Johan Cruyff Institute and Club Cerro Porteño of Paraguay sign a collaboration agreement to boost the education of the club’s athletes, offering them important benefits
Johan Cruyff Institute and the centennial Club Cerro Porteño of Paraguay have signed a collaboration agreement that enables the club’s athletes and staff to access, with special conditions, the Johan Cruyff Institute courses, postgraduate programs and master’s degrees, and in turn, allows the students of the institute to do internships at Club Cerro Porteño when the club needs them.
Club Cerro Porteño, with a social mass of 20,000 members and more than 30 league titles, is the most popular club in Paraguay. It was founded in 1912, became known as ‘the people’s club’ and over the years it has increased its legendary status: it is the only club in Paraguay that has won more games than all its other rivals. Of its first division titles, in two of them (1913 and 2013) they were unbeaten all season and, since its founding, the team has always been in the first division.
The club’s main activity is football, but it also includes other sports disciplines and plans to continue growing in the future. Raul Zapag, president of the club, stresses that “we are proud to at last be able to finalize this alliance with Johan Cruyff Institute. The two organizations share the same values and we are pleased to continue working to develop the professionalization of the sports industry, while continuing to promote the values of football”. The institution has set the trend in the country in terms of sport management, sport marketing and facilities management.
The president of Club Cerro Porteño, Raul Zapag, signs the collaboration agreement next to Cristina Palés, marketing manager of Johan Cruyff Institute
The president believes that “this is the starting point for future projects together, with the objective of sharing experiences, providing benefits for our members and education for sports professionals, and continuing to expand the DNA of commitment and passion that has always characterized the club, from an integral and modern management perspective”. True to its historical commitment, Cerro Porteño also has a very strong social focus. Through its CCP Foundation, the club promotes the inclusion and development of sports talent, generating social projects for people with disabilities, underprivileged children and people in a vulnerable situation.
Cristina Palés and Raul Zapag, together with Román Pascual and Edgar Romero, commercial director and corporate relations of Johan Cruyff Institute, respectively
The marketing director of Johan Cruyff Institute, Cristina Palés says: “For Johan Cruyff Institute, this agreement represents a unique opportunity to contribute to the professionalization of the sports industry in Paraguay alongside one of the most important clubs in the country and the region. That Cerro Porteño has had the vision to give education for its athletes and staff the importance it deserves says a lot about the type of club it is. We are very keen to start working together and are convinced this collaboration will be a success”.
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