From January 2020, India will have its fourth branch of the Barça Academy project, following on from those in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore with a new school in the city of Pune. This further expansion of the FC Barcelona project in India means the country matches Japan, which also has four Barça Academies in the Asia-Pacific region, with China still leading the way with six.
The Barça Academy programme in India began in 2012 with the earliest Barça Academy Camps, which have had higher numbers of participants with each edition. A total of 15,000 Indian boys and girls have now enjoyed the different activities run as part of the project, which include Barça Academy Camps, entrance trials, events, local and international tournaments and, of course, the three Barça Academies. All of these activities are coordinated by the club’s partner Conscient Football.
This season, more than 700 youngsters are training every week at the eight centres at Barça Academy Delhi, more than 500 at the seven sites in Mumbai and almost 500 in Bangalore. The first season in Pune is expected to feature between 250 and 300 boys and girls, although the number should double at the four sites that will be set up over the coming years.
Barça Academy Pune is scheduled to commence operations on 14 January 2020, following on from two weekends of preliminary entrance trials on November 23-24 and December 13-14.
Fifty-four Barça Academy projects in five continents
The Barça Academy is FC Barcelona’s own football school model directed at children, with the main objective being the integral training of its alumni. This football school model, exported internationally, intends to spread the Barça brand and transmit the working philosophy and values of the club around the world.
The schools works with its own unique model, based on the Barça methodology from the earliest levels through to the first team. It involves a creative, attacking style of play, and with the indispensible transmission of values: Respect, effort, humility, ambition and teamwork, with proven results.
Currently, FC Barcelona have a total of 54 Barça Academy projects around the world, more than 180 Campuses and 50 Clinics, and a presence in 56 countries in five continents. It has the participation of more than 45,000 children amongst the different promoted activities.
The Barça Academy projects are divided into the Barça Escola in Barcelona, the Barça Academy Pro in Haikou (China) and New York (USA), the Barça Residency Academy Arizona (USA) and 50 further Barça Academies.