Airdrie soccer players enjoyed una experiencia of a lifetime March 15 to 24, when they travelled to Madrid, Spain to further their development in the world’s most popular sport through a program put on by Generation Adidas.
The Airdrie cohort included 22 boys and girls aged nine to 19. Their on-pitch itinerary included three practice sessions at Spanish giant Real Madrid’s training facility and three friendly matches against local youth teams.
“[It] was a fantastic experience to play against different players from a culture where soccer – or football – is in the blood,” said Steve Thomas, the technical director of the Airdrie and District Soccer Association (ADSA).
For the friendly matches, Airdrie fielded two makeshift squads – a mostly-U12 side and a mostly-U17 side, according to Thomas. The results didn’t go Airdrie’s way, with the teams losing all of its matches.
“It was tricky finding friendly games that were the right competition, because it was also mixed genders,” Thomas said. “But the organizers did a good job finding teams for us to play against that were fairly competitive.
“It was nice for [our players] to see the quality of players in Spain.”
One of Airdrie’s older athletes on the trip was 18-year-old Zach Eykelboom, who plays for Airdrie FC’s Tier 2 U19 team. Eykelboom, who graduated from Bert Church High School in 2018 and was part of the Chargers soccer team that won back-to-back Rocky View Sports Association championships in 2017 and 2018, said playing in Spain was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had,” he said. “I’ve never been on a trip like that before.”
Off the pitch, Airdrie’s players enjoyed a bit of Spanish culture and history, as well.
“The experience of going to Europe is probably the big thing,” Thomas said. “The soccer is obviously a huge part of it, but they did sight-seeing in the city of Madrid, and we went to Segovia and Toledo, which are just amazing cities with the history, looking at 2,000-year old castles and churches.
“It’s just a beautiful part of the world, and the kids may never get another experience to get to see those places.”
Another highlight of the trip included watching Real Madrid defeat Celta Vigo 2-0 in a La Liga Primera match March 16, at Real Madrid’s 81,000-capacity Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
“It just shows the kids the passion that other countries have,” Thomas said. “Everything is connected to soccer, and it was just very exciting for them to see.”
The Real Madrid match was extra special, according to Thomas, as it marked the return of manager Zinedine Zidane, who had departed the club 10 months earlier. A legend in the game, Zidane was a FIFA World Cup winner with France in 1998, and was a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year.
As a manager, Zidane enjoyed instant success when he took over the coaching job at Real Madrid in 2015, leading the team to three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018.
“For them to go to the Real Madrid game and just feel the build-up around the city – you could feel the buzz,” Thomas said.
The following weekend was another treat, according to Thomas, as the Airdronians watched soccer legend Lionel Messi play his first game for the Argentina national team since the side crashed out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup against France. Argentina was playing a friendly match March 22 against Venezuela at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium – the home of Madrid’s other La Liga Primera club, Atlético de Madrid.
“It’s like a whole different experience, being there, with the atmosphere of the fans,” Eykelboom said. “They get so loud when they score.”
According to Thomas, ADSA hopes to plan another trip to Spain in the future.
“We are looking to book another one in two years’ time, to give people a bit more notice to save up and fundraise,” he said. “Hopefully, this time, we can go more as teams rather than a huge [mishmash] of individuals.”
