- Participation from 6 countries with over 700 young footballers
- Tournament date: January 30 – February 02, 2020
- Venue: The Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurugram
New Delhi : The pitches at Barca Academy, Gurugram situated at The Heritage Xperiential Learning School is reverberating with competitive action as over 700 young footballers representing 6 countries, 48 teams and 4 age groups vie for the Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific. Barca Academy India had hosted the tournament in 2019 as well.
The 48 teams represent India, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, Japan and Spain. Teams are playing in categories U-9, U-11, U-13 and U-15. The tournament is being played in the format of 7 a side team with 30 minutes match for Under 9, 40 minutes match for Under 11 & 13 and 50-minutes match for Under 15.
Speaking about the Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific, Carlos Palacin, Head – Barca Academy, APAC, said, “The Barca Academy Cup is an important tournament across the globe. It is a platform that brings forth talent and how teams from a region are performing. It culminates with the annual tournament in Barcelona. Every Barca Academy across the globe follow the same training methodology. At the end of the day, the winner is certainly first among equals. Barca Academy is the foundation of creating tomorrow’s footballers. The APAC tournament this year will feature some of the most talented young footballers from the region.”
Anupama Jain, Director Conscient Football, said, “We are extremely proud to be chosen the host for the Barca Academy Cup – Asia Pacific for the 2nd year in a row. It indeed is a moment to cherish for every football fan and aficionado across the country. This tournament is not just about winning. It is a cultural milieu and one make friends for life.”
Amongst international clubs present in India, Barça Academy India has the largest offering in the country and has trained more than 30,000 players across various formats. In the football schools across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, there are over 2,500 young footballers who are being trained.