Football trips to Spain can be tailored to suit the goals and expectations of each team. Training sessions with professional clubs, friendly matches, tournaments, sporting activities, stadium tours, sightseeing and much more can all be part of the same experience.
At Football Forward Tours, we organise football tours for international teams and academies looking to discover Spanish football first-hand and make the most of their stay.
Each experience can combine different activities depending on the dates, the team’s goals and preferences, and the time available. From training with professional clubs to playing against local teams or competing in some of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments, visiting cities such as Barcelona and Girona, enjoying activities beyond football or attending LaLiga and UEFA Champions League matches.
But what can a team actually experience on a football trip to Spain?
Training During Football Tours
Training with Professional Clubs During Football Trips
One of the experiences that can be included in a football trips in Spain is taking part in clinics and training sessions with professional LaLiga clubs.
The aim is not simply to attend a training session, but to give players the opportunity to explore different facilities and discover training methodologies associated with professional football.
Depending on each academy’s preferences, tours can include several professional clinics throughout the stay with clubs such as FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, Girona FC, FC Andorra and UE Cornellà.
For players, training in these environments is an opportunity to discover new ways of working and enjoy an experience that differs from their regular training sessions. It is also a valuable learning experience for coaches, who can observe how some of the country’s leading clubs approach their training sessions.
Team Training Sessions During Football Trips
These experiences usually include several training sessions led by Football Forward’s professional coaches, allowing teams to maintain their sporting routine throughout the trip.
Training sessions can take place in different settings, including artificial turf pitches, beach training sessions and other sporting activities.
This allows each day of a football tour to combine regular team training with professional clinics, matches and other activities.
Matches and Tournaments
Friendly Matches
Friendly matches are an especially interesting option for teams looking to discover Spanish football, face new opponents and put into practice what they have learned during training sessions and professional clinics.
At Football Forward Tours, friendly matches complement the overall experience for academies that want to maintain the competitive element of football without taking part in a formal competition. All matches are friendly fixtures, designed to help players maintain their competitive rhythm while giving the team an opportunity to put into practice everything they have learned during their football tour in Spain.
Taking Part in Professional Tournaments
Competition is an essential part of many football trips. Depending on the team’s goals, it can even become the main reason for travelling, with the programme built around participation in some of the major international youth football tournaments held in Spain.
Throughout the year, different competitions bring together academies and clubs from numerous countries. Some of the world’s leading youth academies also take part, giving players the opportunity to face teams with different playing styles and levels in a genuine international setting.
Some of the most prominent tournaments include the MIC Football, Donosti Cup, TAR Tournament and MADCUP. These competitions have become major events on the international youth football calendar, and some of today’s biggest football stars have taken part in them during their early careers.
In these cases, the trip is organised around the tournament schedule, combining competitive matches with preparation sessions, activities and recovery time so that the team can make the most of its stay in Spain without missing out on the recreational and cultural side of the experience.
Whether the goal is to play several friendly matches or compete in one of Spain’s major youth football tournaments, these tours offer teams the opportunity to experience Spanish football from the inside.
Activities to Complete the Experience
Depending on the time of year, football trips can also include sporting activities beyond conventional training sessions and matches. The aim is to give players the chance to enjoy time with their teammates and experience football from a different perspective in a more relaxed environment.
- Footgolf. An activity that combines elements of football and golf, allowing players to enjoy a different group experience.
- Padbol. A team sport that combines padel-style scoring and dynamics with football techniques, including kicking the ball and using different parts of the body.
- Gol a Gol. Indoor sports facilities featuring four pitches where teams can enjoy customised training sessions and experience football from a different perspective.
Stadium Tours
Football trips in Spain can also include visits to some of the country’s most important professional football stadiums. Entering a stadium, exploring its facilities or visiting a club museum allows players, coaches and families to discover another side of Spanish football.
The most popular stadium tours during our football trips are usually those of FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol and Girona FC. The FC Barcelona Museum is also in high demand among teams and academies, which is why a visit to the club’s official museum is included in most trips.
Live Matches
Whenever the fixture calendar allows, players and their families may have the opportunity to attend a live match in Spain’s first or second division, or even a UEFA Champions League game.
For players travelling from abroad, as well as their families, attending a LaLiga or Champions League match can be an unforgettable experience. It is not just about watching the game, but also about experiencing the atmosphere inside a Spanish stadium.
Discover New Cultures and Cities: Barcelona, Girona and the Costa Brava
Although football is the main focus of the trip, Football Forward Tours also gives teams the opportunity to discover the destination and explore some of the area’s most iconic places. During their stay, teams and their families can make the most of their free time to visit cities and tourist attractions, combining sporting activities with cultural experiences.
A multi-day programme may include visits to Barcelona and Girona, exploring some of their most emblematic landmarks, such as Plaça Catalunya, Las Ramblas, La Boqueria Market, Plaça Sant Jaume and Passeig de Gràcia.
This allows players to discover the destination while spending quality time together as a team.
In addition, the location of some hotels on the Costa Brava makes it possible to include outdoor activities and gives players and families plenty of opportunities to unwind. They can visit different beaches or enjoy the famous coastal Camins de Ronda walking trails, changing the pace of the trip and experiencing the natural surroundings in a different way.
Organise Your Football Tour to Spain
These experiences bring together many different ways of enjoying football in a single trip: training like professionals, competing against local teams, visiting stadiums, discovering new cities and enjoying activities with teammates.
At Football Forward Tours, we organise football tours designed to create complete, personalised experiences for international teams and academies.
If you are thinking about organising a football tour for your team, we can help you design a programme tailored to your dates, age group and objectives.
