The Barça Genuine Foundation team, made up of functionally diverse players, will make their first appearance in LaLiga Genuine Santander this weekend in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The team will participate in the first phase of the competition which is in its fourth year with the training complex of UD Las Palmas. 42 teams from all over Spain will participate and they will be divided into three groups named ‘Respect’, ‘Teamwork’ and ‘Sporting’.

The Barca Foundation squad are in the ‘Teamwork’ group along with 17 other teams. Three of them, Fundación Albacete, UD Las Palmas and Eibar Fundazioa, will be their opponents during this first weekend of competition. Their debut will be Saturday at 10:30 a.m. against Fundación Albacete. On the same day at 7:30 p.m. they will face hosts UD Las Palmas and on Sunday at 11 a.m. they will play their last game against Eibar Fundazioa.

The second phase of the competition will take place on May 13, 14 and 15 at La Rosaleda in Malaga, then on June 3, 4 and 5 at the Athletic Club de Bilbao training complex in Lezama.

competition system

LaLiga Genuine Santander is an 8-a-side competition with matches played over 4 quarters of 10 minutes each. Points are awarded at the end of each quarter: the winning side gets one point – each match won at the end is worth three points, two in the event of a tie and one in the event of a loss. The team can be mixed and players must be over the age of 16 and have a functional diversity of at least 33%. There is no limit to the number of foreign players.

Each of the three groups will have a sporting winner, based on the points accumulated during the three phases of the competition, as well as a fair play champion. The latter will be based on the points accumulated for the positive attitude and sporting behavior shown among players, coaches and supporters.

Statement by Sergi Mascarell, Genuine Foundation coach

“We are going to Las Palmas wanting to show through the group the values ​​of the Club. The team has worked with enthusiasm and we, the technical staff, have put a lot of energy and asked a lot. We know the club we represent. Also, we’re really happy to see how the players have improved since day one. It’s motivating to have a group like this and we appreciate the experience a lot.”

Statement by Marta Segú, General Manager of the FC Barcelona Foundation

“LaLiga Genuine is more than a competition. You compete to score more goals than your opponent, yes – but the sportiest also win, the most respectful of their rivals and the most modest and positive. We are very happy to be part of this socially inclusive initiative that promotes sharing before competition.”