FCBARCELONA.CAT

FC Barcelona Juniors Luján

With the start up in July 2007 of FCB Juniors Luján, the club is seeking to implement in Argentina the comprehensive high-performance training system for young people used at La Masia, but adapted to meet the specific needs of a different setting.

The new initiative seeks to implement an infrastructure, organisation and work model that demonstrates the results that can be achieved by applying these principles.

FC Barcelona has a standing Representation Office in Argentina and a partnership with Club Atlético Luján, a sports association in a town in Buenos Aires province and which since February 2007 has been called Fútbol Club Barcelona Juniors Luján. It competes in the Luján league and is associated with the Argentine Football Association (AFA) via its Federal Council.

Sports and education together

However, this is more than just a sports project. FC Barcelona is seeking to export a system which not only trains young people as footballers but also lets them develop as people and get an education. The project’s priorities include preventing the rootlessness many young people suffer from when they have to travel far from their familiar surroundings at an early age.

That means that in addition to their football training the young players also need to perform well academically if they want to stay in the programme. The young people at the club go to a top local school every day and receive extra academic support to adapt to their new environment. This is one of the points on which the project places special emphasis.

The professional educators and trainers who work with the young people teach them the values of solidarity, respect, democracy, peace, non-violence and individual and collective freedoms.