RPL presented its development strategy at the Russia – Sports Power Forum

The Russian Premier League (RPL) has presented a development strategy designed for the next development cycle — from 2026 to 2030.

The presentation took place within the framework of the session "Football of the Future: strategic guidelines of the RPL-2030" at the International Sports Forum "Russia – a sports power".

The Forum is being held in accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The event is operated by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Samara Region.

The session was attended by RPL President Alexander Alaev, RFU General Secretary Maxim Mitrofanov, Match TV General Producer Alexander Tashchin, CSKA General Director Roman Babaev, Zenit Deputy Chairman and CEO Maxim Pogorelov and Lokomotiv General Director Vladimir Leonchenko.

Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, addressed the football industry with a welcoming speech.

"The RPL development strategy sets out goals, objectives and specific initiatives in all key areas of the league's activities. In total, there are more than 650 projects, steps and targeted actions. I'm proud of how our strategy is done. For the first time in the league's history, this document was prepared jointly by the league and the clubs. We have successfully combined our expertise, and more than 60 of the best experts from all clubs have been involved in the process," said Alexander Alaev, President of the RPL.

The League's focus is always on a sports product – a highly competitive championship in demand from a wide audience. In order to develop it, the strategy is divided into four key areas:

The development of subjectivity

"The goal of the RPL is for the opinion of clubs and the league to be relevant when discussing the regulation of all areas that affect the improvement of professional football. We are integrated into the UEFA and FIFA systems, we work closely with the RFU and the Ministry of Sports, and we are jointly focused on the comprehensive development of football. In communications with regulators, the RPL should act as a full-fledged sports entity representing the interests of the 16 largest and best clubs in Russia. By combining their expertise, we represent the common position of the industry and aim to create better conditions for development," Alaev said.

Interaction with the audience

"Our goal is to expand and unite the audience, transform the RPL from just the main football competition into a premium sports and entertainment brand that is interesting to the widest possible audience.

the audience, not just the football audience. This requires a system of well-established interactions with the community, both offline and online, and the creation of high–quality infotainment services," Alaev said.

The RPL aims to increase the average attendance to 18,000 people at the game by 2030. In recent seasons, the league has achieved steady growth in performance: in the 2025/26 championship, an average of almost 14,000 people come to the games, an increase of 20% compared to the same period of the 2024/25 season.

Increased revenue

"In the current contract cycle, the RPL distributes almost 5 times more money between the clubs than in the past. This is a significant success for the league administration and the clubs. It is impossible to keep such growth rates constant, but the league aims to further increase revenue.

We want to strengthen existing partnerships, increase efficiency, enter new promising markets and look for new ways of monetization – for example, to create additional events and content, to become a leader in Russian sports in monetization of licensed products," said Alaev.

New technologies

"We live in an era of new technologies, and the league must meet the challenges of the time in all areas of its activities. In the technological block of the strategy, we are talking about services for fans, digital operational solutions, the development of competencies to improve broadcasts, VAR technologies, etc. Every contact with RPL technologies should be fast, convenient and understandable," Alaev said.

"To achieve the targets, we must work every day – hand in hand with the clubs and partners who support us. I'm sure we can handle it. Because the Russian Premier League is a whole world that unites caring people: fans, players, coaches, managers. And we will definitely make the RPL world a better place!" summed up RPL President Alexander Alaev.