Real Betis and Fundación Balompié launching first Academy in Southern Africa
Zimbabwe is the location of the newest Betis Academy to follow installations in China, Morocco, United States and Mexico. Real Betis and its Foundation (Fundación Balompié) have reached an agreement with the Athletes Sphere Management (ASM) agency to implement a series of sports projects in the South African country within the strategic plan of the Club to extend its brand and methodology throughout the world, educate from football and transmit the values of the institution.
As an initial part of this project, Real Betis and Fundación Balompié will from next October, together with ASM, set up its first Betis Academy in Zimbabwe in capital Harare. The aim is to develop a football base in the area by implementing the methodology of the Club within the limits related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Real Betis and Fundación Balompié have already been working with the youngest ones in the city of Seville with its Football School for several years. In recent years, they have developed international expansion work with the setting up of different campuses all over the world: Reno, Fresno, Lemoore (United States); Mexico City, Toluca, Monterrey, Guadalajara (Mexico); Fez (Morocco) and Wenzhou (China).
“Real Betis is one of the clubs with the greatest historical weight in Spain and, without doubt, one of the most loved, not only because of its historical character, but also because of its idiosyncrasy and values, its unwavering faith, its ability to overcome, to rise up in the worst of times, and the joy of its people,” says Ramón Alarcón, General Business Director of the club.
“And those values are precisely the ones we try to transfer in all our international sports projects. To educate from football, to transmit the values Betis stands for and the Beticism brand through a methodology in place for our youth teams.”
Rafael Muela, manager of the Fundación Balompié, speaks about the importance of promoting this type of project from a sporting point of view, but also socially, especially in these days we live in currently: “In this exceptional situation, agreements like this one make us especially excited and fill us with optimism, as they show us that both the Real Betis Balompié Foundation and our partners around the world are working so that the youngest can enjoy football.”
Gerald Sibanda, president and CEO of Athletes Sphere Management (ASM), delights in the value of this project. “I am really pleased with this agreement which will bring world-class opportunities to Zimbabwe. ASM is looking forward to helping Real Betis Balompié and its brand grow in the region through the various projects that will be born from this agreement. I am grateful and will be honoured to lead the Betis Academy project in Zimbabwe. My blood is now green and white,” he said.
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