President Laporta inaugurates Barça Academy Bucharest

The president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, officially inaugurated the Barça Academy Bucharest today alongside children from the Romanian academy and their families. The centre opened its doors in September and 300 young people are already involved in learning Barça's own brand of football. The success of last season's campus in the country prompted the Club and their local partner to establish the academy - the first in Romania - to help develop youth football in the country.

The blaugrana president was joined at the inauguration event by Florin Raducioiu, president of Barça Academy Bucharest and former international player for Romania, and Benny Megreli, the FC Barcelona  Barça Academy project director among others. Former Romanian national coach Edward Iordanescu was also in attendance.

On reaching the Arcul de Triumf, home of Barça Academy Bucharest, the blaugrana delegation visited the facilities where over 300 children come to train every day. Laporta and the others saw how the boys and girls trained before giving speeches. FC Barcelona's president conveyed his satisfaction that the Club has opened their first Barça Academy in Romania. He also praised the families' efforts to take their children to a centre where they are educated in values and taught a world-renowned style.

Busy schedule in Romania

Wednesday is a busy day for the blaugrana party with institutional meetings. The first visit in the morning will be to the head offices of the Romanian Football Federation and a meeting with the president, Razvan Burleanu. From there the Club's delegation will head to the country's parliament where they will be received by different members of parliament, before an afternoon visit to a reception with the Romanian prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu.

Twenty nine permanent Barça Academy projects throughout the world

Barça Academy is FC Barcelona's proprietary football school model for boys and girls, and aims to provide comprehensive education for its students. Exported abroad, this football school model aims to spread the Barça brand and convey the Club's operating philosophy and values to the rest of the world.

The schools operate from youth through to first team level using a proprietary, unique model based on the Barça methodology, based on a creative and attacking playing style, and the very important conveyance of values - respect, humility, effort, ambition, and teamwork - with contrasted successful results.

FC Barcelona currently have 29 Barça Academy projects. These are the Barça Escola in Barcelona, ​​the Barça Academy Pros, where the Club manages both the sporting and financial side directly, with two centres in the United States of America (Miami and New York); the Barça Residency Academy Arizona (United States of America), which also provides academic education to the players, and the 24 Barça Academies dotted around the world.