We are excited to announce a strategic partnership with RCD Espanyol de Barcelona. In September 2025, members from both DBS International Soccer Academy and DB Sports Tours forged a landmark partnership for Irish Soccer Teams and Players with La Liga club RCD Espanyol.
The deal brings Espanyol’s training methodology and coaches to Ireland, while allowing access to DBSISA players and teams / clubs in Ireland to academy training facilities at Espanyol’s training ground in Barcelona. Espanyol coaches will also conduct youth camps and educational programs in Ireland, strengthening the grassroots developmental front. The first camp is happening this October in the mid-term break (2025).
Espanyol already has 15 international academies with over 3,000 players worldwide.
According to Albert Saus, the Head of Football Programs at Espanyol, the project allows the club to expand into Ireland and provides direct exposure to top-notch Spanish training to the DBS International Soccer Academy athletes, as well as teams from Ireland that travel to Barcelona with DB Sports Tours.
“I am so happy to further open doors for young Irish aspiring footballers and coaches alike who want to try take their career to the next level”
DBS Director David Berber
In this way, the partnership merges Espanyol’s tried and true youth development system with the deep passion for the grassroots game in Ireland, gradually building the bridge between two football cultures.
A New Elite Youth Football Partnership
We have had an amazing working and personal relationship with the club for many years , with DBSports Tours bringing tour groups several times a year – including our annual Coach Education trip each January. Their facilities and attitude to player development drew us to persue the possibility of progressing our relationship further with one of the biggest clubs in Europe for producing talent.
There are also plans to hold coach exchange programmes, giving coaches from Ireland, and USA hands-on experience with Espanyol’s methods in Spain. This is a project that ”opens RCD Espanyol to the Irish market” as well as enhancing their international footprint.
Football Camps In Ireland: RCD Espanyol will assist in running Espanyol-styled training camps in Ireland under their official methodology.
Coach Education & Training In Barcelona: Under Espanyol coaches, training will be offered to DBSISA youth teams and teams that travel to Barcelona with DB Sports Tours all at the training grounds of RCD Espanyol at the Ciutat Esportiva academy in Barcelona.
Spanish Coaches in Ireland: Espanyol’s coaches will work with DBSISA programs in Dublin to share drills and techniques in a hands-on manner.
Coach Exchange: Irish coaches will observe and coach within the academy system at Espanyol, fostering cross-cultural learning.
This partnership provides a huge boost to Irish youth football, providing local players and coaches with unique opportunities to train in an elite LaLiga training environment, in keeping with wider trends of youth development across Europe. RCD Espanyol coaches offer training at the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque (Barcelona), home to the renowned “LA21” Youth Development System of the club.
Espanyol La21 Youth Methodology
Central to the agreement will be Espanyol’s acclaimed LA21 Method, a pioneering youth-training system that prioritises cognitive development before pure technique.
Named after the number of club legend Dani Jarque, La21 is a cognitive-first approach; here, players start perceptual training at 7-8 years old, learning to read and understand the game instead of repeating technical drills.
The focus is on creating ”smart players, capable of making good decisions under pressure” with the use of small-sided games (1v1, 2v2, etc.) to develop their game intelligence.
La21 methodology also instills values of character. The teaching program is released with six central values, and assessments of these values are done on a weekly basis in every age group:
- Respeto (Respect) – being respectful to one’s opponents and teammates as well as officials.
- Compromiso (Commitment) – committed to the betterment of themselves as well as their team.
- Humildad (Humility) – grounded, not boastful when successful.
- Pertenencia (Belonging) – a strong club identity and community.
- Resiliencia (Resilience) – mental toughness to overcome setbacks.
- Solidaridad (Solidarity) – teamwork and supporting each other.
Espanyol’s youth development is a path of structured progression from ages seven to twenty-two. From age level to age level, every stage lays the foundation for the subsequent stage, for example:
Ages 7-10 (Early Foundation): Simple perceptual drills and small-sided games to teach basic skills and game sense.
Ages 11-14 (Intermediate Development): Tactical concepts and decision-making are layered on top; physical training begins in an age-appropriate manner.
Ages 15-18 (Advanced Preparation): Players participate in full-team tactics and compete at the highest youth levels (Espanyol’s Juvenil División de Honor) against teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid. This links perfectly with the DBS International Soccer Academy full-time programme and Gap Year in Ireland for International Players.
Ages 19-22 (Professional Transition): The Espanyol B team (Segunda División B) provides young men with real league experience, leading to the first team.
An important feature is the balance of La21 between football and education. All academy players attend partnered schools — which is similar to the DBS programme as players have the opportunity to attend the likes of Ashfield College or Pearse College during their time in Ireland — and academic progress is monitored weekly to avoid falling behind. This holistic approach is, perhaps, one of the most far-reaching in Europe and reflects Espanyol’s and DBS International Soccer Academy worldwide success.
Justifiably so, Espanyol’s reputation precedes it. The club currently has fifteen international academies spread across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, hosting in excess of 3,000 youth players from every corner of the world.
Remarkably, over 54% of the present Espanyol first team squad are exports from La21 Academy.
Spanish Youth Development Trends
In this partnership, there is also a more wide-reaching trend: LaLiga clubs increasingly bet on their youth academies. Spain’s new national academy scheme grew by 30% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
And the dividends tell it all in LaLiga’s 2023-24 season, 19.4% of all minutes played were by academy graduates. In comparison to other top leagues, this is significantly more enhanced. Most top leagues see anywhere from 8 to 15% in these figures.
This proves that LaLiga is ahead of the pack in Europe in giving young players a chance. So, Spanish football is adding more and more to its “homegrown”.
For Irish football, that change is our children and coaches uniting with the national mainstream. The DB Sports-Espanyol partnership brings the whole of Ireland into what LaLiga is doing with youth.
Join the Movement – Next Steps for Players and Coaches
This new partnership offers a great chance for clubs, players, and coaches in Ireland. If you are a team in Ireland interested in a training experience or camp abroad, the RCD Espanyol experience is not to be overlooked with DB Sports Tours. Contact our team today to find out more information and details.
If you are a parent, get your child in one of the DBSISA programmes – it could potentially allow them to train on a trip to Barcelona. And if you are a coach, DB Sports and Espanyol will be holding coaching clinics and exchanges in the coming months, where you will be able to learn more about the methodology yourself.
If you want to keep yourself posted and sign up for future tours, camps, or training sessions under the new partnership with RCD Espanyol, then contact DBS International Soccer Academy today! Make the most of this opportunity for a better game by world-class training; enrol and be part of an elite development network.
