Real Betis, Sevilla, Almeria, Malaga and Granada are all going through tough times, but perhaps they can attract a new fanbase to boost their ailing accounts. There could be an influx of sports fans coming to Andalusia from over the Atlantic.
The regional government of Andalusia have agreed to become one of the main sponsors for NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, who count among them perhaps the most famous active basketball player in Lebron James. The agreement is part of a drive to attract North American tourists to Andalusia in order to boost the industry. As highlighted by Relevo, it is an area that has had increased international visibility due to filming locations for popular series Game of Thrones, in places near Seville and Almeria.
They go on to say that the tourism board are set to announce deals with the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, to take advantage of new direct flights from the USA to Malaga. With Sevilla and Betis both set to renovate their stadiums in the coming years, they will be hoping they can pull in some of the new market – they may also be looking wistfully on at the public funding they could both use.
