Vitória SC’s Strategy for Sporting and Commercial Success

In addition to some first-class projects in the sporting arena, a key feature of Portuguese football in recent years has been the interesting business models created by the clubs' commercial management directors. Part of the success in the organization of resources is linked with the digital transformation and the advantage taken of its assets. Today, this combination of marketing and the world’s most famous sport leads us to the city of Guimaraes.

Vitória Sport Clube is one of the most popular teams in Portugal, ranking fourth among the clubs with the most years in the country's top flight. Vitória can point to two official titles: the Portuguese Supercup in 1988 and the Portuguese Cup in 2013. Both successes were achieved against the two most powerful teams in Portugal, Porto and Benfica, respectively.

Vitória SC is a stalwart of Portugal's Primeira Liga, finishing sixth out of 18 teams last season, with a squad that included the great Ricardo Quaresma (a European champion with Portugal in 2016). Thanks to this fine campaign, the club will be competing in Europe once again this coming season.

It is due to play in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League against Puskás Akaon from Hungary. With such an important event in mind (as well as others already on the horizon), the club has linked up with Sponsor.Online to offer some attractive sponsorship opportunities for the 2022-23 season.

And this will be no ordinary season, since Vitória SC will be celebrating its centenary. The club will be 100 years old on 22 September, and there will be no shortage of festivities at Dom Afonso Henriques, its beautiful stadium. The home of Vitória SC in the north of Portugal has a capacity of 30,000 spectators. The stadium was chosen as one of the venues for the UEFA European Championship in 2004, and it also hosted matches in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. Whenever Vitória SC plays at home, there is a true party atmosphere. After the clubs known as the "big three", Vitória has the best attendance record, with an average of 20,000 fans per game.

Indeed, one of the key assets available through Sponsor.Online is no less than the naming rights to this stadium, located right in the heart of the historic centre of Guimaraes, which UNESCO has declared a World Heritage Site. This represents a unique commercial opportunity, since it would open the door to a prominent position among the select group of local and international brands already associated with the club.

Another feature of Vitória SC which can only add to the success of its central project is the international character of its first team squad. This is a group of players with more than 10 different nationalities. With footballers from Ghana, Mozambique, the Czech Republic, Brazil and many more countries besides, this variety makes the club even more attractive to any brand with a global campaign in mind. From a marketing perspective, this ambitious bid for international diversity plays an essential role.

Of course, the use of social media also plays a key role in the club's digital strategy. Vitória SC has around 500,000 followers on social media and this is another rich vein to be tapped. A very recent study backed by the Portuguese League provides evidence of how habits have changed in the sources of information fans turn to, as they follow their teams on a day-to-day basis. Traditional media still play an important role, but social media continue to grow as a platform of interest for supporters.

In the light of this data, there is no doubt that Vitória SC wishes to consolidate its success in this area, and to send out a global message on reaping the benefits of digital marketing; among other advantages to be gained, the club is able to take quick decisions when faced by changes in the market. In short, Vitória is determined to be part of an evolving phenomenon that cannot be stopped.