Talented youngsters from Mahd Academy travel to Madrid to train with LALIGA

A total of 25 young Saudi Arabian talents between 15 and 16 years of age underwent an intensive immersion training programme in February at the ESC LALIGA & NBA Centre. The 25 players and 13 staff members came to Madrid last February to take part in the Introduction Camp, a high-performance football programme taught by LALIGA coaches. The Mahd Academy players received sports training, coaching and physical preparation throughout the week. In addition, they played against youth teams from LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION clubs Atlético de Madrid and CD Leganés, as well as against one of the teams from the LALIGA Academy programme, LALIGA's international academy in Spain.

The high-performance stages use tools set out in the LALIGA Methodology, which in turn represents the philosophy and fundamentals behind the working models of the LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION clubs' youth academies, which are international leaders in youth academy work and the development of young players. The holistic vision of the organisation's Sports Projects department is based on aspects such as the comprehensive development of the player, the improvement and optimisation of individual performance, and the improvement of cognitive capacity and understanding of the game.

Marcos Pelegrin, Strategic Partnerships Director for MENA at LALIGA, noted: “We are extremely satisfied with the Mahd Academy partnership. It's a very ambitious long-term project through which we want to help develop future Saudi players. Additionally, the LALIGA Academy stages offer a 360º experience of the LALIGA ecosystem, with official visits to stadiums and museums such as LEGENDS, and activities such as a tour of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium or an official Atlético de Madrid match”.

Francisco Javier Hernández, Head of LALIGA Academy, also said: “Since the launch of the LALIGA Academy sports projects, more than 220,000 players have been trained by top coaches under the LALIGA Methodology through various programmes. The Mahd Academy players worked with the aim of acquiring new tools to help them increase their competitive level, combining training, workshops and matches, all coordinated and implemented from LALIGA headquarters in Madrid together with top level coaches”.