Just Blogging

Mario Octavianus asked:




La Masia is the heart of Barcelona youth system, which located next to the Camp Nou Stadium. It was established in 1979 and now used to develop the young players that have had to leave their families in order to train at Barcelona both in a sporting and intellectual sense.

Apparently they have a total of approximately 260 youth players learning their trade here - Ninety percent of them are Spanish and more than 50 percent Catalans. In fact the current Barca team have 12 first team players who have come from the academy.

There are several youngsters that had lived at La Masia have gone on to play for the first team, such as Josep “Pep” Guardiola (academy years 1984-90), Ivan De la Peña (1991-94), Carles Puyol (1994-98), Andres Iniesta (1996-2001), Víctor Valdes (1996-2000) and Lionel Messi (2000-04).

Pep was touted as La Masia’s greatest product. A charismatic player who played 43 caps for Spain and won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He led the club to six La Liga titles, one Champions Cup in 1992 and two Spanish Cups.

Puyol, a native Catalunyan, is the club current skipper and heading towards his 250th game for the club.

However not all the graduates of La Masia established themselves at Barcelona and some have moved to other clubs to advance their careers.

These have include de la Pena, Luis Garcia, Jose Manuel Reina, Mikel Arteta, Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas and Albert Luque.

Fabregas, also a native Catalunyan, was persuaded by Arsenal manager’s Arsene Wenger for a brighter and better-paid future at Arsenal, and so it has proved since he joined the Gunners as a 16-year-old boy in September 2003.

Piqué also has been snapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson to strengthen his team. He is a defender who not only good for his defensive skills but also gets forward and scores.

John Escribar asked:




USAFA Soccer Team is a part of the athletic team of the academy. Many schools and state colleges include the sport soccer as part of their athletic curriculum. This curriculum aims to provide students not only academic knowledge but as well as physical fitness.

The United Air Force Academy is one of the colleges which provide this curriculum. The academy is one of the colleges which are accredited to provide education for officers of the US Air Force. As part of its fitness program, all cadets are required to take part in the schools athletic program. Because of the nature of work of the cadets in the Air Force, physical and mental fitness is of great importance. A fitness test is also regularly conducted in which cadets must pass otherwise they will be required to undergo reconditioning until they are able to pass.

The physical education program requires that all the cadets of the academy must undergo a course in any sport activity such as swimming, boxing, basketball, tennis, golf and soccer. This program will help them in developing their confidence, sportsmanship as well as their physical endurance.

Soccer is one of the cadet’s favorite courses in the physical education program. A regular tournament is held as cadets from the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps compete with each other to find out who among them are the best in soccer. The USAFA soccer team was among the best teams. They were able to beat other cadet teams which have won them the gold during the 2008 Soccer Tournament.

John Escribar asked:




Do you want to be trained at the Players Development Academy or the PDA soccer? It is a great choice for you to make since the academy provides a unique opportunity for soccer players and enthusiasts from underprivileged places. Who says that the game was discovered just to be played by the elites? That is a myth. Money doesn’t control the game. It is the players’ passion to play and their agility to be part of a team.

PDA soccer encourages the youth who has the interest to play the game and be trained professionally. It welcomes individuals from the urban areas and those in the poor sector of the country underwriting all associated fees. They train a player at an early age and let them enter a challenging program that will expose and shape their talent to play competitive games that will reach national and international levels. The academy crosses the economic barrier and tries to coach exceptional youth soccer enthusiasts until they reach their optimum playing potential. The Player Development Academy puts forward the chance for underprivileged youth to partake in every clubs, organizations, and leagues. Top quality game instructions and best coaches are being invited to the academy to share their knowledge to the students. You do not have to feel bad if you live in the most suburbs of your town. If you were born with a heart to play the game, the academy awaits you. The academy will make a difference in your lives by granting you all game trainings and be given the chance to contend with advanced PDA Soccer Club teams.

Don’t miss the opportunity to play and gain recognition as successful athletes. Know your priorities and dreams. Strive harder for your goal. Your best competitor is your self. Play better than yourself, so you have to train hard and live your dreams.

Tim Bock asked:




For sport enthusiasts and occasional sport lovers out there, there are quite a few chain sporting good stores to choose from in order to get what one needs to engage in their favorite pastime. One such chain store is the Academy Sports and Outdoors store and there are many great reasons to shop at this particular store for all of one’s sporting needs.

One reason to visit Academy Sports and Outdoors in person or online is due to the large array of sporting good items which they sell. No matter what one may be interested in with regard to sports, Academy Sports and Outdoors is sure to carry items relating to that particular sport. From golf to basketball and everything in between, individuals looking for sporting goods and apparel are sure to find exactly what they want at Academy Sports and Outdoors.

Another reason to do all of one’s sport-related shopping at Academy Sports and Outdoors is for the great sales which go on almost on a continual basis. This store advertises sales for many different items throughout the year. No matter if one is looking for clothing, shoes or sporting equipment, they are sure to find a sale item relating to their desired topic.

Lastly, shopping at an Academy Sports and Outdoors store will provide many options for the sport lovers to consider when shopping with a particular sport in mind. This store offers many different brands of clothing, footwear and equipment within each category of sport. For example, one may find a number of basketball shoes available at Academy Sports and Outdoors such as Nike, Addidas and New Balance, to name a few.

If one is looking to purchase sporting goods items for themselves or to purchase as a gift for others, visiting an Academy Sports and Outdoors store either in person or online might just be the best way to go.