La Liga Side Getafe Offers Fans A Distinct Catering Service

Of all the soccer teams in La Liga, Getafe does not appear the most flashy in Madrid, let alone Spain. Often floating around the mid-table positions, with a capable but fairly ordinary roster and home to one of the lowest-attended stadiums in the league, it does not share the same buzz as Real or Atlético Madrid.

In the stands, however, its supporters are starting to use a forward-thinking feature on the club’s native mobile phone platform. It aims to turn its 24-year-old Coliseum Alfonso Pérez ground into a smooth hospitality experience, even if the action on the field is sometimes lacking.

This season, attendees can order food and refreshments from the (relative) comfort of their seats and have them delivered straight to them, should they choose. The idea is to ensure nobody misses any action while reducing half-time queues for snacks and refreshments that—despite often being well below its 17,000 ground capacity—can still occur due to having fewer stadium kiosks than many elite clubs.

There is a financial incentive too. Since its introduction, there has been an 80% increase in its application users and a predicted revenue spike, Getafe says. For a club without the same economic standing as many sides in La Liga, it’s proving to be a welcome boost. Digitally ordering food is nothing new, but taking it to elite European fixtures is something else, especially for an entity whose modest home lies next to a motorway on the outskirts of the Spanish capital.

By allowing fans to order from their seating areas, it’s providing a service—typically only available to people in the much pricier hospitality zones in stadiums—to the average match-goer, too. Transactions are flexible, made possible by either a standard card or Bizum, which facilities easy mobile payments in Spain.

If the concept proves a hit, it could be an attractive model for other teams to follow, as long as it’s straightforward enough to work for all fans, young and old. How it would function in larger, packed stadiums remains in doubt. But for Getafe, whose financial muscle and commercial power don’t compare to Real, Barcelona and Atlético, it’s a win.

Los Azulones, fresh from an away win against high-flying Osasuna, have spent just under €16 million in the transfer market to improve on two consecutive 15th-place finishes in the top flight. Two of boss Quique Sánchez Flores’ three summer recruits—centre-back Domingos Duarte and midfielder Luis Milla—have come from raiding relegated Granada in the off-season.

Its transfer spending has been quite ordinary for its standing, but nothing close to the numbers the top teams have invested, nor the vast sums that Premier League teams boast presently. For perspective, some of promoted Nottingham Forest’s multiple signings have cost more individually—an indicator of where the wealth in European soccer resides.

Sánchez Flores seems the right man to take Getafe forward after saving it from freefall last season, taking over from Míchel in the dugout and maintaining its La Liga status. Against Osasuna, Milla received a late red card while those at the back did the talking. As Duarte stayed firm, fellow defenders Juan Iglesias and Gaston Álvarez were the surprise scorers in a game that also saw Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila sent off in the first period.

Overall, Getafe is a much steadier ship this term. However, a much sterner test will arrive early next month, when it takes on imperious Real at home, recently scheduled for October 8—a game that will demand a superhuman effort from the players to compliment the speedy delivery for those there at the venue.