Founded in 1909, the Royal Sociedad of the Basque Country has consistently demonstrated its ups and downs with the support of the Spanish Royal Family. In particular, in the 1980s, he won two consecutive league titles in 1980/81 and 1981/82, while his first Copa del Rey trophy in 1987 was his heyday. After beating local rivals Athletic Bilbao in 2020 and winning the Copa del Rey in 2020, the season has been outstanding. It is currently second in La Liga (29 points), while first-place Real Madrid have 30 points.
What makes Real Sociedad top the La Liga standings? The answer lies in the youth system "cantera". Many La Liga clubs are known for their youth policies. Every club has its own system and many of the players who have grown up in it are enjoying the European and La Liga arena. Royal Sociedad is also at the forefront of this youth policy and is working to develop a stronger system. A look at the home stadium "Reale Arena" and the Juvieta training ground shows this clearly.
Currently, 12 of the 26 Real Sociedad first-team players are from the club's academy. In particular, Oazabal, who made his debut in 2015, became the club's ace in a short period of time and continues to play an active role in the Spanish national team. In addition, first-team coach Emmanol Algwarsir is also from the academy. This proves that the club is working hard and responsible for developing the players in the academy and is confident in the players it has developed.
Spanish legend Habi Alonso, who has played for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, was also a member of the Real Sociedad youth team and returned to his old club in 2019 as the head coach of Real Sociedad B. In his second season in charge, he managed to advance to the Spanish Second Division. Real Sociedad B are the only youth team in the Second Division and have proven their ability to compete with professional teams.
As such, Real Sociedad is a club with a strong club community, from youth to professionals. This is also the basis for the reserve of talented players. The Juvieta Training Center, which opened in 1980, has six stadiums, each with its own training ground for the first team, women's and youth teams, but the stadium shares Reale Arena. It differs from most clubs, which have separate stadiums for professional and youth teams.
Here, the teams responsible for women's soccer by age group share offices without being separated, aiming to create synergies. It's a way to motivate players through analysis and information sharing by each team.
Real Sociedad B, in particular, not only has to achieve good results next season, but also to become a substitute for the first team. Sporting Director Roberto Olabe's role in the successful implementation of the project cannot be ignored. After retiring, Olabe became sporting director after coaching the junior team, scouting for young players such as Mikel Merino and Alexander Isaac, winning the Copa del Rey and advancing to the Europa League.
However, Olabe said Alonso acted as a bridge between the professional team and the B team. The personal experiences of star players from the region are very helpful to the team and illustrate Alonso's correct understanding of the club's purpose.
"Alonso spent a moment of his life here, not just football," Olabe said. We try to use it. [Team B] is helping us achieve our goals, and Alonso is better than anyone else in preparing for that. In addition to playing well, our games, our growth and the style of football we pursue are important to us all. ”