FC Barcelona to open academy in Charlotte

The ISL Futbol guys in Charlotte are pretty plugged in at Barca, so it wouldn't shock me if your connected friend is right. I'm sure the Rapids aren't thrilled with this development, but it can only be a good thing for a rapidly growing soccer culture in Charlotte.

 

This is not an official Barca anything. This is escola. Not to say anything would be particularly good or bad. I would say check out thoroughly before deciding if anything is worth it.

I have seen the Florida school.

 

Interesting observation bostondiesel. I was trying to figure out if there was an actual affiliation from the link. They state "FCBEscola is the football academy that follows the FC Barcelona model aimed at boys and girls aged 6 to 11 years." When you look at the web site there is a lot of reference to FC Barcelona and pictures of FC barcelona but it is very vague if there is an actual relationship...

 

If you go to the actual FC Barcelona website, FCB Escola is an official link/site…so there must be some official relationship…how intimate that relationship is remains unclear…

 

I have a little familiarity with licensing/IP issues so I found the FAQs on this site interesting:

http://barcelonacamps.com/frequently-asked-questions/

They are licensed and authorized by FC Barcelona but it's also clear that they are a separate and distinct entity from FC Barcelona and not part of the club's youth system. They disclose that in the FAQs but, to me at least, the website is designed to infer that they're a part of the club.

 

Kudos to them for putting this in the FAQ, but I think they learned the hard way.

Is this scouting for La Masia?
The Camp offers players the chance to see how FC Barcelona’s youth and first teams train. It is not designed or run to recruit or scout players. The coaches are all FCB employees and are always looking for talent, but the camps do not send players to the FC Barcelona youth system directly.

 

That word "directly" seems important. My guess is it's something like "yes, if you're good enough, we can recommend you get a look at La Masia. Send you over there for a week or so to train, and if they like you they will take it from there. But actually offering you a La Masia spot is above our pay grade."

 

Reading the whole FAQ, it's either poorly written or deliberately vague (misleading?) depending on whether you're an optimist or pessimist. I particularly enjoyed the questions about the Elite Camp, in which "elite" is defined as "writing a $795 check that clears." When they refer to the actual pro club, they use FC Barcelona. When referring to escola, it's FCB or FCBEscola. So even in the last answer they're pointing out that their coaches are not employees of the pro club and probably can't do much more than make a recommendation, which may or may not carry any weight. I don't think that's the impression they want people to have, though.

For all I know, this may be an amazing program that provides the best youth coaching you can find, a money grab using the Barcelona license, or something in between. I really have no idea. Just want to offer my take on the publicly available info for those who may be Evaluating this program.

 

Good, bad or indifferent, these camps and licensing agreements and partnerships are 99.9% marketing…if some 9 year olds learn some good soccer along the way, that’s great…

 

yeah...probably all of the above.

They do not have to be deliberately vague. If people want to "invest" in the notion that La Masia is looking over here then I suspect that Darwin could be at play here and what really can be done to protect them.

Yes you have to pony money for all of the escola programs and La Masia you would not have to pay for anything. IMO there are a lot of shenanigans at play here and thats why I say see for yourself before writing a check.

The camps, getting kids excited and wearing the gear calling their teams Messi\Neymar...yeah fine(you can also attend Liverpool, Chelsea,Atletico, Bayern )..The quality of these can be all over the map and for both escola and camps etc, They are using coaches local to the US...

 

La Masia, and essentially every other European club with resources, are "looking" over here. There would be no Ledermans or Pulisics or Llegets if they weren't.

But your point definitely has lots of merit. Here's why - I think what most American kids and parents don't understand is just how good you have to be to catch a Euro club's attention. I've probably mentioned it enough that most of you guys know, my son and I recently got back from training for a week at West Ham. My son is a good player. He stands out in matches here. But there are 20 of him within a ten mile radius of the Boleyn Ground. Why would a European club go through all the headache (visa and/or citizenship, helping the parent find a job, etc) of bringing over a player like my son when they can find what he offers just down the road? When they already have 5 of him in the Academy? They won't, is the answer.

If I could tell American parents one thing I learned (from listening to the COO of West Ham speak) it's that your kid needs to be better than what a club can find in its own country. They have to feel he has more potential than the local kids, not equal potential. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense for them to put the effort, time, and money into him.

 

Or more to the point of this thread. There was focus on these players already (scouts etc) , they were not located via a "sports vacation getaway where their parents paid for plane tickets, hotel etc. These things are massive money makers for the cities and teams that host them. Again if eyes are wide open to what these are ? No harm no foul.

I do though think that these function and flourish under false pretense.

Lederman played on a team that played an official FC Barca youth squad on tour(La Masia official) in California (ie, they got to see somewhat firsthand how he rated against their talent).

