European Leagues members gathered on 3 March in Düsseldorf for the annual Commercial and Business Development meeting, co-hosted with DFL – Deutsche Fußball Liga.

Bringing together 60 league representatives from across Europe, the meeting provided a platform to review existing partnerships, assess evolving market trends and define future projects and strategic priorities designed to reinforce the collective commercial position of domestic professional football leagues.

As part of the updates provided, an important topic was the European Leagues’ Sports Data Value Chain (SDVC) project, a strategic initiative designed to support member leagues in gaining greater control over their sports data and building the foundations of a shared, future-ready data ecosystem. The project, supported by LaSource, reflects the ambition to structure and optimise how sports data is managed, commercialised and protected across domestic competitions.

Members were also updated on ongoing projects with Two Circles, as well as other new commercial partnerships with companies related to digital fan engagement, archive management and commercialisation, and AI-powered sports data story-telling. Through these collaborations, and in line with the Association’s objective to further develop and advance its commercial ambitions, the European Leagues will continue to identify and unlock new business opportunities for member leagues via selective commercial relationships.

Discussions also addressed broader market trends, reinforcing the importance of a coordinated collective approach across domestic leagues. Exchanges covered topics such as the sports sponsorship landscape, media production and updates on rights commercialisation, including media, betting and scouting rights. These conversations once again highlighted the European Leagues’ unique position within the European football ecosystem as the only organisation bringing together domestic professional football leagues under one umbrella.

The meeting was held alongside SportsInnovation, the conference on the future of the sports industry organised at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA on 4–5 March 2026, offering participants additional insights into emerging trends shaping the global sports landscape.