Barca Academy Hungary, the official football academy of FC Barcelona in Hungary, will organize its third international youth tournament next Tuesday and Wednesday with the participation of the top domestic academies and foreign teams.
At the event’s press conference on Tuesday, Barna Balogh, the Academy’s CEO, said that the organization, founded in 2019, will deal with 350-400 children at three bases. He noted that the 3rd Kocsis Cup had been held, giving the players the opportunity to learn about the life of former Barcelona star and eponymous Sándor Kocsis.
Barna Balogh, CEO of Barca Academy Hungary (L) at the press conference
The sports director emphasized that
the main objective of the institution is to promote the development of football in the country and to give as many children as possible the opportunity to play.
All camps and recruitment events are organized with the hope of finding talented youngsters who will be given the unique opportunity to attend a training camp at the famous La Masia, home to world stars such as Lionel Messi, one of the world’s most successful football players.
In February, four of the academy’s players – Balázs Bálint, Áron Bálint, Oliver Kutak, and Benett Putics – were able to prove themselves to the Catalan club’s professionals in the company of children from all over the world (there are Barca academies in 33 countries), spending ten days at La Masia. At the press conference it was announced that next year, the 2009, 2011, and 2013 age groups will have the opportunity to visit the parent club.
The new temporary home of Barca: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Photo: Facebook/Barca Academy Hungary
Martí Nadal Velasco, the Academy’s professional director, stressed that the children and their parents are increasingly understanding and are assimilating to the Barca style and values, and that the years of work are beginning to pay off.
The event revealed a strong field for this year’s tournament. Hungarian teams will be represented by Ferencváros, Újpest, MTK, Fehérvár, Győr, Vasas, Illés Academy, the Debrecen Italian Football School, and Eger.
Among the foreign guests, FC Barcelona stands out, which will start a team in the 2012 age group.
In addition to the Catalan group, there is also Girona from Spain, LASK Linz from Austria, CSZKA Sofia from Bulgaria, Partizan Beograd from Serbia, DAC from Slovakia, Sepsi from Romania, and Onogost Niksic, Zlatna Lopta, and Drezga Piperi from Montenegro.
The venue for the August 29-30 event will be the THSE Szabadkikötő pitch, where matches will be played in four age groups – 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The finals will take place on Wednesday, August 30, at 4 PM.
Featured image: Facebook/Barca Academy Hungary