La Liga teams pay more attention to the development and use of local players than other european league teams. The head of youth at Osasuna, Levante and Mallorca will explain to us the keys behind the success of the Spanish youth development program.
Spain's football schools have long been considered one of the best youth academy cradles in the world, and the new findings show that they are still constantly supplying talent for the first team and are recognized by their coaches.
A recent report from the CIES Football Observatory showed that last season, homegrown players trained at Spanish football schools played 16.3 percent of la Liga, the highest percentage of Europe's five major leagues. Of the 5 clubs that offer homegrown players the most playing time, four are in La Liga: Athletic Bilbao (50.9%), Celta (49.0%), Real Sociedad (48.5%) and Osasuna (34.3%).
Success with young players has given La Liga a strong appeal around the world, and it has also played a key role in shaping the Spanish football brand. The head of youth from Osasuna, Levante and Mallorca explained to us why the youth programme contributes to Spanish football on and off the pitch.
Football is combined with education
Asked about the football school set up in Tahornna, Ngel Alcalde, Osasuna's youth director, said: "It's our business card and identity, and if you don't know our football school, you can't understand Osasuna." ”
Outlining the way the club is educated, he went on to explain: "We bring players to the club at a very young age and give them our extensive and systematic education. This is true not only of Osasuna's players, but also of the 140 other clubs with which we have a partnership. ”
Miquel Toni Gelabert, the head of youth training in Mallorca, said: "One of our goals is to get players into the academy as early as possible and let them stay... To that end, we put a lot of effort into developing non-sporting areas of player development. While we remain committed to developing the sporting skills of our players, our focus on the player environment and learning gives us an edge over other football schools. ”
Elaborating on the importance of developing education, Gallabert added: "You need to know the needs of each young person, their background, situation and doubts. We realize that only a small percentage of people reach the highest level of athletic competition, so it's our responsibility to keep an eye on those who can't get into professional football. We have a responsibility to nurture talent, not just footballers. ”
Levante's head of youth, Sergio Gómez, shares the same view, adding: "There is no doubt that La Liga's development program is largely based on the development of everyone and not just for footballers. We are fortunate to be part of this programme because the coaches have a high level of training, which means that the players are exposed to more effective games and training. ”
Partnerships with other La Liga teams
The high level of competition encourages La Liga clubs to develop a professional structure to attract and retain the best young players. Gomez added: "These clubs have had a good structure over the years to attract young players to study in football school. ”
At the same time, La Liga clubs have also expressed their desire to cooperate and share successful experiences with each other for the development of Spanish football.
Every year, La Liga holds a youth exchange conference where club managers get together to share methods and ideas to advance their projects. This is the main reason for the establishment of the La Liga Training Centre, which offers clubs and players free courses covering youth football development, including physical reserves, performance improvement, vision improvement and rule understanding.
"The La Liga training centre is one of the examples of mutual support and cooperation between Spanish clubs," explains Juan Florit, head of la Liga sports, "for many years we have been organizing youth congresses so that club managers can meet each other and exchange experiences. The entire project, from the plan to the schedule to the subjects taught at the training center, is based on feedback and suggestions from the clubs. “
In addition to acting as a liaison between clubs, La Liga also supports the development of Spanish football through technical means. For example, they provided clubs with a software that helps youth schools manage, including timetables, team information, training information, reports, messaging, and system administration to help clubs better organize and manage youth football.
In addition, La Liga also organizes youth football matches, such as the famous La Liga Promises. These tournaments will invite teams from foreign leagues to participate, which not only provides the opportunity for youth teams to be reported by domestic and foreign media, but also enhances the international popularity of La Liga and shows the important position of youth development in Spanish football culture.
Gomez concluded: "The number and quality of youth coaches means that youth football in Spain has a high level of management, coaching and organisation. This professional-quality youth training is a gift to young players and Spanish football. ”
About La Liga
The Spanish professional football league LaLiga (La Liga) is a global, innovative and socially responsible sports league, as well as a leader in the field of leisure and entertainment. The league organizes the Spanish professional football leagues , La Liga and La Liga , with 20 La Liga clubs and 22 La Liga clubs , affecting more than 2.7 billion people worldwide in the 2019/20 season. Headquartered in Madrid, La Liga has 11 permanent offices and 46 foreign representatives in 55 countries and territories around the world. In 2014, La Liga opened an office in Shanghai, China. In 2020, La Liga, together with Mediapro and Xinying Sports, established a joint venture company SFCM, which continues to make efforts in the field of sponsorship and brand licensing. At the same time, the league is actively involved in social activities through its fund LaLiga Genuine, which is the only professional football league in the world with a league of intellectually handicapped players.