If you are looking for an opportunity to show your level in front of LaLiga scouts, you have probably come across different options: football academies, camps, direct trials at clubs… but not all of them work the same way or open the same doors. Do you know how football tryouts in Spain work?
In this article we explain in detail how the Barcelona Football Tryout works, one of the most established scouting events in Spain. You will find a detailed guide of what happens during the 5 days of the event: how the arrival of players is organised, how training sessions are structured, what is evaluated in the matches and how the closing of the event unfolds.
17 editions of experience
The Barcelona Football Tryout has more than 17 editions held and players from all over the world. Football Forward has built a professional, structured process with concrete results. In edition 17, four players out of 65 participants left the event with a direct trial at clubs such as Girona FC, FC Andorra, SD Huesca and Albacete Balompié. In each edition, players are selected who will have the opportunity to take part in these direct trials at LaLiga clubs.
Behind every football tryout there is a team that coordinates professional coaches, official LaLiga scouts and logistics designed so that the player only has to worry about one thing: performing on the pitch. This model reflects how football tryouts in Spain work when they are organised by specialised entities connected to professional clubs.
Before arriving: all the information in advance
The Barcelona Football Tryout experience begins before setting foot on the pitch. In the days leading up to the event, each player receives the full schedule: the team they will play in, their squad number, the day-to-day calendar and timetable, and all the necessary recommendations on travel, accommodation, diet and equipment.
The organisation makes sure that every participant arrives informed and prepared.
Day 1: the welcome ceremony
From the moment the players land, the Football Forward staff is present. A bus picks up the participants at the airport and takes them directly to the hotel.
On the same evening of the first day, the welcome ceremony takes place — a key event for understanding how the Barcelona Football Tryout works. The coaches and scouts who will take part are introduced, the calendar is reviewed in detail and recommendations are shared on how to approach the coming days: nutrition, rest, competitive attitude and mindset.
Days 2 to 4: training sessions and matches
From the second day, the central part of the event begins, with a recurring structure that always combines a training session and a match. If there is training in the morning, there is a match in the afternoon, and vice versa. This alternation ensures that players arrive fresh to each block and that the evaluation is balanced at all times.
Depending on the dates of each edition and the availability of the stadium, players will be able to experience training or competing at the Estadio de Vilatenim in Figueres, a professional venue that raises the level of demand and reproduces the real conditions in which professional footballers have played.
Training sessions
Each team is assigned a professional coach. The sessions follow the Spanish football methodology: technical, demanding and oriented towards collective play. The exercises vary deliberately so that scouts can observe each player in different contexts: passing and control, rondos, high-intensity situations and 2v2 combinations at goal.
The Barcelona Football Tryout coordinator designs and adapts the training plan for each edition based on the number of players and their main positions, although every player must be able to adapt to other positions during the tryout days.
Matches
The duration of the matches is adapted according to the number of teams in the Barcelona Football Tryout. They last approximately between 40 and 50 minutes. This is where scouts pay attention to more than individual technical talent: communication within the team, vision of play, anticipation, the ability to adapt to different positions and how each player responds under competitive pressure.
At the Barcelona Football Tryout, technology is part of the experience. Thanks to the VEO Live system, all matches are recorded so that coaches and scouts can review every detail and assess the performance of players beyond what happens on the pitch, even once the tryout has ended.
In addition, players can use the Footbar GPS during a training session or match to find out real performance metrics, such as maximum speed, distance covered or the intensity of their actions. Tools that until very recently were only available to professional teams.
Individual interviews
Throughout the event, each participant has an individual interview with the technical staff. A direct conversation where coaches share their assessment of the level shown, highlight the strengths detected and guide the footballer on which aspects to work on to improve their performance. For many players, this moment is as valuable as the matches themselves: receiving honest feedback from a football professional is something difficult to obtain outside this environment.
Day 5: the final match and player selection
On the last day of the Barcelona Football Tryout, the players play the final match in the morning, and at midday, at the closing ceremony, the players selected by each club are announced. They receive a place to carry out an official week of training at a professional club, with the possibility of being signed if they manage to stand out during the tryout.
What happens after a football tryout in Spain?
All participants, regardless of whether they have been selected or not, receive a personalised report prepared by the technical staff. This report covers the strengths and specific areas for improvement identified during the football tryout, with the aim of giving each player a clear roadmap to continue progressing in their professional career.
Not being selected in one edition does not close any doors. Professional football is a long journey, and having competed for five days in front of LaLiga scouts, with tracking technology and individual assessment, is already an experience that makes a difference.
Do you want to know when the next edition is? Check the available dates and secure your place before they run out.
Do you have questions about the registration process or the requirements to participate? Contact the Football Forward team.
