11.11.2010 20:04

Youth teams enjoy Ciutat Esportiva fiesta

Aida Soriano

The 19 different Barcelona youth team equips were presented at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Thursday in an event attended by president Sandro Rosell along with directors, coaches and relatives.

More than 330 boys and girls, plus some 40 coaches, paraded on pitch number one at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in an event to present the Barcelona youth players. This was the first time such an event has been held since Sandro Rosell came into office.

All the teams

Friends and relatives of the players were also at the pitch usually used for training by Josep Guardiola’s first team. The sides on parade were Barça B, and the main Youth A team, plus 13 lower category teams and 4 women and girls’ teams.

Many dignitaries

The institutional representation included Josep Maria Bartomeu, first vice president and director responsible for professional football; Jordi Mestre, director responsible for youth football; Andoni Zubizarreta, sports director of professional football; Guillermo Amor, sports director of youth football and Narcís Julià and Albert Puig who coordinate the areas of professional and youth football, respectively. Also present were Carles Vilarrubí, vice president and director of the institutional are and Jordi Monés, director of the sports area, as well as members of the Sports Commission for football.

Common dream

Once the teams were gathered, the speeches commenced. Manel Vich, the Camp Nou speaker, who introduced the players, handed the mike to Ferran Sarsanedas, captain of Infantil A. The young player said “we all have the same dream, we are all here. We wear the Barça colours and that’s very important for kicking a ball … Whatever happens, wherever we get, we will never forget what happened here. Thank you all for following our dream”.

Desire and commitment

The new sports directors also wanted to say their bit. Guillermo Amor said “we have been at the club more than 100 days and are very happy. You have skills and with the right attitude you can make it”, and he gave the example of the Barça B players that are now in the first team. He commented that desire and commitment could see these players through, and wished them all the luck in the world in doing that.

Prime materials

Andoni Zubizarreta also wanted to remember the players and staff that are no longer at the club but “are taking the Barça to other places. As for the mothers and fathers, he said “thank you for giving us the raw materials to build a dream and aim for infinity with Barça”.

Training people

The last man to speak was president Sandro Rosell, who said “what we have here is the future of our club. The badge on your shirts will always be in your hearts because Barça is a sentiment that comes from the heart.” But it is not just about training stars. For the Barça president “training people is our priority, making sportspeople that understand honesty, transparency and fair-play… We make good people, Barcelona people, who spread the message of the club and of Catalonia, citizenship and humanity … let’s hope for a year of sporting and human successes!”

Team photos

The event ended with the 19 teams posing for official squad photos, everybody from the little prebenjamins to the ladies’ teams and the Youth A and B teams, all immortalised in pictures with the president Sandro Rosell and the different Barça directors.