For the third consecutive year, the auditorium at La Masia has hosted a meeting between the various partners of Barça Academy and camps that the club runs around the world and the department’s executives, with the aim of sharing experiences and exploring ways to improve different aspects of the projects. Benny Megreli, Director of Barça Academy, welcomed the nearly one hundred attendees, thanked them for their work over the past year, and encouraged them to continue maintaining the same level of effort and commitment.

Xavi Baladas, Project Executive for the Americas, delivered a presentation on the two Barça Academy Pro projects that the club operates in the United States, in New York and Miami. He spoke about the sustainability of the project in the country and explained that the club’s objective is to bring Barça’s famous style of play to all its academies. He outlined the growth process since the launch of the two centres and the steps taken to ensure steady progress. One of the key factors, he noted, is family satisfaction with the training methodology and playing style, as well as maintaining a long-term vision when entering a country with enormous potential in the world of football.

Challenges for Barça Camps

After a short break, a panel moderated by Carlos Palacín, Barça Academy’s APAC manager featured Symon Buda, partner for Barça camps in Italy; Èric Busto, partner for camps in Canada, the Netherlands and Germany; and Xavi Baladas. All participants assessed their respective projects and highlighted that, unlike other clubs, Barça consistently sends coaches trained in its own methodology and style to its camps in different countries. This ensures a distinctive identity that is greatly appreciated by both participants and their families.

It was also emphasised that each market is different, even within the same country, and requires tailored approaches to attract participants to the camps organised worldwide. Finally, the speakers underlined the strong reputation of Barça Camps within the global sports leisure ecosystem, thanks to the club’s direct involvement in their organisation alongside local partners in each region.

Oliver, the app

A representative from Oliver, a GPS-based sports tracking app, presented the benefits it offers to athletes. Oliver reached an agreement with Barça in 2023, and since then has seen significant growth across Barça Academies, sports clubs, and athletes of all ages and levels. One of Oliver’s main objectives is to democratise data in sport, making it simple and easy to understand so that players can evaluate and, where appropriate, improve different aspects of their game.