Soccer fans in Miami were abuzz with excitement over the highly anticipated El Clásico tournament this summer, but Miami Dade College gave the community even more of a reason to celebrate, thanks to a new partnership with FC Barcelona Foundation, the service arm of the globally popular fútbol club in Spain.
Miami will become the second city in the United States to implement FutbolNet, a six-month youth sports program that uses soccer for empowerment and education.
MDC president Eduardo J. Padrón and FC Barcelona first vice president Jordi Cardoner, who also serves as president of the FC Barcelona Foundation, came together to sign the official agreement during a press conference held at MDC’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami.
“Nowadays, when you speak about sport you speak about culture,” Cardoner said at the event. “Sport is a vehicle for development, especially among the young.”
FutbolNet will be offered at MDC’s North and Kendall campuses beginning next year, providing support to local high school students ages 14-18 by using soccer as a teaching methodology to improve school performance.
Through this initiative, MDC continues its commitment to offering young people in the community the opportunity to be recognized and connect to the values that make great leaders and citizens.
For questions about this program, contact Isabel Artime, director of Conference and Events Services for Miami-Dade College at 305-237-3960.