BARCELONA, 9 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
LaLiga Tryouts, the talent detection and development program launched in 2022 by LaLiga Grassroots, landed for the first time in Mexico and has selected 27 soccer players from 12 to 17 years old, among more than 500 participants, who compete for a training scholarship in Spain.
“The reception in Mexico has been spectacular, and the level of the players very high. We are betting on early detection activities and development of international talent, since grassroots football is an area where LaLiga and its clubs’ academies are a reference worldwide,” Francisco Javier Hernández, head of Business and International Development at LaLiga Grassroots, explained in a statement from the employers’ association.
The players were selected after an exhaustive scouting process, carried out by scouts and technicians from LaLiga Grassroots, which began on May 14 and 15 in Guadalajara, continued in Monterrey on May 21 and 22 and ended in Ciudad de Mexico this May 29.
All the events, organized by the hand of Elevate Football, concentrated the arrival of young people from all over the country, from states such as Sonora, Baja California, Veracruz, Durango, Puebla, Tamaulipas, or Zacatecas. Some tests that open the opportunity to the participants to develop their talent in the annual program of excellence LaLiga Academy in Madrid, with which they will award a full scholarship to the best among the 27 finalists.
It is a pioneering process of ‘scouting’ for a European league for young talents in Mexico, and it comes to the country thanks to the work that the Spanish competition has done in developing the market and the collaboration agreements it has with local entities.
The new ESC LaLiga & NBA Madrid Center, a grassroots football reference at the service of LaLiga clubs that will open its doors in the summer of 2022, will also house these new programs for international players in the capital.
“Sports projects are part of our development strategy in the Mexican market, with LaLiga Tryouts we want to help develop talent and provide opportunities for Mexicans to have a comprehensive experience. The success of this edition confirms that the level of football that exists in Mexico, it has enormous potential that we can help develop,” said Alejandro de Gabriel, LaLiga’s delegate in Mexico.
A COMPREHENSIVE SELECTION PROCESS
During the tests, an analysis process was carried out by LaLiga coaches and scouts, professionals with the highest qualification: UEFA Pro license and with experience both in Spain and internationally. The players passed several tests for their individual evaluation, with which the scouts prepared a detailed report with the data collected.
Afterwards, the performance of each of the participants in matches organized between different teams, advised by the LaLiga coaches, was examined. Thus, the technicians analyzed each player in real game situations.