“It brings tears to your eyes when you see that he succeeded”

They are looking for young talents. It is called the American “draft” or American Youth Draft, an event during which coaches from several American academies select young Spaniards from among thirteen and seventeen years old who stand out in football or basketball. The event, which takes place this weekend, is the largest in Spain in this area. Participants will have to compete in matches of their respective sports so that these professionals, who will not take their eyes off them for a minute, evaluate their technique and sportsmanship. In addition, school grades also count in deciding, along with the level of English, what will allow them to make friends with the American students with whom they will have to live. So, they are looking not only for big sports stars, but also for young people who can fit in with the rest of American students.

In Madrid and in the United States, imitating the selections of competitions like the NBA, fifteen American academies will evaluate two hundred players. “As they know there are people watching them, there is an atmosphere of competition,” Javier García, spokesperson for Deaquiparafuera, the company organizing the event, told ABC. Innovation is new this year, with the presence of an institute, Spire Academy, which applies technologies used by NASA, the FBI and the American army.

So at the initial whistle, all eyes were on the pitch so as not to miss anything from the youngsters who gave everything with passes, dribbles and saves that could have been made by professional players. Each exhibition was applauded and appreciated by all the participants, among whom were the relatives of these players. “We are here to support Marta because football is the passion that excites her the most,” says Teresa, her mother, accompanied by her husband and the brother of this 15-year-old footballer and student at the Calasancio school.

They spent the morning commenting on the game, but also debating letting their daughter go this far, fearing that once she leaves, she won’t want to come back. “Honestly, I don’t want him to leave and miss years of his life, but we know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Of course, if she doesn’t get the scholarship, nothing will happen,” emphasize the parents of this teenager.

A success story

As these teens look to open the doors to their professional futures this weekend, others took the same steps, and successfully, years ago. “She went like a courageous woman,” assures Luis Miguel Pindado to this newspaper. His daughter Daniela, who has been passionate about football since the age of three, won a scholarship to study in the United States for distinguishing herself on the field at just 14 years old. From Madrid, she moved to Philadelphia, where she combined her high school education with participation in a women’s soccer league. Like her, American institutes have awarded scholarships to 4,000 Spanish students since 2001, including approximately 46% are from Madrid.

In the capital, Daniela was a goalkeeper for the Madrid football club, and during trials she attracted the attention of several coaches. “I think I stood out because I was the only girl there, because at that time women’s football was not that common, although more and more girls were starting to play,” she says. After walking away with one of those scholarships and thanks to his athletic performance, he earned a full scholarship to study toward a degree at the University at Buffalo.

“It brings tears to my eyes to see that he took advantage of his time, that he achieved his goal, which was to perfect his English, to get out of his comfort zone and live the experience,” says his father. That their stay was extended to more than a year was unexpected, but they welcomed it enthusiastically. Daniela still doesn’t know when she will return.

“We didn’t expect this to happen, we went there out of curiosity,” says Luis Miguel, who tried to lower his daughter’s expectations, for fear that she would have to refuse the scholarship. Although everyone who attends the tests is eligible for a test simply by participating, not everyone accepts them due to the expense of paying for what is not covered by the grant. “We had heard that it was a disbursement and we treated it with a lot of fear,” he admits. The average aid granted is approximately 30,000 euros per studentaccording to the organizers.

Without any hope that the tests would yield such a successful result, the Madrid goalkeeper assures that the feeling of achieving it was similar to that of a dream. “My mind wasn’t working well, I thought it wasn’t real,” he says. She can now proudly say that she has stopped balloons in destinations including North Carolina, Florida, Washington and California.

Father and daughter agree that the sentimental part is the most painful. “Every time he comes and leaves, there is a moment when he bursts into tears,” says Luis Miguel. He, who accompanied her to training and matches, notes with particular regret the absence of his daughter. He nevertheless recognizes his pride in listening to her play in more than fluent English or in accomplishing tasks alone which, from the moment she left, seemed more complicated than setting a goal: “Now she has more independence, now she is happy”.