LALIGA Youth Tournament honored in World Football Summit

LALIGA x World Football Summit

LALIGA has been honoured with a prestigious award earlier this month, as the Spanish top-flight was bestown the "Honor for Transformative Partnerships shaping the Future of Sport" award at the World Football Summit in Hong Kong last September 3-4.

The event celebrates the talent, passion, and dedication put in by sports business professionals towards football industry, with the award celebrating "partnerships that drive innovation, growth and overall collaboration in football, highlighting those that redefine what is possible for the sport across borders, sectors and cultures."

Received by LALIGA's Singapore-based director Ivan Codina, the honor recognizes the league's work at the grassroots level in Southeast Asia, highlighted by the LALIGA Youth Tournament.

Launched five years ago in Malaysia, and now has counterparts in four more ASEAN locations (Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines), the tournament offers a competitive platform for its participants to not only develop their skills but also to enjoy first-class training experiences.

In fact, this month saw the conclusion of the 2025 edition in Indonesia, with its Philippine counterpart set to have this year's edition scheduled in mid-November at New Clark City.

It is part of a larger commitment LALIGA has in developing sustainable grassroots football in the region, with other initiatives currently in place through two LALIGA Academies in Vietnam and Malaysia, with the latter in operation since 2023 in collaboration with Epsom College through a 50-acre campus on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. In addition, the league also has a LALIGA Youth League in place there.

All of this comes with the end goal of being able to create opportunities for young players to make it big in the sport. 

In receiving the award, Codina shares, "This recognition is a source of pride for LALIGA. The Youth Tournament began as a venture in Malaysia and today is a project that connects thousands of young people across the region. Seeing how it grows and how it impacts such diverse communities reaffirms our commitment to grassroots football and the sustainable development of the sport in Asia. We thank the World Football Summit for this honour, which motivates us to continue working with the same passion."

With this honor, LALIGA reinforces its international leadership in the development of grassroots football and its commitment to the growth of the sport overall.