MADRID: It's certainly worth a shot. The Malaysian Football League (MFL) should pick up the phone, dial La Liga and start with a "Hola, Senor."
The Spanish league has a renowned ecosystem that works towards the well-being, from management to finance, of all its clubs.
On the other side of the pond, many of Malaysia's clubs are still struggling to stay afloat since the M-League went pro 30 years ago, and reports of unpaid salaries are common.
MFL should adopt La Liga's approach to set up Malaysia's professional clubs to be self-sustainable.
The Spanish league works on the belief that if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
And it is long overdue that M-League clubs be taught to catch their own fish, and not rely solely on annual grants or other forms of financial aid from the MFL or state governments.
Consider LaLiga Impulso, which literally means a "boost" or "shot in the arm". It's a project which sees La Liga teaming up with private equity firm, CVC Capital Partners, to provide comprehensive support and development for their clubs.
This has led to La Liga clubs getting a great boost to advance 20 years in professionalisation and development.
It's not just about improving a team on the field. LaLiga Impulso enables clubs to undertake various projects that spur their growth, at home and abroad.
Funds will be given to La Liga clubs to carry out a series of predetermined projects.
At least 70 per cent of the money must be allocated for the growth of the clubs. Optionally, a maximum of 15 per cent can be used in the signing of players.
The LaLiga Impulso project has led to clubs reaping the benefits of their investments in digital platforms, infrastructures and creation of new lines of businesses in the 2022-23 season.
Jaime Blanco Manrique, the attache to the Presidency at La Liga, told Timesport that other leagues can adopt La Liga's approach by providing similar continuous assistance and monitoring of their clubs.
He said the business part of a football club is as important as its performance on the pitch.
"All the leagues in the other continents can do it, the challenges are the same as in Spain or Indonesia.
"So, I think it's something that can be worked by the leagues.
"We saw the first impact in terms of culture change by knowing the clubs more and their trust in La Liga is growing. And we have already seen revenues increase in the clubs.
"I'm optimistic about the coming years in terms of football club business and then performance from the clubs.
"Football clubs are football clubs, so the sport side is key. What needs to happen on the field shouldn't have an impact on the running of the business.
"So imagine if the team lose a game on Sunday, you have to go to work on Monday and keep doing your activation and executing your plans.
"The main thing is to have the correct people to lead. You need one guy that within the club has the power to change things. Obviously, each team is different, the velocity to achieve the target will be different but the most important thing is that everyone moves forward."
Manrique said La Liga is always looking to partner with different leagues globally, and they had worked with the MFL previously.
The collaboration saw LaLiga Business School and LaLiga Education Department conducting courses for the MFL.
However, the biggest plan - the adoption of LaLiga's Economic Control Programme - had to be shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.
Manrique said clubs in evolving football leagues like in Malaysia should look into diversifying their revenues generation.
"I'm not that aware of the Malaysian League, but I think having a strong local league can help clubs to make the first step.
"A strong league can increase income from TV rights and then from that point, the club can keep growing.
"I think that clubs should be less dependent on TV rights and more dependent on things that are under their control. Less dependence on TV rights means less dependence on what happens on the field.
"I think that organising events by football clubs will be key in the future... giving the right experience for fans and it's not just one match per week. Clubs need to try to get more from their client base."