At the PSG Campus, the apparent calm of the big communication days actually masked real precision mechanics. One week before the Champions League grand final against Arsenal, the Parisian club organized a media day on a scale rarely seen in France for an event of this type. From the start of the afternoon, the aisles of the Poissy training center were filled with journalists from all over Europe, technicians, photographers, cameras and consultants while PSG gradually entered its tunnel towards Budapest. Luis Enrique alternated between tactical corrections on the pitch and bursts of laughter at the press conference. In the corridors, the players paraded in the mixed zone with the same message combining caution, serenity and collective confidence. But behind this apparently very smooth day, the Parisian club was above all piloting a gigantic logistical operation which had become in itself a symbol of PSG’s new European status.
Because this media day had a special dimension. Paris did not only receive the French press who came to cover a Champions League final. Yesterday, PSG welcomed the gaze of all of footballing Europe. Arsenal champion of England, second consecutive final for Paris, possible definitive entry of the club into a new continental dimension… All the ingredients were there to transform Poissy into the media nerve center of European football for several hours. And this was immediately felt in the atmosphere. English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian accents mixed everywhere around the PSG Campus grounds. Several British media had traveled to closely observe who could become the Gunners’ next European nightmare. Even two media coming directly from Gijón, Luis Enrique’s hometown, were present to follow their coach before this new European final. Throughout the day, PSG had to manage a delicate balance between French requests, international broadcasters and the numerous foreign media eager to obtain privileged access to the Parisian group.
A media day with little onions
Behind the scenes, the organization put in place by the club has reached proportions rarely observed during a media day in France. More than one hundred and fifty media were accredited for the event, a record for the PSG Campus since its opening. To absorb such a system, several dozen club services were mobilized simultaneously around the communications department. Security, catering, logistics, digital, reception, audiovisual production, media flow management, the entire Campus almost switched for a day to Champions League configuration. Three entire floors were requisitioned in order to install the various temporary editorial offices, interview spaces and technical areas. Two terraces were also open to the media, as were the immediate surroundings of the main field, to allow broadcasters to increase the number of viewing angles during open training. At certain times of the day, Poissy looked more like a UEFA press center than a simple training center.
And the pace imposed on the club throughout the afternoon was almost dizzying. More than a hundred speeches were organized in different forms during the media day. Press conference by Luis Enrique, mixed zones, international broadcasters, media pools, individual interviews, partner visits, digital content, exchanges with foreign agencies and even interventions by Mamadou Sakho who came to greet the young people at the training center. Six players paraded in front of the journalists divided into four different pools in order to satisfy as many broadcasters as possible without unbalancing the sporting preparation. Certain more specific interviews were also organized separately, notably with the biggest French media or several other Spanish newspapers who came to follow Luis Enrique and his players. Behind this meticulous organization, PSG also sought to control something broader than a simple media event. Show a club capable of fully assuming its new continental exposure without letting the media chaos disrupt its sporting preparation. This week in Poissy, Paris not only prepared for a Champions League final. The reigning European champions also demonstrated that they now know how to manage what accompanies very big European meetings.
