Barcelona set up football school in India

School will be operational within this year, will cater to 300 children between 6-14 years

Aspiring young footballers will now have the opportunity to get world-class training as Spanish giants Barcelona today announced the opening of its football school, FCBEscola here.

A first of its kind in India, the school will be operational within this year and will have capacity for around 300 children between 6-14 years.

"This is one of the most ambitious projects for FCBescola worldwide. We hope to train 10,000 young footballers in coming three years and with this initiative we will provide the depth and the quality needed to develop coaches and players from a very young age," said director of FCBEscola, Xevi Marce.

The leading club, in collaboration with Conscient Football, aims to reach out to other cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Goa, Pune and Ahmedabad.

Marce also appointed Antonio Claveria as the technical director of the school.

Claveria, who will be stationed in the capital, made a trip to Delhi when the Catalan club had their first camp at the Heritage School.

"It was a great experience for me to start the Barca India project in December 2011. I am looking forward to working with talented youngsters on a sustained and regular basis," he said.

Speaking at the launch, Anupama Jain, director, Conscient Football, said, "With FCBEscola, we will be able to create a pathway for young footballers to continue their development under the world's most successful training methodology. We believe that this will contribute towards the development of better players and citizens while helping India become a stronger footballing nation."