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Success for the academy

It has been a successful campaign for the Barça Sorli Discau academy who have more than exceeded early season expectations in which player development was given priority.

Unfortunately Barça’s 2nd team were relegated in their final match after fighting back in the second half of the season with reinforcements in the shape of Xavi Roy and Robert Vergé. A last day 5-2 win over Tona wasn’t enough as fellow strugglers failed to lose. Ripoll, Piera, Mollet and Barça go down from National League 1 to the Catalan 1st division.

The Under-14s won both the Spanish and Catalan championships with some brilliant attacking play. No other team was able to keep pace with them.

In the regular season they swept all before them and carried that form over into the play-offs. In the Catalan Championship they beat Shum Maçanet by 6-4.

In the Spanish Championship play-offs they went head-to-head with the host team and one of the favourites to win the title. Yet Liceo could do nothing to stop Barça winning 1-7.

The under-16s were runners-up in the Spanish and Catalan Championships for the second season in a row, losing both finals to the big favourites Tordera. In the Catalan Championship they saw off tough opponents including Reus, Noia and Caldes and breezed past Cerdanyola in the semi-finals, but then were unable to beat Tordera in the final.

It was the same story in the Spanish Championship final as age and height helped Tordera run out winners. However, the team had played extremely well in the previous stages of the competition.

The under-18s are champions of Catalonia after unexpectedly beating Voltregà in the final by 0-2. Victory then went the other way in the Spanish Championship third and fourth place play-off.

In the Catalan Championship Barça beat Arenys de Munt, Voltregà and GEiEG. The semi-final was tougher but Barça Sorli Discau overcame a combative Igualada. In the final Voltregà couldn’t come from behind after going two nil down to a side with no third year players and an under-16 playing for them.

Youth then went against Barça in the Spanish Championship, though they did reach the semi-finals before losing 3-1 to eventual winners Liceo. The third and fourth place play-off was a repeat of the Catalan Championship with Voltregà this time running out winners by 3-4.

Academy players have also been with the Barça Sorli Discau first team at training and in game squads. Young players such as Lluís Ferrer, Ferran Rosa and Albert Vergés have often been called up to the professional team.