The La Masia taxis: Following the route of dreams
80 per cent of Barcelona's young players have to come to training by taxi
The drivers end up performing roles similar to parents and are often aware of problems the boys are having
Ferran Baque Amat is 12 years old and plays for Alevin B at FC Barcelona. Neither the boy or his parents thought about turning the club down... even though they live in Puigcerda.
Neither did his team-mates, Joel Roca coming from Camprodon (Ripolles) and Roger Coll who lives in Falset (Priorat) and played in Reus.
Baque, there and back, does 300 kilometrers three days a week. Roca 240 and Coll 270, more or less.
A taxi driver, each one on their route, comes at 4 in the afternoon to pick them up from school and also other boys from other towns and cities on the same route, leaves them around 6.30 at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi.
They are just three examples of the 169 in Barcleona's youth football system. The number is incredible because 80 per cent of the players, from Cadete A to Prebenjamin, need the taxi servace to take them from Monday to Friday, with games on weekends the responsibility of their respective families.
A VITAL SERVICE
It is something that has been running for many years. Xavi Hernandez was one of the first to use it when he was signed from Terrassa. The club have ended up creating a huge network to pick up their 'kids', taking into account absences and departures and signings it is constantly in need of changing and rearranging.
There are 13 current taxi routes that cover four Catalonian provinces. 27 cars and a workforce of 44 conductors, who have a big mission and a big responsibility.
Barcelona count them as part of the Masia 360 programme, because they know that the taxi drivers play a big part in the formation and decuation of the children. In fact, there are kids who spend more time with the taxi driver than with their own parents.
"During many hours of the day, the taxi drivers are responsible for them. And because of that we have to work with them, listen to them, they are vital," said Jordi ROura, director of youth football at Barcelona.
In one of the meetings with the drivers a conductor alerted the club that some of the boys usually just ate a sandwich on returning home.
The club then arranged for the kids who live a certain distance away to be given a tupperware with hot food cooked each day at La Masia. Pasta, rice, chicken, fish, fruits, drinks, etc.
"We are like parents a lot of the time and we notice things that later we can share with the tutors of the boys," said Toni Jurado, who has been working 13 years, operating the route through Sabadell with a mini-bus that has 13 seats.
Eloisa Robledo, the only woman in the drivers 'club' has been working for 20 years on one of the three routes in Barcelona that starts at Montcada. "We know how they are doing in school, how they are playing, if anything is worrying them on a family level. We are more than simple taxi drivers for them and we play a role in helping their formation."
Jordi Albe does one of the longest routes, from Priorat, and has spent two years at the club. "The grand majority of them arrive home exhausted and ready to sleep, because they often do their homework during the journey and later eat."
When they have to study, mobiles are banned in the car. They have the obligation too, of keeping it clean and being respectful.
Victor Munarriz is a La Masia taxi driver. He is in charge of taking the boys to the doctor, or the airport and he is also responsable for the basketball players staying there. At seven in the morning he goes from Sant Andreu to Barca, picking up Bilal Achhibal and takes him to La Masia, getting the other boys and taking them to Leon XIII school, where they study.
They all dream of playing at Camp Nou one day. It is a long road. But a road they have company on, and good guides.
