There is no lack of rivals

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In the 2018-19 season the Marcet players faced clubs such as Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Crystal Palace, in amongst others…

Finding high level rivals to play against should be one of the main objectives of football academies. Competing against big clubs is vital for turning the wheel of the sporting formation of players. Marcet students are well-aware of this and every year they test their skills against some of the best sides in European football.

The 2018-19 season was no exception. By September, the Marcet U14’s had already played Levante in Valencia. This trip would be made numerous times by other teams from the High Performance Academy throughout the rest of the season, to play against a club that has already become a regular component of the Spanish First Division.

Last autumn the expeditions to the Marcet Residence in Vallada got underway, in the province of Valencia. All the teams from the Professional Program took part. The objective of this multiple day stage was to foment team spirit in a different and more removed context, in which competition could not be amiss. In Vallada last season, Marcet students got the chance to play against teams such as Valencia, Elche, Olímpic de Xátiva, Albacete and the Porto Academy.

Just before Christmas, one of the main events of the season came along, with the classic expedition of the ‘Puente de la Constitución’. Students over 14 travelled over 5 days to different parts of Spain to play Osasuna, Sporting de Gijón, Real Oviedo and Leganés, in amongst other rivals. These matches posed the perfect opportunity to evaluate the personal objectives of the students of the Academy, as is detailed in the following video:

Around the same dates, the U14’s faced Espanyol in the framework of the ‘Marató’ de TV3, just a few weeks after having played Girona, another Catalan rival from LaLiga, against whom the U16‘s and U18‘s also played during the season.

With 2018 over, the New Year kicked off with various friendlies against Suisse and German sides, such as San Galo, Servette and Rheintal. These were the warm-up for what was to come in the coming months, with matches against potent rivals such as Real Zaragoza. In the following video, a student explains how these demanding encounters “really make you learn more”.

Over the spring an international expedition also took place. The destination was Brussels. The trip, organized in such a way so as to make the most out of the stay in the European Union‘s capital, served to learn about the functionality of the governing institutions and to play against a prestigious rival, Tubize. Once again, the objective was to find a high value formative experience in which the students would be obliged to leave their comfort zone, and test themselves in an unfamiliar context.

The main event of the season were the Easter Tournaments. More than 300 students divided into 22 teams travelled to different points in Spain and Europe to compete in 8 international competitions. In the Oviedo Cup they faced rivals such as Athletic de Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Racing de Santander, Valladolid, Eibar, Lugo and Deportivo Alavés.

Furthermore, in three separate encounters held in the Comunidad Valenciana, Marcet teams played against Derby County, Levante and Roda. In Milan, the opponents were mostly Italian, starting with the Torino Academy. Then, in the prestigious MIC, the U16 A team played their most important match against Crystal Palace. The following video tells the story of this meeting through two of the leading figures:

The remaining encounters before the end of the season took place in May and June and consisted of one day expeditions. The rivals were legendary clubs from Spanish football such as Villarreal, Huesca and Numancia. These teams helped finish a season in which Marcet teams were also able to test themselves against various sides from: England (Wilmslow Sports, Burscough Dynamo…), Brazil (Pinheiros), Italy (Ausonia), US (South Texas YSA Boys), France (Belfortaine, Béziers…), Denmark (Haarby, Hellebjerg, HB Køge…), Australia (Essendon United, Maccabi Hakoah), Philippines (MILO Philippines), Andorra (FC Andorra), etc… A list that will continue to grow in the coming season that is about to begin.

 

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