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HISTORICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
KEEPING UP WITH BEN'S PROGRESS
We will be periodocally posting photo images and write-ups in order to track Ben's progress within the Barca Academy.
To date, Ben is acclimating extremely well. He is quickly learning both Castilian and Catalan spanish. His soccer progression improves every week he steps out on the pitch. He has scored and assisted in every game that he has played in so far.
More news to follow!!
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR BEN'S PRIVATE WEBSITE!!
BARCA SIGNS ITS FIRST AMERICAN - BEN LEDERMAN!!
The general structure of football training blaugrana remains very similar to last year, with the only significant change to the size of the rosters. Some teams had come to register up to 25 players, which made management very difficult. To avoid this imbalance the Academy has implemented the "rule of 20" for the next academic year, with the intention to not register more than 20 on any team.
Not surprisingly, the number of additions has a certain progression pyramid: 22 players arrived for the youngest categories: 14 to Benjamin; 14 to Alevin, 10 to Cadete and 11 for Juvenile. Also, 5 players for Pre-Benjamin and an uncertain number for Barca B, probably limited to three or four players: Cristian Lobato (far left with the possibility of playing side), Kiko Femenía (able to fill all the right lane ), a striker and maybe another piece.
59 CATALAN
By position: 9 goalkeepers, 16 defenders, 30 midfielders and 25 forwards, although several of these figures are premature as the roles of each player at the club can be quite different from their other teams. Most players are coming over from Catalan Clubs with a total of 59 players from 32 different clubs in Catalonia.
Spanish players: 15 players come to Barca from eleven different Spanish clubs, highlighting the addition of 5 players from the Levante area and 4 from Seville.
Foreigners: There are six foreign born boys who will wear the Blaugrana shirt: (2) Koreans, (1) Dutch, (1) Portuguese, (1) American and (1) Japanese.
The Club has attracted players from other Catalunyan Clubs as well: Espanyol (7), Cornellà (6), although (3) have been re-assigned: (Mataró, Damm and Calella). 75% of the Catalan players arriving, will play in the younger categories: between Pre-Benjamin (born 2004) and Cadete B (1999). From that age (12-13 years) and until Barca B, the distribution is very different: (14) Catalans, (15) from the rest of Spain and (4) foreigners. This situation is a common trend with the first level of recruitment at younger ages typically dominated by local talent from Catalunya, the second level focuses more on the rest of Spain, with the third level focused throughout the world and only used for very specific cases, given the logistical complexities.
The cost of these additions has not been revealed by the club, but the cap is set at 100,000 euros for the rights of any of the youth that are recruited.
It is the culmination of the tireless work from the 21 scouts that Barca has distributed throughout Spain. All with a target goal in mind: to search for a very specific player profile that exceeds the technical level of the current Academy players. It is in this sense the need to incorporate high-level players to existing teams especially in the older age categoriess (Infantiles and Cadetes).
BEN ON THE BALL DURING HIS TRYOUT
SIX FOREIGN
The six foreign players who come to the club belong to five different nationalities: 10 year old Japanese striker Takefusa Kubo, that will not live in La Masia, but in private home with his mother. Kubo was on trial in mid-April in the Ciutat Esportiva and convinced the technicians. 11 year old midfielder, Ben Lederman, the first American in 112 years to join the club by way of PB California's Sponosred Soccer Academy based in Los Angeles. Two Koreans born in 1998 Jang and Lee join Infantil A. Both players were spotted in Korea and definitely accepted after the Danone Cup finals in South Africa. And finally, a Portuguese and a Dutch join the Infantil B team.
The continuity of three coaches from last season: Barca B - Oscar García, Sergio Garcia Barjuan - Juveniles and Pepper in Cadet A ensures progression in the formation and preparation for future professionalism.
85 PLAYERS DEPART
In the opposite direction, 85 players have been sold or removed. Barça B: Victor Vazquez, Nolito, Edu Oriol, Abraham, Benjamin, and possibly five others. From Juvenile A: The Goalkeepers plus midfielder Pepe (Villareal) and striker Jordi Maso Etock (Chelsea). From Juvenile B: A dozen players, three of them to Espanyol, although the club has not officially confirmed any casualties. From Cadet A: (Arsenal) Bellerín Toral and Pol Garcia Tena (Juve) as well as those of Navarro Belana (Espanyol) and Mara (Malaga). In total, 85 players will be leaving the Blaugrana, Academy with Espanyol benefiting the most with 8 to 10 player signings. Four players of the Eto Foundation have been released or sold by the club as in the case of Juvenile Etock Gael to Chelsea. In the youngest categories Adamu, Camera and Mandela must depart due to new Cameroonian criteria regarding age size.
All in all, the staff of Barça B will close the roster with about 25 players; the Juveniles, Cadetes and Infantiles with 20 signings each and Alevinin, Benjamin and Pre-Benjamin with an average of 12 signings per team.
In total, 253 players will have the good fortune to grow and develop within the boiling hot Barca Academy.
Click to read the original article on: SPORT.es
FC BARCELONA'S HISTORICAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Ben attentive during his tryout...!!
The Ledermans after receiving the great news!!
Date: April 14, 2011 After 4 days of training and putting on a show in front of Directors and Coaches of Barca's Academy staff, Ben was offerred a two year contract to join Barca's Academy. This was an unbelievable moment not only for the Lederman family but also for FC Barcelona as it would mark the first time in their storied 112 year history that an American player had ever been offerred a contract to join their Academy. We are thrilled by this news and want to wish the Lederman's much success and happiness in their efforts to capitalize on this unprecedented opportunity that this offer has brought them. We'd also like to congratulate all the coaches who helped to make this dream become a reality, both here and in Barcelona. In particular, Yossi Raz, who has been Ben's personal soccer mentor for the past several years and has been instrumental in Ben's development as a soccer player. There are very few coaches in this country that understand Barca's methodology and system of player development that can also translate it to young soccer minds, and fortunately for Ben and our program, Yossi is one of them. Visca Ben and Visca Barca!!!!
Ben Lederman was invited to tryout with FCBarcelon's Youth Soccer Academy (FUTBOL BASE) fromApril 11-14, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. What transpired after that is now history in the making!!
BARCA'S YOUTH ACADEMY HISTORICAL INVITE!!
Date: Feb. 15, 2011 The tryout will take place at our “Ciutat Esportiva” which is the home base for all FC Barcelona Youth Academy teams, training and football matches. Best regards, Júlia Forcadell FCBARCELONA
We are pleased to inform you that Ben Lederman has been invited to tryout with FCBarcelon's Youth Academy from April 11-15, 2011 in Barcelona, Spain.
Gestió Esportiva
BEN LEDERMAN - U11
