At the end of the 2024 season, the Freedom QJ League received the award for Best Sports Marketing at the Metaratings Top Awards.
The Head of the League’s Media and Marketing Unit, Anton Lyssyak, emphasized that this achievement was made possible largely due to the strong and productive collaboration with club representatives, who have the opportunity to work closely with their local teams.
To successfully pass the licensing process, clubs are required to have media officers and marketing specialists on staff who work exclusively with the teams participating in the League. This not only ensures comprehensive coverage of youth football but also creates opportunities for the development of young Kazakhstani professionals in the regions—another key mission of the Freedom QJ League. That’s why an important part of the pre-season training includes not only lectures on sports-related topics but also a dedicated media and marketing track.
This year, Anton Lyssyak noted, a decision was made to move slightly away from the traditional training format. While there was still room for expert presentations from professionals with extensive experience across various sports—such as commentator Alimzhan Tasbolatuly, who visited Chelsea, and Gulmira Zakiryanova, Head of PR and Marketing at the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation—the focus shifted toward conducting interactive workshops.
Club media officers and marketers were divided into teams and worked on case studies in areas such as crisis PR, social media management, and sponsorship relations. They then presented their solutions and received feedback from a jury that included Anton Lyssyak, commentator Alimzhan Askar, journalist Dmitriy Dubovitskiy, Head of Communications at BC Astana Aliya Roschupkina, and brand manager of HC Barys Temirlan Koichubekov.
Freedom QJ League’s Media and Marketing Coordinator, Adlet Talgatbek, shared insights on the reimagined workshops and revealed that, alongside the football season, a media and marketing competition between clubs will also be kicking off.
– The teams for the workshops were formed randomly. This was done intentionally to encourage participants to get to know colleagues from other clubs, establish new professional connections, and exchange experiences. This approach helped participants step outside their usual circles and fostered the development of horizontal connections among specialists across the League.
Gamification and a spirit of competition became key elements of the training process. Our goal was to create an environment where learning is seen not as a formal obligation, but as an exciting and rewarding challenge. Competitive elements encourage participants to take initiative, engage more actively, and focus not only on results but also on team dynamics. This boosts motivation and turns skill development into an enjoyable and collaborative adventure.
Without a doubt, we quickly saw how this format of interaction fostered team bonding and energized communication among participants. Working together in mixed teams broke down barriers and helped build connections more quickly. Participants weren’t just solving tasks—they were learning to listen to one another, share experiences, and find compromises. All of this had a direct impact on team chemistry.
Throughout the season, media and marketing specialists will collaborate not only within their own clubs but also across the entire League. Joint challenges, inter-club collaborations, knowledge exchange, and co-creation of standout events are all planned. In this way, the championship becomes not just a competitive platform but also a foundation for building a professional community within the Freedom QJ League.
This year, clubs will compete not only on the pitch but also in the media and marketing championship, which will run from April 14 to October 26. Its goal is to motivate club teams to engage in consistent, creative, and high-quality work in the field of media and marketing—developing both individual skills and the overall visibility of the League in the information space.
Participants will earn points for completing various tasks—ranging from content projects and matchday presentation to fan engagement, audience growth, and engagement analytics. The season is divided into six equal stages, with rankings and top-performing teams determined at the end of each stage. This structure helps maintain excitement throughout the entire championship, not just at the final stage. At the end of the season, special awards will be presented to the Best Media Officer and the Best Marketer.
Moreover, outstanding specialists will have the opportunity to take part in organizing key Freedom QJ League events—such as the opening match of the girls’ tournament, the QJL All Star game against Atlético de Madrid, and the season closing ceremony. This is not only a form of recognition but also a chance to apply their skills in larger-scale projects.
In this way, the championship is not just a competition but a comprehensive system of development, motivation, and recognition—bringing together specialists from different clubs and elevating the League’s media and marketing to a new level.
