoting the participation and visibility of female athletes.
Both speakers agreed in highlighting the transformation undergone by sports venues, which have evolved from being purely functional facilities into multifunctional environments that generate experiences, capable of projecting an image of a dynamic city with the capacity to host events of national and international significance.
The participatory event concluded with a question-and-answer session that facilitated a direct exchange of ideas with the audience. The event was streamed live via the Edufinet Project website and its thematic portal EdufiSport, where it can also be viewed on demand, thereby extending its reach beyond the in-person format.
Financial Education Series for Sport
This is the sixth session organised by the Edufinet Project as part of this initiative, whose work has been recognised by CECA at the 20th edition of its 2024-2025 Social Work and Financial Education Awards.
The Financial Education Series for Sport was launched last October, with the support of Funcas Educa and in collaboration with the Faculty of Marketing and Management at the University of Málaga, and runs throughout the 2025–2026 academic year via Edufinet’s sports-focused initiative, EdufiSport, through which this project has been promoting specific financial education initiatives aimed at the world of sport since 2020.
Edufinet, 20 years of experience
Over the course of its 20-year history, the Edufinet Project has established itself as one of Spain’s pioneering and leading financial education and inclusion programmes, thanks to its commitment to society and its sustainability policy. This ongoing work has resulted in an extensive network of partners, comprising around ten business organisations and 18 universities.
