Our Youth Academy
Athletic Club opened its Lezama facilities in 1971. The Club knew that to keep progressing, it needed a training centre for its professional team, as well as a football academy for its youth sides.
Located in the town of Lezama, about 15 kilometres from Bilbao, these facilities form the bedrock of Athletic Club and its philosophy. This is because the youth teams based in Lezama underpin Athletic Club’s principle of only fielding homegrown players.
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Distributed over a 13-hectare complex, Lezama has four standard-sized grass pitches (including a small stadium with of maximum capacity of 3,200), four artificial turf pitches, an indoor pitch (also artificial), gyms, a medical centre and storerooms. In addition to the eight pitches, there is a “goalkeepers’ cage” and an artificial pitch made specially for coaching goalkeepers. On top of all that, visitors have access to underground and above-ground parking facilities and a bar.
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In September 2021, Athletic Club fulfilled its dream of building a residence at Lezama for its youth footballers. For the previous quarter of a century, young players from outside of Biscay were housed in a separate residence in the nearby town of Derio.
The residence contains 30 double rooms which meet the different needs of the athletes, such as being able to rest, study, organise their belongings and disconnect after training. To this end, flexible and customisable furniture has been used so each player can make the space their own.
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Aside from the physical infrastructure, the human factor at Lezama must also be taken into account. Athletic Club counts on a vast array of talented individuals to ensure our young players are given an all-round education which prepares them not only for the elite level of football but for life in general. This includes coaches, fitness coaches, medical staff, support staff and education experts.
The work carried out with the teams at Lezama is unique and the coaches share the same vision. The player is key to everything, they are the cornerstone of all planning, and it is only by playing football that they will properly master key concepts.
The goal is to create an environment in which young players thrive on a personal and sporting level. We endeavour to produce players and humans who can represent our Club, and all its values, both on and off the pitch.
The idea of Lezama goes beyond the concrete structures of the training complex. Athletic also oversees the work of numerous clubs that are part of the Athletic Club structure. Across the Basque Country, the Club has several high-quality development centres where the boys and girls who stand out in those teams receive expert coaching.
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How to get there
Address
Barrio Garaioltza, 147. 48196 Lezama, Bizkaia.
Transport
Euskotren / Metro
Line 3: If you are in the city centre of Bilbao, you can catch the Euskotren from Casco Viejo, at the San Nicolas entrance to the metro station. Once on the train, get off at the station called “Lezama” and from here it’s a five-minute walk to the training complex. Head down to the roundabout and take a left, the facilities are across the road.
Bus
Bizkaibus (the green ones) 3223 Bilbao-Larrabetzu. Get off at any stop between La Cruz and Lezama town centre, then follow signs to the complex.
Cars
To get to Lezama by car, there are two different routes depending on which direction you are coming from:
Route 1: If you are entering Lezama from Zamudio or the Airport on the BI-737, go straight on until you reach the roundabout in the centre of Lezama. At this point, go around the roundabout and head back in the direction you came from, the facilities will be on your immediate right after exiting the roundabout.
Route 2: If you arrive having already passed through the centre of Lezama, for example if you are coming from the direction of Larrabetzu, go straight ahead at the roundabout and you will see the entrance to the facilities on the right.
Parking
Lezama Parking
Once you reach the facilities, vehicles will enter the new underground car park. If all the parking spaces are full, entry to the facilities will not be allowed but it will be possible to use the park and ride facilities in the Polígono de La Cruz. These spaces can be found at the entrance to the village of Lezama next to the Euskotren train station.
Peak Days: For matches when Lezama’s parking facilities are not sufficient, the Town Council of Lezama permits parking -only in exceptional circumstances- in some other spaces close to the Lezama training complex. SEE
Age groups
Lezama is home to Athletic's first squads, both men's and women's, and to fifteen youth teams, the prior steps a player must pass before reaching the senior squad, including: Bilbao Athletic (Segunda División B), Basconia, Women's B and Women's C, two under-19 teams, three under-16 sides (one of them female), four under-14 teams (one of them female) and two under-12 sides. These are the teams where future Lions and Lionesses are trained and formed before they become full professionals.
Partner Clubs
These are the clubs that have an affiliation agreement with Athletic Club. Click on the different options to filter the information and make personalised searches.