U15s Barcelona Tour: A Resounding Success!

As you've likely seen from our social media channels, the U15s Barcelona Tour was an undeniable success! It provided our lads a truly unique and unforgettable experience, amplified by an incredible team spirit and camaraderie that only team sports can foster. The availability of such experiences in the future should serve as a huge incentive for everyone to get involved with Stamford Bridge FC – from the children and teenagers on the pitch to the adults and committee volunteers who support them.

The core of this U15s team has been together since the U6 level, and we owe a massive thank you to one of our ever-present coaches, Mike Willis, for conceiving the idea of this tour and for his expert organisation and logistics that made it such a pleasure. Our gratitude also goes to Sarah Willis for her support in the organisation, and to Paul Horsley for coaching and motivating the boys to compete with such pride and commitment.

We also extend our thanks to our generous tour sponsors, Foss Interiors and Wolds Edge Holiday Cottages, and of course, to the lads themselves for their efforts, fantastic performances, and (mostly!) impeccable behaviour.

The Tour Unfolds

Our trip began bright and early at 5:15 AM at the Old Station, where a coach took us to Manchester Airport for our 10:40 AM flight to Barcelona. We arrived at our hotel in Lloret de Mar late that afternoon, ready for the exciting events programme to kick off on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday saw us transfer to Calella for a self-led training session by the beach at AFC Calella’s training facility.  After a free afternoon back in Lloret, we returned to Calella for a match against their U15 team on their home turf. Facing a very skilful side on a hot afternoon, our boys displayed immense determination and spirit. We conceded early but had a great chance to equalise, with a chip shot over the bar. However, we soon won a penalty, which Toby confidently converted to level the score at 1-1. Unfortunately, we conceded twice more towards the end of the half, leaving us 3-1 down at the break – although a working offside flag might have told a different story! A gritty and determined second half saw no further goals, with the final score AFC Calella 3, SBFC 1. Calella graciously hosted dinner at their bar area after the game, as well as joining the team pictures.   All the competitive battles, tackles, and aggression professionally and courteously left behind on the field 😊

Unforgettable Experiences

Wednesday brought a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. We transferred to Barcelona for a training session with the RFC Espanyol coaches at their impressive Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque. It was an incredible opportunity to train with professional coaches at such a prestigious facility. From there, we headed to La Roca del Vallès to take on CF La Roca. Despite the very hot and sunny conditions, and fresh off an intense training session at Espanyol, our boys delivered a tremendous performance, with goals from Coby and Ewan securing a fantastic 2-0 victory for SBFC!

Our final day was dedicated to exploring more of Barcelona. We enjoyed a fascinating tour of the Nou Camp Museum, followed by an afternoon exploring the city before transferring back to the airport for our flight home.

Inspire Future Adventures!

We hope this report inspires other coaches within Stamford Bridge FC to consider organising similar tours and events for their own teams. These experiences are invaluable for player development, team bonding, and creating unforgettable memories. If you're interested in exploring the possibilities, we highly recommend getting in touch with Halsbury Travel (www.halsbury.com) who arranged this Barcelona tour and itinerary.  Mike Willis would also be gladly on-hand to offer any advice, so please feel free to contact Mike via the SBFC Facebook page.