FCBARCELONA.CAT

Review of academy indoor football

The under-14s team won the treble, the under-18s also won their League championship, while the under-12s and under-16s finished runners-up.

The under-14s’ treble rounded off a fine season for the academy. The under-18s also walked off with their League title, while the under-16s and the under-14s were runners-up in the Catalan Cup and League respectively. The senior B side finished in fourth place in the League.

Senior B

The Senior B team finished fourth in group A in the National First Division, a tough competition which Alberto Adamuz’s players showed they can play in. They finished five points behind the leader Hospitalet and just one behind the side in third place. They were also eight points ahead of their nearest pursuer.

The manager is pleased with what his team has done, especially as the players are not as experienced as those at other clubs. Indeed at the halfway point they were joint leaders with Hospitalet, but a poor May with two defeats and three draws saw them slip down the table. Fourth spot is a very good result.

Classification: Fourth in Group 5 in National First Division A

Under-18s

The under-18s team played in four competitions this season. They did best in the League which they won with three games still to go, eight points ahead of second placed Marfil Santa Coloma. Their League form was excellent, not losing a single game and only drawing twice away from home.

They did very well in the Mini Cup held in Granada, but in the end lost to Lobelle in the final on a penalty shoot-out. In the semi-finals, they beat ElPozo Murcia. A short while later they went up against the same team in the semi-finals of the Spanish Club Championship but this time round lost (4-2). They went out of the Catalan Cup in the quarter-finals at Manresa (2-1).

Classification: Premier Division League Champions, Mini Cup runners-up

Under-16s

Barça’s under-16s were runners-up in the Catalan Cup and third in the League. They started their League campaign badly, but halfway through David Maturana took over and they only lost two games in the second half of the season, against the top two sides Marfil and Les Corts.

In the Catalan Cup final Barça lost 7-6 to Marfil Santa Coloma. Barça had been ahead for the entire game when with a minute and a half left Marfil took the lead. Barça had the chance to equalise but missed a double penalty with twenty seconds to go, meaning they finished runners-up.

Classification: Catalan Cup runners-up

Under-14s

The under-14s had an excellent season and won the treble; the League, the Spanish Championship and the Catalan Cup. They were rampant in the League, not losing a game and ending up 18 points ahead of the team in second place. They clinched the title with five games to go with a comprehensive 0-11 win away at traditional rivals Marfil Santa Coloma, who finished second. Coach Adrià Fabregat stressed the great effort put in by the players, and made special mention of two who were unable to play in all the games: Fabio Pazo and Steve Ilembe, who broke his leg at the start of April.

In the final of the Catalan Cup the under-14s beat Martorell 7-2 at Manresa, and in Murcia they won the Spanish Championship. The Final Four was between Barça, Ciudad de Móstoles, Gimnástico Melilla and Plásticos Romero. In the semi-finals they beat Melilla 4-0, and in the final easily saw off Plásticos Romero by 4-9. It marked the end of an excellent season.

Classification: Division League Champions, Spanish Cup winners and Catalan Cup winners

Under-12s

Gerard López’s side took part in the League and the Cup this season. In the League they were runners-up to Les Corts. They began the season well, topping the table right into the start of the second half of the campaign, but two losses were followed by the title decider at home against Les Corts which they lost 0-2, having previously won away by 1-2. Les Corts were a good side and worthy champions, though Barça continued to battle right up until the end.

In the Cup they lost in the semi-finals against Ràpid Santa Coloma, a team that finished third in the League having previously been beaten twice by Barça in that competition, in a hard-fought game at Santa Coloma that was decided in the last seconds. The team had played well in the competition up to that point, reaching the semi-finals with no great problems.

Classification: Premier Division League runners-up