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Martí Nadal: "This was key to our successful season"

Martí Nadal Velasco has been working at our academy for more than a year now, but the 2022-2023 season was the first he spent at Barca Academy Hungary from start to finish. We also spoke to our professional director about the lessons learned from the season behind us, the challenges of the next championship year and the summer break.

– What are the Academy's objectives for the 2022-2023 season?
– It has been a season that started with several changes in the structure of the Academy. We made a strong commitment to incorporate 3 new coaches from Barcelona to strengthen the technical area. These coaches have brought a plus in terms of understanding the game and the player and have established a great connection with the local coaches. This is a key element of the Academy's success.

– The club has made progress not only in quality, but also in quantity.
– At the same time, we also started the project of opening the new headquarters in Hidegkút led by Enric Aguilera, which has opened many possibilities for us. The site has been growing progressively both in number of players and in level and has allowed us a strong growth in the women's teams. Another of the Academy's objectives, taking advantage of the connections of the people in the management, has been the participation in different social aid events such as the collaboration with the different organisations located in Ózd.

– Meanwhile, the season has also come to an end for our teams. How do you look back on the season behind us?
– In terms of performance in the upper teams, the 2008 Red and 2009 Red should be highlighted. Not only for the sporting success they have had but also for the way they have done it. Both in terms of play, behaviour and values, they have been an example. Even though from Barcelona we want to understand that success is not only related to winning and titles, that is why I would also like to highlight all the teams that have had a progression in terms of understanding of the game and the growth of players from the youngest to the oldest.

 

– With the end of the crown virus epidemic, the gates have opened again, and this season has probably been the best opportunity we've ever had to participate in foreign cups.
– Participating in international tournaments is a great opportunity to face new challenges, live new experiences and show our game. It is a very important aspect for the development of the players and that is why we want to continue promoting this type of activities in the next season. Players from 2010, 2011 and 2012 have participated in the Interliga obtaining good results in a very demanding competition. This is a tournament that is played during the season against teams from Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. During the season we have also had the opportunity to play in Italy in the Jesolo Cup, to play in Montenegro, Romania and also in Salou (Catalonia) in the Mare Nostrum Cup where 2012 won the silver phase. The BAWC, as usual, was a great experience and a great learning experience for all the teams that were able to participate. 

How many changes will be in the coaching department of Barca Academy Hungary?
– There won't be too many changes, we want to give continuity to most of the coaches who have been with us this season. During the season we have been increasing the number of coaches to cover the needs of the Academy. It is important for us to have stability in terms of coaches because they ensure that we know how the Academy works and how we do things. 

– We already know that Lucas Ferrer leaves, he was a really special part of the Academy, everyone loved him. How do you look forward to the future without him? 
– He has been an important person for the Academy and has been able to influence many areas. He has helped the Academy to grow and the Academy has offered him opportunities for his development. We can only be grateful to him and wish him success in the future on a personal and professional level. The space he is leaving will allow other coaches to take on more responsibilities and leadership, such as Alberto Tavira who will take over the coordination of the Upper Teams and the 2008 Red. We are convinced that he will also do a great job and will allow us to grow with his experience.

Will there be a Barca Academy Hungary Cup again this year? What can we know about it?  
– The Barça Academy Hungary Cup will be held on the 29th and 30th of August at the THSE facilities in ages U9-U10-U11-U12. The best teams from Hungary are already confirmed to participate in the competition for another year. We will also welcome top foreign teams, including Barça Academy Barcelona. 

What about your future and the Academy's, what are the most important goals?  
– The next season will be the 5th season of the Academy, we can already consider the project to be stable in Hungary. The challenges for next year will be to optimize the technical area to promote the best development of the players, that is why we want to professionalize the structure to respond to all the needs of our players. An example of this is that with the teams from 2007 to 2010 we organised a pre-season training camp in Kiskoros. As we have done at the end of the season with the multiple meetings with families, we want to improve the connection with them, having a better communication and being close. We want to continue to grow in terms of volume and level of players and teams, an example of which is the more than 50 players we have had from Try-out in the last weeks of August. One of the growth points of the Academy next year will be women's football. This year we ended up with more than 25 players in the Academy, with collaborations with different international schools. One of the first challenges after the holidays will be the Balatonszárszó camp that we are organising for the second consecutive year and for which we have confirmed a large number of players. 

– Do you go on a rest during the summer? If yes, where? 
– I will take advantage of the holidays to return to Barcelona and spend time with my family and friends that I can't see during the year. On the 26th of July I will be back for the start of the pre-season for the 2007 Red and 2008 Red teams. 

 

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