(Cricket news) With each passing year, a growing number of boys and girls around the world are playing football while wearing the green and white of Real Betis. The Real Betis Academy has grown to the point where there are now 3,000 players and more than 100 coaches spread all around the world and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
Over the past season, Los Verdiblancos established four new international sites and six new national ones, with the Real Betis Academy growing by 140% internationally. By the end of 2022/23, the Spanish club had a total of 23 academy sporting projects beyond Spain’s borders, from Egypt to Venezuela to Iceland to Japan to Mexico to Iraq to South Africa and beyond.
This international expansion is proving to be lucrative for the club, who explained: “The Real Betis Academy has become a key tool for breaking into markets where the club isn’t yet established. It is helping us to find new commercial allies.”
The club continued: “One example has been with the opening of our first international academy, Real Betis Academy Zimbabwe, located in Harare, which began its activity in 2020 and which now has more than 200 Verdiblanco footballers. Thanks to this site, we have been able to sign two important regional sponsorship agreements.”
The sustained growth of the Real Betis Academy in 2022/23
Over the past year, Real Betis launched several new initiatives as part of the international expansion of its Real Betis Academy sites and camps. The Real Betis Team Alliance project has been launched, through which the club is establishing collaboration agreements with other international teams to train players and coaches using the Real Betis methodology, doing so with Inter Ohana CF, a team from Hawaii, USA.
Also in the North American country, the Real Betis Rocky Mountains and Real Betis Florida Tour campaigns were carried out in cities such as Jacksonville, Wichita, Denver, Salt Lake City and New York.
Meanwhile, the Real Betis Inside programme was continued, with this being an initiative that invites international players to come to Spain and to experience life inside the facilities in the city of Seville. This past year, players from Japan, Algeria, Iraq and Zimbabwe all benefited from such an experience.
Taking the Real Betis methodology around the world
The club continues to work closely with international coaches to share the Real Betis methodology with trainers worldwide. Those in charge at the Real Betis Academy are very passionate about this project, as they believe that the club’s methodology is worth sharing far and wide.
The club explained: “With all our sporting projects, we apply the methodology of the Real Betis youth academy, adapted to the level of each player. That’s exactly what happens in our school and academies in Seville, where the types of tasks that make up the training sessions and, therefore, our methodology, are based on the model of play of the first team, all with the aim of offering real and professional growth for all footballers who form part of our academies.”
The academy coaches want the young players to develop independent thinking and hone their decision-making through this methodology that is based on progression and transfer. They also want every youngster they come into contact with to learn about the Real Betis values.
On this, the club added: “In addition to the technical aspects, some very important human values are promoted too. Coaches must also be educators and share the values associated with Real Betis. Teamwork, self-improvement, humility, loyalty and commitment are the principles that guide every activity carried out by the club and, of course, we apply all these values in the training sessions and activities at our academies and campuses. To be a good footballer, it is essential to be a good person. We want every player who wears the Real Betis badge on their chest to be a person full of values.”
Already there are thousands of young boys and girls all around the world, including in Spain, who proudly wear that Real Betis badge on their chest as they play football and receive a comprehensive education through the beautiful game. At the club, they hope to continue with the international expansion of the Real Betis Academy into next season and two new international sites will be announced shortly.
Discussing the plans for the future of the Real Betis Academy, the club concluded: “Our main objective is to continue exporting the colours, values and methodology of Real Betis all around the world. We would like to consolidate all the projects we already have, as well expanding into new markets.”
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