The pandemic has caused a change in reality, which has led to a readjustment of GPS in almost all areas of life. It has been playing to find new formulas to continue developing all activities, as far as possible, as before. The network of Athletic he has not been able to escape. If the mere fact of being agreed implies being a little further from the trunk, a pandemic that has distanced everyone could pose an extra problem. The Bilbao entity, which has made known the work it carries out with its 166 agreements, has tried not to do so.
What the Bilbao squad can boast of is retaining talent. “When a club has been interested in a player from an agreement, they have communicated it to us and there has always been the possibility that he would come to the Athletic. If he has not come, it is due to a sports decision, there has been no unwanted escape on the part of the Athletic”, He assured Andoni Ayarza, attached to the sports department of the lions.
The objective is twofold. Be close to yours and expand the brand. Although the latter “is difficult”, especially in Gipuzkoa, where the only team that walks alongside Athletic is he Antiguaoko. “Institutions help a lot,” he pointed out. Martin Urrejola, responsible for male conventions. Of course, they do not give up, “we are working on it”, and the link with the San Sebastian club is capital: “It has been important because it is the most populated territory and because it is one of the clubs that best works grassroots football. It allows us to access more players in Gipuzkoa”.
Non-professional sports suffered a very abrupt stop due to the limitations derived from the pandemic. “And now what do I do?” the clubs were transferred to Lezama when, for example, they could only exercise in small groups of six. “I was telling the coaches that we have to see it as an opportunity To improve the player, look at the details. We organize tasks to maximize this reduced work ”, he explained. Andoni Bombín, responsible for the Methodology in Lezama.
Adaptation has had its difficulty. It has followed “a cycle” as the regulations were changing. What has cost “is to maintain the stimulus over time” so that footballers and coaches continue at full capacity. Within that it has been far from an ideal situation, David Rincon (Comprehensive Care Department) extracts something positive. And it has been “A fantastic opportunity to work on uncertainty”. You have to deal with all circumstances throughout life.
A psychological work that has been as fundamental or more than sports. “It was something new and we have received many more demands from family situations that my son does not go to train in the same way, so we have incorporated more meetings with the families,” he added Corner, which draws a conclusion from the last year and a half: “We have brought Lezama closer to the agreed clubs”. Bowler hat He is very clear that the figure of the coach “is key” in this whole process: “There should be an interaction between two or three times a week with the player, we instilled in him that it has to be vital so that the player does not disconnect. We have had a wonderful reciprocity ”.
Without forgetting what happens at grass level because there must be balance on the scale. This is where the training proposal enters the scene, “a section that was created five years ago and that has great value because it improves the quality of the coaches, who in turn have a direct impact on the players. The quality of the players in Bizkaia is improving and that is because they train better and better”. Always pointed out Bowler hat, adapting “to the reality of the clubs, since it is not possible to transfer everything that is done in Lezama Similarly”. Another of the legs is the environment, which does not happen in green but also influences the development of the player. “Advice and attention has been transferred to everything that surrounds the coaches, how to communicate with the kids, how to help them,” he said. Corner.
The last 18 months have been challenging, however the Athletic he also works looking to the future. It is a must for a quarry club. The goal of “continuing and increasing relationships with the clubs” is set, apart from “increasing personalization based on their needs” and expanding the identity bond. “The objective is that, in training, everyone wears the shirts of the Athletic; that sometimes appear with shirts of other teams, “he concluded Urrejola.