Lezama: developing footballers, developing people

Athletic Club’s youth categories are comprised of hundreds of children and teenagers. They socialize, share and compete. Apart from reaching sporting milestones and supporting the young players in their path towards the top division, the club has made a clear commitment on the personal development of each and every youth academy player. In order to do so, different talks and courses aimed to help them develop their personal values have been scheduled. The children of today are our future and Athletic Club works hard so that their young representatives become a role model of behaviour not only at Lezama, but also outside the training ground.

Cyberbullying, an irresponsible usage of the social networks, the problem of sports gambling… the red-and-white children have grown up along with new technologies and cannot ignore a reality that may be damaging if they lack some practical knowledge about the matter. These are a few of the main issues highlighted at Lezama.

In addition, Athletic Club wants to foster the values of respect that have always been at the core of the red-and-white club. Therefore, talks on rules are being given, intended to value the figure of the referee as an essential part in the world of football. They are also taught how to be respectful towards the environment, so that they can learn to take care not only of the facilities at Lezama but also the places they live in. And of course, as it is essential for them to know how to take care of themselves, a series of psycho-nutrition workshops providing the basic guidance on a balanced diet are being organized too. In them, the nutrition specialists in the club are showing them the close relationship between food-emotion-performance.

The example set by the players in the men’s and women’s first teams could not be missed. They are the mirrors where the young ones should look at. Lions and Lionesses are meeting those boys and girls who will take over them one day. Ex-captains also give speeches to current captains. No-one better than them can teach first-hand what being an Athletic Club player means, always preserving the values they represent.