The first pet-friendly football club: How Girona and Gosbi conquered the world

SponsorsGo launches a new series, SponsorScan, where we dissect the marketing activations of brands and clubs within their sponsorship contracts, uncovering creative strategies to enhance effectiveness. Our inaugural episode focuses on Girona FC, which made waves in Spain last season, and Gosbi, the club’s Main Partner since 2021.

• 2021/2022 season
• 2022/2023 season
• 2023/2024 season

Girona FC is based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain, a city with a population of 100,266 as of 2018. Founded on July 23, 1930, the club plays its home matches at Estadi Montilivi, which can seat 14,624 spectators.

In 2017, Girona FC became part of City Football Group Limited when a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi United Group purchased a 44.3% ownership stake in the club. Another 44.3% is held by Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola, the brother of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is also part of the City Football Group. Additionally, Girona FC has youth teams and amateur women’s teams competing in various competitions.

Gosbi, a family-owned company founded in 2003, specializes in manufacturing animal food. Based in Santa Llogaia d’Alguema in Alt Emporda, it is located just 32 kilometers from Girona FC’s stadium. The company’s catalog boasts over 150 products focused on animal nutrition and welfare.

When the contract was signed, Girona was not a globally recognized brand on the football map. For the previous decade, the club had oscillated between the Spanish Segunda Division and La Liga, never finishing higher than 10th place in La Liga.

The contract between Girona and Gosbi was announced on July 21, 2021. At that time, Girona was playing its third consecutive season in Segunda Division. The agreement was signed for a three-year period, lasting until the end of the 2023/2024 season. The contract was valued at $0.5 million per year.

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A post shared by Gosbi Pet Food (@gosbi_official)

Isaac Pares, CEO of Gosbi, said that “Girona FC is a football club whose values align perfectly with our business philosophy. It is a club we feel a strong connection with, and from the beginning, they have shown great willingness to collaborate in promoting love and respect for animals. This partnership goes far beyond simple sponsorship.” According to Pares, the company’s goal is to “leverage our expertise in the animal world and the communicative power of a club like Girona FC to emphasize the role animals play in families and promote their well-being.”

2021/2022 season

Gosbi has placed its logo on the playing and training shirts of the first team, as well as on the clothing of the Academy, women’s football, genuine, and veterans teams. Each of these teams wears different slogans related to the company’s values on their shirts, aiming to normalize and promote comprehensive respect for the animal world. The chosen slogans are:

• Animal Instinct: featured on the training shirts of the men’s and women’s first teams, and on the women’s match kits.
• Animal Respect: displayed on the playing shirts of the academy teams.
• Animal Heroes: designed for the genuine team match wear.
• Animal Experience: featured on the veterans team’s game jerseys.

‘Animal Respect On Tour’ campaign

On August 27, 2021, Gosbi launched the “Animal Respect On Tour” campaign, a unique project designed to promote animal respect and awareness. This initiative was mobile, with a van accompanying Girona FC on their away trips. Every 15 days, the van traveled to a new city, equipped with all the necessary materials for various activities.

The campaign featured in-depth interviews, short reports on emotional stories, meetings with notable personalities, donations to animal shelters, city murals promoting animal respect, animal-friendly recommendations, and more. The goal was to strengthen the ideals of animal respect while educating and informing people about the daily challenges faced by many animals, ultimately fostering a change in mindset and raising awareness.

🤝 Ahir el president Delfí Geli juntament amb @U_D_Almeria van fer l'entrega dels 300 kg de menjar a l’associació protectora APA ANGELITOS VAGABUNDOS, en el marc de les accions d'Animal Respect On Tour de Gosbi. Seguim! 💪 pic.twitter.com/8DVZVsvlXp

— Girona FC (@GironaFC) March 28, 2022

In its first year, Gosbi distributed around 7,000 kilograms of dog and cat food through the Animal Respect On Tour campaign. They visited over twenty animal shelters across the country, utilizing Girona FC’s away matches to cover 27,000 kilometers in search of projects that generate awareness about animal protection. Additionally, they donated 300 kilograms of food to support these shelters’ activities.

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A post shared by ANIMAL RESPECT BY GOSBI (@animalrespect_bygosbi)

In some cities, the Animal Respect On Tour campaign left a colorful mark with murals. Graffiti promoting animal respect was created in seven cities: Ponferrada, Malaga, Lugo, Miranda de Ebro, San Sebastian, Valencia, and Girona.

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A post shared by Girona FC (@gironafc)

On July 20, 2022, Gosbi and Girona FC celebrated a year of successful collaboration and reviewed their accomplishments. Alongside the Animal Respect On Tour campaign, the company and the club organized several joint events.

One notable initiative involved players from Girona FC’s first men’s team in a dog adoption campaign at the Bu Bup Parc de La Bisbal d’Emporda shelter. Families visited the shelter and adopted animals, creating a heartwarming experience for both the adopters and the animals. The Altarriba Foundation, which supports the shelter, expressed great satisfaction with the campaign and indicated that similar events are likely to be held in the future.

Through these efforts, Gosbi and Girona FC have strengthened their commitment to promoting animal respect and welfare, while also engaging with the community in meaningful ways.

Children and youth played a significant role in various events organized throughout the year. Over 400 students from 11 different schools took part in the Animal Respect Challenge, a program designed to teach young people the importance of respecting animals. For the 2022/2023 academic year, 13 schools have signed up to participate, promising an even broader impact on fostering animal respect among the younger generation.

Also, Girona FC launched a campaign to donate 1 euro from each official jersey or training shirt sold featuring the Gosbi logo. As a result, the club contributed 1,384 euros to an animal shelter selected by Gosbi.

2022/2023 season

During the 2022/2023 season, Girona FC competed in La Liga, which ensured greater interest and media coverage for the club’s campaigns with Gosbi.

