SD Formentera and Racing de Santander have joined forces to run a summer football campus on Formentera, bringing together around a hundred children.
The campus
The Aqualia Campus, open to boys and girls aged 6 to 16, runs until 17 July at the municipal football ground on Formentera. Its aim is to share the training methods of Racing de Santander’s youth academy, one of the most respected in Spain.
How it came about
The project was driven by Jay Romero, a forward with SD Formentera who previously played in Cantabria with UM Escobedo. During his time there he met José Picón, coordinator of Racing’s youth academy. Romero says they got on well and talked about doing something together, because Racing is a club that has been growing and doing things well for years.
Picón has helped organise the campus to ensure the training follows the same standards as in Santander.
Helping families
The campus runs from 8am to 3pm, which gives working parents more flexibility during the summer. Romero says the children are delighted, which he sees as the most important thing — it motivates them to keep coming and enjoy themselves.
Coping with the heat
Formentera’s summer heat has been taken into account:
- training on the pitch finishes before the sun is at its strongest;
- a monitor runs indoor activities during the hottest hours;
- air-conditioned spaces are available in the early afternoon.
Looking ahead
As well as serving local children, the organisers hope that future editions will attract young players from the rest of the Balearics, mainland Spain and abroad. Romero sees this first year as a trial run, with the aim of making everything work smoothly and building on it in the years to come.
Why it matters
For a small island like Formentera, partnerships with established clubs give young players access to coaching methods they would otherwise have to travel to find. They also strengthen the local club and give families a valuable option during the long summer school holidays.
