CD Tenerife crowned champions of inaugural LALIGA x Bloomsbury Football League in London

Silverware was raised in North London on Saturday morning, as CD Tenerife were crowned champions of the inaugural LALIGA x Bloomsbury Football League, a grassroots collaboration offering access to football with support from Bloomsbury Football and Fundación LALIGA. 

With the joint goal of changing the game for young people in London, both organisations have together provided financial support for over 70% of all participating players.

Since early November, over 80 local players aged 10 to 13 have proudly worn the colours of many of Spain’s most celebrated clubs at Acland Burghley School in The London Borough of Camden, competing in a league format each Saturday. In addition to CD Tenerife, the Spanish clubs taking part in the 2022/23 edition included: RCD Espanyol, Sevilla FC, Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Valencia CF, CA Osasuna, RC Celta, Deportivo Alavés, Real Oviedo, SD Eibar and UD Las Palmas. 

On Saturday, LALIGA and Bloomsbury Football also held the final session of their new Girls Summer Series, in which more than 30 players aged 9 to 12 have taken part during six sessions coached by Bloomsbury staff, with the goal of helping girls in London continue to feel connected to the global game during this groundbreaking summer for women’s football. 

Since May 2022, LALIGA’s partnership with Bloomsbury Football has invested in grassroots sport and increased opportunities for young people to participate, teaching players core life values such as integrity, effort and self-discipline.

The LALIGA x Bloomsbury Football League is just one of several projects strengthening LaLiga’s ties to the United Kingdom, including the opening of a full-time London office and launching its own 24/7 channel (both in early 2020); as well as inaugurating LALIGA Camps, the league’s first UK-based player development initiative, in Sussex in July 2022.

Founded in 2018, Bloomsbury Football offers an elite and accessible football experience for young people aged between 18 months and 18 years old. The organisation’s financial assistance model means that everyone is welcome, regardless of ability to pay or play.