The UAB expands its collaboration with the FC Barcelona

On 13 February, UAB Rector Margarita Arboix signed an agreement with Director of the Amateur Academy Football at Futbol Club Barcelona Xavier Vilajoana in which academic support will be given to club athletes studying at the UAB through the Tutoresport programme. A maximum of 15 students will be able to participate in this programme each year; they will be assigned a tutor to assess and aid them in their academic and sports activities, as well as have free access to the campus' sports facilities. The agreement was signed at La Masia of the FC Barcelona and included the attendance of Josep Ros, Vice Rector for Academic Programming and Quality; Carlos Sánchez, Vice Rector for Institutional Relations and Culture; and Xavier Martín, Director of La Masia at the FC Barcelona.

Each students will be assigned a tutor in charge of assessing them about the academic itinerary most suitable to their personal circumstances; their tutor will also bring them up to date on course work and projects needed to be completed throughout the year and will help them resolve any situations arising from their football training, such as fit exam dates or academic work placements into their sports calendar.

According to the agreement, before the beginning of the academic year, the club will inform the UAB about the number of athletes in senior categories enrolled at university who fulfil the following criteria: competing and training at the club in first or second senior division (or the highest junior category), participating in international competitions and tournaments, member of the national team, dedicating an average of twenty hours per week to their sport and being considered future high-level athletes by their sports federations.

The FC Barcelona agrees to foster that its athletes enrol in the UAB and facilitate their participation in competitions such as the Catalonia Universities Championships, Spanish Universities Championships and the Universiade in representation of the UAB. The UAB, in addition, will validate the corresponding bachelor's degree credits established for athletes participating in competitions and sports events in representation of the university.

Lastly, the student will be in charge of updating their personal data in the Tutoresport programme, inform their tutor about their sports results, follow the programme laid out for them and yearly renew their participation in the programme.

A "Social Commitment"

At the signing of the agreement UAB Rector Margarita Arboix stated that: "The UAB is honoured to have signed an agreement with FC Barcelona. First of all for the prestige of being able to collaborate with the FC Barcelona, but also because of our social commitments. Education is an investment and therefore, by helping all athletes be able to receive a university education, we are contributing to society because our purpose is to shape citizens. And I think it is a good possibility to help these young people receive quality university training".

Xavier Vilajoana, Director of the Amateur Academy Football at Futbol Club Barcelona, declared that: "We continue to bet strongly on the training of our young athletes. It is a passion we have and, more than the agreements signed with such important actors such as the UAB, who continue to be leaders in training, we want to grow in this sense and become stronger in the eyes of our athletes. Athletes with academic training will always be better athletes".

Over Six Hundred Student Athletes

Tutoresport began in the 1996/97 academic year and was the first of its kind in all of Europe. Since then it has grown to include over six hundred athletes. Participants can belong to the programmes ADO and ADOP (support to the Olympic and Paraolympic athlete), DAN (high-level athlete), ARE (Spanish high performance), ANC (Catalan high level) and ARC (Catalan high performance).