Hosted by renowned presenter Reshmin Chowdhury, the event spanned three days and two locations, the Grand Hyatt and Intercontinental Hotels, attracting participants from 55 countries.

Key addresses came from ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, and Greece’s Alternate Minister of Sports Ioannis Vroutsis.

Day one saw ECA’s first-ever Football Leaders Forum whose attendees heard from thought leaders Simon Kuper, a leading sports business expert and Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School professor. Afterwards, ECA revealed a groundbreaking collaboration with Harvard Business School Executive Education on the delivery of the brand new ECA Executive Leadership Programme.

The highlight of the first day was the announcement of the ECA Awards for season 2023/24, including the newly introduced Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Award for Club Management Excellence. The CBS Champions League Today show, featuring pundits Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher then brought their lively interactive perspective on European football to conclude the morning session.

Elections to the ECA Board were held for vacant Board positions in Subdivision Two. Bart Verhaeghe (Club Brugge) and Stacy Johns (Grasshopper Club Zurich) were duly elected to these positions for the remainder of the ECA Board’s cycle 2023-27.

UEFA and European Club Association extend strategic partnership

Memorandum of Understanding effective until 2033

UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) have  extended their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was originally signed  in September 2023, and will now run through July 2033. A major development at the General Assembly was the extension of the Memorandum of Understanding between UEFA and ECA, reinforcing the long-standing partnership between Europe’s governing body and the sole representative body of the clubs until 2033, focusing on governance, sporting and commercial aspects for both men’s and women’s competitions.

This development further strengthens the close partnership between UEFA and the ECA. It enhances their long-term collaboration on key governance, sporting and commercial matters for both men’s and women’s competitions. Today’s extension ensures that clubs across Europe continue to reap a wide range of benefits and reaffirms both organisations’ commitment to driving the sustainable growth of European football at every level.

The MoU now extends into the 2030-33 cycle, allowing UEFA Club Competitions SA (UCCSA) – the joint venture between UEFA and the ECA – to move forward with appointing a marketing and sales agency(ies) to manage the commercial rights for UEFA men’s club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League for both the 2027-30 and 2030-33 cycles. This comes in addition to the ongoing joint management of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the new UEFA women’s club competition (due to launch next season) for the 2025-30 cycle and, now, until 2033. 

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin welcomed the extension, stating: 

“Our partnership with the ECA is the foundation of an inclusive, sustainable and dynamic ecosystem that benefits the entire European football pyramid. Together, we are committed to enhancing the global prominence of UEFA club competitions while ensuring that clubs of all sizes, across every region, continue thrive both on and off the pitch”.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said:

“This renewed Memorandum of Understanding between ECA and UEFA – extending our partnership to 2033 – is fantastic news for all European clubs; and for the future stability and growth of European football. The MoU solidifies our collaboration with UEFA across governance, representation, sporting, regulatory, financial and commercial matters, which will ensure the continued development and success of the game at every level. With ECA’s membership now totalling over 715 clubs of all sizes across 55 countries in Europe, we are delighted to deepen our trusted relationship with UEFA, as the sole representative body of clubs in Europe.”

Elections to the ECA Board were held for vacant Board positions in Subdivision Two. Bart Verhaeghe (Club Brugge) and Stacy Johns (Grasshopper Club Zurich) were duly elected to these positions for the remainder of the ECA Board’s cycle 2023-27.

On the second day, former England manager Gareth Southgate offered insights into his time with the national team and Meta’s Chief Operating Officer Dan Reed shared a glimpse into the future of AI-powered wearable tech. In addition to a list of standout speakers, a host of membership changes were also adopted.

These included a revision to organisational regulations as part of ECA’s Membership for All initiative, that will see the existing membership structure amended with the former Network category being merged into the Associated Member category across all respective Subdivisions.

Nasser Al Khelaifi

ECA Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi said: “The scope and scale of the 31st ECA General Assembly demonstrates the incredible progress ECA has made by doubling our membership in the last season. As the recognised voice of over 700 men’s and women’s clubs across Europe, we are driving the future of football in partnership with our member clubs of all sizes and our key stakeholders. Our renewed agreement with UEFA, extending our partnership to 2033, will ensure stability and growth for European football in the decade ahead.”

At the end of the work, the President of ECA a gave an interview where the editor-in-chief of Discoveryfootball.com Manos Staramopoulos asked him the question, whether the extension of cooperation with UEFA will help the Greek clubs...



Mr. Khelaifi answered: "It will help all of Greek football, since the teams that fail to qualify for a European competition will also be able to collect more money. This will give them the opportunity to strengthen their soul potential and make the league more competitive. He also praised Olympiacos' success in becoming the first Greek team to win a European trophy (the Conference League).

Reflecting on the General Assembly, ECA CEO Charlie Marshall praised the event: “We are delighted to have had such distinguished speakers joining all our members at the ECA General Assembly here in Athens. This was our biggest ECA General Assembly to date as we continue to find new ways of engaging and interacting with our growing membership base. This GA delivered a new look and feel with a programme that sparked lively discussions amongst our clubs. We look forward to setting the tone for the future gatherings of the European club game.”

In addition to a list of standout speakers, a host of membership changes were also adopted. These included a revision to organisational regulations as part of ECA’s Membership for All initiative, that will see the existing membership structure amended with the former Network category being merged into the Associated Member category across all respective Subdivisions.

The final act of the General Assembly saw the budget for the 2024/25 cycle approved along with the appointment of Deloitte as ECA’s new financial auditor. The 32nd General Assembly was announced and will take place in Rome, Italy on 7 - 9 October 2025.

Paris Saint-Germain jersey as a gift to the Prime Minister

​​​​It is worth noting that at noon on Thursday (10/10) the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, welcomed the UEFA president, Alexander Ceferin, his ECA counterpart, Nasser Al Khelaifi the CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, and General Secretary of UEFA, Theodoros Theodoridis at the Maximos Hall.

They discussed the progress of Greek football as well as how much the new sports law has contributed to the reduction of violence. In fact, Mr. Khelaifi gave Mr. Mitsotakis a Paris Saint-Germain jersey as a gift.