EDMONTON — One of the world’s most famous and accomplished soccer teams is opening an academy in Spruce Grove.
FC Barcelona will kick off its FCB Escola Soccer School in April. It’s just the third such academy in Canada; Burnaby and Mississauga are the others.
The academy will be based out of the Fuhr Sports Park and, according to the official website, “aims to teach players the basic concepts of football in line with the FC Barcelona methodology.”
While it would be amazing to see one of these players one day suit up and hit the pitch at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Jordi Arasa, technical director of FCBEscola in Vancouver, says the goal is to bring local players to their maximum stage of development.
“Develop them in the best way possible, with our principles and then let’s see. Some will reach college, some will stay with local clubs. At the end, our target is to develop the players here in Canada.”
Pre-Registration for the academy begins Jan. 15, with assessments and try-outs on March 5.
It’s a 22-week program starting April 25 and will cost anywhere between $1,250 to $3,250 plus tax.
There’s no word on who the technical director in Spruce Grove will be, but they will come from Barcelona and then choose local coaches and develop them to help oversee the program.
FC Barcelona was established in 1899 and has won 23 domestic titles, five European Championships and is a three-time FIFA Club World Cup Champion.
Some of the world’s best athletes have played for the organization, including Diego Maradona, Luis Figo and the current Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi.
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