Following a partnership between the MLS and La Liga (Spain), on top of a partnership already established with the Fédération Française de Football, MLS Academy directors and coaches with the EFCL (Elite Football Coaching Licence) licence have the opportunity to further their formation with a 10-day program, during which educators will visit well-known academies in world soccer. They will share information with coaches and sporting directors from big international clubs on topics like youth development, scouting and athletic development.
The Academy director Philippe Eullaffroy is representing the Montreal Impact.
Here is his diary.
May 17 – Madrid – Visit of Real Madrid’s training centre
Around Real Madrid City, it looks like Disneyland parks: it’s huge and majestic, only the souvenir shops are missing…
We feel lucky to be there. We are well received and we start the visit.
Dear Padawan, I hope you are ready, as you are about to enter in a new galaxy!
The Real Madrid academy is composed of 13 teams and 300 players.
The complex, located in the suburbs, about 20 minutes away from the stadium, has four turf fields and eight fields with natural grass. Real only occupies 35% of the surface area. They want to extend their installations soon. The residency also contains 80 beds.
As we walk in the main building, we go from a yellow décor, which represents the juniors (U8 to U15), to blue, for the U16 to the reserve team, to white, for the pros.
Parents can attend training sessions, but never have access to the buildings and cannot be in the staff and players’ environment.
The grass on all natural fields (including Estadio Santiago Bernabéu) is changed every year, even if it’s in perfect condition.
The stadium for the reserve team holds 6,000 seats.
The first team residency is open 24/7 with a concierge service. We will only see a part of the ground floor with the game room and a huge movie theatre with a 180 degree screen like in the cinemas!
Only the 24 first team players and the coaches have access to this building.
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu visit
Many people visit this place. The stadium is beautiful, antique and you can feel the weight of all these years.
The tribunes are vertical, like a big wall, and it’s impressing, even if they are empty.
Real will start renovating and extending the stadium to reach 90,000 seats. The grass is perfect, but they will still change it, as always.
After visiting the locker rooms and the showers, we visit the trophy room. You can feel the history and you get emotional when you are in this room. It’s impressive.
It’s a nice visit that ends in the huge official club boutique. Then we go back to the hotel for dinner. It’s already 10:30pm.
