The Academy open their doors to the ECA and European clubs to get to know their model
On Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 May, professionals from the Atlético de Madrid Academy will offer a global vision into our working model to 90 representatives from different European clubs.
On Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 May, the Atlético de Madrid will host the European Club Association and representatives from numerous European clubs, who will have the chance to understand the vision, strategy and methods used to aid the training of the club’s promising talents. The event is part of the ‘Academy Visit’ programme, through which the ECA (represented by Laura Corfitz, the ECA’s Football Development Coordinator) and Pouya Yaghoubina (the ECA’s Senior Football Development Manager), will promote interaction between the clubs and encourage the exchange of knowledge with the objective of growing and evolving. This objective aligns with our philosophy which believes that football can be a useful tool to create close ties between people, countries and cultures.
90 representatives from different European clubs will gather in Madrid - responding to the different character profiles in a directorial sense as well as technical - a record number when it comes to the number of attendees in every edition of the ‘Academy Visit’ until now. Those attending will gain a deep insight into Atlético de Madrid’s Academy model and will relay its development and importance as a fundamental pillar in the club’s structure.
This will all take place through talks and presentations led by key figures from various departments within the Academy - headed by its director, Emilio Gutiérrez. The sessions will cover themes related to the sporting area, performance analysis, legal department, methodology (for both 11-a side and 7-a side football), and individual training. The speakers will also explain the integration process of the Atlético de Madrid Femenino structure into the Academy throughout the past decade.
In addition, our club has invited LaLiga to the event, who will offer a wider view of the youth academy landscape in Spain, presenting the collaborative work with clubs. They will also explain, through comparative data, the evolution and growth of said youth academies. The presentation will be delivered by David García, the Technical and Methodological Coordinator for LaLiga; and by Juan Florit, Head of the Sports Projects Department.
Santi Denia, the current Spain Under 21 Coach and Atlético de Madrid legend who was also a coach in the Academy and across various youth teams within the national team set up, achieving gold at the recent Paris Olympics. His perspective as a national coach will allow for insight into the development and progress of youth academies, as he will answer questions from those attending.
The first day will take place at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, where Óscar Mayo, general director of Revenue and Operations for Atlético de Madrid, will welcome attendees and offer a future vision of our club; a future that assumes the ‘Ciudad de Deporte’ as a fundamental pillar.
On the second day, the attendees will firstly visit Accommodation for the Atlético de Madrid Academy, where they will deepen their understanding of our educational model, the area of compliance and the policies referring to child protection. The talks will be delivered by Pilar Chavarria, the club’s Compliance Officer. Afterwards, the group will go to Alcalá de Henares Sports Centre, home to Atlético de Madrid Femenino and numerous Academy teams. Accompanied by Luis Llagostera, CEO and founder of ‘Fly-Fut’, they will not only tour the facilities but also watch training sessions carried out by a few of these teams. The practical side of things will put into practice the theoretical content presented during the two days.