‘The first pet-friendly football club’ campaign

In this season, the brand launched a new initiative, making Girona FC the first pet-friendly football club. Additionally, Girona FC delighted its fans by introducing ‘Canya,’ a four-year-old Labrador Retriever, as the club’s official dog. Fans could follow Canya’s life on social media.

A four-year-old Labrador Retriever trained to interact with children and the elderly, and comfortable in large crowds. Therefore, she can attend matches with her handler, allowing fans to meet her and take photos in the fan zone. Before the start of each match, the club’s dog also walks along the perimeter of the field, greeting fans.

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A post shared by Canya (@canya_gironafc)

Notably, even after the sponsorship contract ended, Canya remains the official dog and mascot of the club.

During home matches, Girona FC, in collaboration with Gosbi, organized events for fans, such as a dog agility exhibition, which was well-received by spectators.

On Instagram, Girona FC regularly shared charming posts featuring players from the team and dogs.

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A post shared by Girona FC (@gironafc)

Also, on the roads and in cities across Spain, you could see Gosbi trucks with branded tents announcing the sponsorship.

😍 #Gosbi @GironaFC encara queda camí per correr💪💪 pic.twitter.com/eBozvuaeQu

— Silvia Comas Navarro (@silviacaliu) October 26, 2022

2023/2024 season

The season turned out to be phenomenally successful for the club, which secured 3rd place in La Liga and, for the first time in its history, qualified for the UEFA Champions League. Victories over Barcelona and a home win against Atletico Madrid attracted incredible attention to the club.

Starting this new season, Gosbi has replaced the Animal Instinct logo on Girona players’ training kits with the new brand, Natsbi.

Natsbi is a brand by Gosbi, produced by its subsidiary Bio Pet Food, established in 2021 following a €2 million investment in its Bellpuig (Lleida) facilities.

The ‘Natsbi’ range is known for its use of minimally processed ingredients that are steamed without added water, ensuring maximum nutritional value. The preparation methods are inspired by human culinary techniques and involve collaboration with Paco Pérez, a chef renowned with 5 Michelin stars.

On September 21, 2023, Girona introduced a club membership card for pets, giving fans the opportunity to include their pets as official club members. The pet club membership card offers various benefits, including a personalized card featuring the pet’s photo, a welcome gift, and discounts on official pet products. Members receive a 10% discount at Girona’s official store for pet-related items like collars, feeders, and clothing. Additionally, the membership includes participation in the annual “Furry” event at Montilivi and the opportunity to engage in Gosbi’s “Respect for Animals” program.

The company also planned to allow fans to bring their dogs to Girona matches in a designated area of the stadium. However, they encountered a series of state regulations regarding access to a football stadium.

On October 4, 2023, Canya celebrated her first year as the official dog of Girona FC. Over these 365 days, white and red fans enjoyed her presence at Montilivi and various events throughout the city and province of Girona.

Besides being Girona’s official dog, Canya is also an excellent therapy dog, visiting multiple centers across the Catalan territory. In her first year, she visited up to nine centers, conducting therapy sessions with residents.

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A post shared by Canya (@canya_gironafc)

In the same month, Gosbi addressed Girona FC fans in a beautiful video, wishing them a great season and acknowledging the pleasant collaboration with the club.

‘#AdoptaGosbi’ campaign

On May 7, 2024, Girona FC and Gosbi launched the #AdoptaGosbi initiative to promote the adoption of dogs and cats and raise funds for eleven animal shelters in the province of Girona. The primary objective was to highlight the significant work of animal shelters and support their essential, yet often overlooked, efforts.

The campaign featured various activities on the social media platforms of Gosbi, Girona FC, and La Canya. Participants could make donations through the Gosbi website, with all proceeds going entirely toward purchasing food for dogs and cats.

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A post shared by Girona FC (@gironafc)

For the Girona match against Villarreal, the club and Gosbi set up a tent in the fan zone, where fans could visit and make donations, both financial and in the form of items like blankets, collars, toys, and leashes for dogs and cats. Additionally, the team played in special jerseys displaying the #AdoptaGosbi campaign slogan. After the game, these unique jerseys were raffled off to those who had made donations.

On May 16, Girona FC and Gosbi announced the end of their partnership. They released a heartfelt video reflecting on their three unforgettable seasons together.

Social networks

Throughout 3 seasons of partnership, Gosbi branded the announcements of Girona’s match line-ups on social media.

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A post shared by Girona FC (@gironafc)

Effectiveness Assessment

Our effectiveness assessment of the contract is exploratory in nature and is based solely on publicly available sources.

In October 2023, Expansion reported that Gosbi increased its turnover by 25% in 2022, reaching 46 million euros, and earned nearly nine million euros after taxes, reflecting a 19% increase. This growth occurred during the first full season and a half of their sponsorship contract with Girona FC.

Girona’s phenomenal 2023/2024 season significantly boosted the club’s visibility.

The players also garnered significant attention. For instance, Artem Dovbyk, who became La Liga’s top scorer with 24 goals, proudly wore the Gosbi logo on his chest.

This success naturally increased interest in the front-of-shirt brand. According to Google Trends statistics, the frequency of searches for “Gosbi” nearly doubled in 2024 compared to 2021, the year the contract with the club was signed.

During this period, the share of searches for “Gosbi B2B” also increased by 900%, indicating a significant rise in interest from pet product retailers. Interest in the Natsbi brand during this time has surged by 1200%. Also according to official press releases, by 2021, Gosbi was present in more than 30 countries. By 2024, their products had expanded to reach 45 countries.

We hope you enjoyed the first episode of SponsorScan. We’re already working on the next episodes. You can support the SponsorsGo team by donating via PayPal by clicking on the banner below.

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