News & Updates

U12 & U14 Football Development Tour to Madrid

On 28 June, at the start of the Summer holidays, 27 students travelled to Madrid in Spain for 12 days to take part in the first ever Harrow International School Hong Kong football development tour.

The players, invited from the U12 and U14 squads, were offered the unique opportunity to play football at the world-class facilities of Real Madrid for the duration of their stay. The teams were based at Cuidad Real Madrid, Alcobendas, Real Madrid’s state of the art training centre. This is the home to Real Madrid manager, Rafa Benitez’s superstars that include Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriquez, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos. The boys felt incredibly fortunate to share the same facilities with some of the best players in the world.

The football tour programme included five full days of training with academy coaches from Real Madrid, four matches against local club sides and a tour of both Real Madrid’s famous stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu and the home of their rivals, Atletico Madrid’s stadium, the Vicente Calderón Stadium.

During their stay, the students also had time to experience the atmosphere and culture of Madrid. They strolled through the local park in Alcobendas and visited some of the famous city sights. They also had time to relax by the pool, face fierce competition in a ten pin bowling competition and experience lots of action packed fun at the Parque de Atracciones.

The trip was a once in a lifetime experience for the students in which they developed technically as football players and enjoyed a unique European cultural experience.