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Michael Bender: “Next year we're going to start competing”
RCDE Academy Johannesburg CEO on the Club's newest Academy
Earlier this year RCD Espanyol opened the doors to its latest global academy, the RCD Espanyol de Barcelona Academy Johannesburg.
The academy is the first official LaLiga club academy to open in South Africa, and the club’s sole institution in the African continent. Michael Bender, CEO of the RCDE Academy Johannesburg, spoke of the Academy’s first few months and what lies ahead.
Speaking to Espanyol Media, Bender said, “When we launched the academy we never expected the take-up. We ended up seeing over 5,600 players come to trials, and some of the best talent we've seen in South Africa has come through the system right now.”
The Academy held its first trials in May 2022 before officially opening the following month. Bender recently visited the RCDE Stadium to watch an RCD Espanyol match, as well as visiting the club’s other institutions in Barcelona.
“Our aim was on how we develop and deliver players based on your methodology,” Bender explained. “For the first six months, [it is about] nothing but to develop a player so that he can start understanding what is needed from psychological, tactical, cognitive football.”
Bender said, “Next year, we're going to start competing. We've played 72 games in three months already, and I'm proud to say we've only lost three games against some of the biggest academies in South Africa. It tells us that we have a good talent pool.
“Now we have to hone that talent pool because the gap is still very, very large between Spain and South Africa. We're going to compete in a very short period of time, and I look forward to coming here with our youth teams to play in the local tournaments.”
The full interview will be available to watch on Espanyol Media and across all club platforms on Thursday.