It is beyond rare that scouts here will mention moving a kid prior to 14 yrs.

 

Absolutely right...but that doesn't mean the Euro club isn't interested in the kid.

The 20 or so minutes we listened to the COO and Academy director speak at West Ham were extremely enlightening with respect to how far we've come with soccer in America. They said that 12 years ago, when they first began trying to create a presence in our country, if they were interested in a young boy they had to bring him to London. There was simply no chance that the kid could progress at the rate necessary from, say, age 12 to age 17, if they left him in the U.S. They had to bring him to the club in order to train him to his potential.

These days, they don't do that. If they are interested in a kid, they tell him and his family. They get in contact with the boy's coaches here in the States and determine what the training schedule and focus is. If the coach is open to input, they provide it. They keep regular tabs on the boy through the coaches. They bring the boy to the club for a week or two every year, usually over the summer, to check his progress against the West Ham academy boys. Then, if he has become the player they wanted / expected by the time he's 17/18 years old, that's when they make him an offer and officially bring him to West Ham.

It was a terrific thing to hear, the fact that an EPL club now feels that American soccer has reached a level where the youth instruction can be trusted to grow a player into an EPL prospect here, without having to ship the player overseas at a tender young age.

 

yeah. I think even the Matt Miazga paradigm would be even more ideal, if proven.

That the pro teams here could produce players of the that caliber, desired by the a top tier team. If he works out....if more work out like him...then I think the overall stock here (league\players) will rise.

 

We took my sons (ages 8 and 6) to the tryout tonight. There were probably about 200-250 kids with another tryout scheduled for tomorrow. We did the three-day winter camp in November, which was well-coached, and will do the 5-day summer camp in June.

It's pretty clear to me as well that this is a separate entity from FCB, but parents really do look for anything that they think can give their kid an advantage - and anything that has the words 'Barcelona' and 'soccer academy' is catnip for the affluent.

This area has several academies that are well established. After watching tonight's session it's clear to me that we have a long way to go before we consistently produce quality players - and that (not all, but too many) coaches are more concerned about winning than player development.

I'm pleased that my boys weren't overwhelmed by the whole thing. They said they want to stay with their current academy teams.

 

Why do you single out the Rapids? Many other clubs in Charlotte. In fact the Rapids pretty far north of the city. If I'm not mistaken this club (ISL, FCBEscola, Queen City Mutiny or whatever name they are going with) will playing/training south of the city. Wouldn't this impact CSA, CUFC, etc?

 

I agree that very little information is available regarding this new program -- training location, training methods, coaches' credentials etc.

Here is what I have learned. The school / academy will operate with two divisions of sorts.

The elite tier is called ISL FC. This is Queen City Mutiny rebranded. The tier below is called FCB Escola.

Just like Charlotte Soccer Academy's top teams, the kids in this group (ISL FC) are working towards the US Development Academy program (If I'm not mistaken, QCM got a US SDA slot (U-12 http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/201...clubs-at-under-12-division-for-2016-17-season) and by virtue of acquiring QCM, ISL will be part of it).

Parents of QCM kids that I know seem to have positive things to say regarding that program's training. Hopefully it will be as good or better with ISL.

And BTW, most parents I know who were looking at this program didn't have any illusions that their child would be plucked into La Masia. They're just looking for the best training available.

 

Didn't purposefully single them out. They were just the first club that popped into my head and I didn't take the time to think through and list the others.

It's honestly too early to say exactly who it will impact, imho. If it's not run well it will fail (and quickly) regardless of the name on the front of the jersey. Parents aren't going to pay that kind of money to send their kid to a crappy club no matter what crest is on the jersey. If it is run well then it will have a broad impact in the greater Charlotte area because of the prestige of the big club that is (however loosely) associated with it.

 

Anyone got some more updated feedback?

My nephew just got invited to join one, so I'd be happy to hear more.

 

FCB Escola's are run by BCN Sports in Canada. The technical directors of each academy have very high level coaching certificates as do the academy coaches. Our son is enrolled in the academy as a u7 this coming September. He has done camps (in one right now) and technical training with them. The coaching is consistent and high caliber. It follows a distinct series of personal and team skills. It is pricey but we were referred to it by friends who were professional players. I figure if former professional put their kids in it, then it is not half bad.
The question is can your kid re-enter into the high performance stream in your local area when they are older? FCB is not recognized by the governing soccer body in my province which means they can't play sanctioned games. It is in Alberta.
Our kid loves his FCB soccer training, even more than he enjoys hockey.

 

Just a guess on my part, but regardless of the area you live or sport in question, if a kid is good I'm sure he'll have no issues finding a team willing to take him on.