Real Madrid soccer clinic intriguing idea for Houston

Mention the name Real Madrid, and visions of Ronaldo, David Beckham, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane come to mind.

Despite not winning any titles this year, the Spanish giant is the most decorated club team in history, based on the amount of league and European titles it has won.

A proposed match against MLS All-Stars this summer may have been scratched, but Real Madrid may be coming to Houston in a different form. Club executives visited Houston this past Wednesday to survey the landscape for a potential youth soccer academy in Sugar Land.

Real Madrid has support in Sugar Land, and the idea was initiated by Sugar Land residents Jaime Ibanez and Beto Gallegos of I&G Sports Management and Consulting.

International business director Gonzalo Vila, U.S. market manager Ivan Bravo and Real Madrid director of international academies for youth Javier Azcargorta left impressed with Houston as a soccer market.

Azarcargorta is best remembered as the head coach of the Bolivian national team during the 1994 World Cup and is in charge of setting up programs that teach soccer the Real Madrid way. The club has one academy up and running in Mexico City that has 945 players from ages 7 to 18. The waiting list for that academy is some 400 players.

Other potential sites include Japan and Saudi Arabia.

"Our target is not to form elite players for Real Madrid. We want to build character in youth for life," said Azcargorta. "For us, the important thing is to prepare young people for life."

"We also want to help the level of soccer in this country. After that, we might find a player for Real Madrid."

Real Madrid envisions a complex with 10 lighted fields and a gym, and it would have a mix of both Spanish and American coaches whose style would be guided by Azarcargorta.

Youth academies have been a growing trend for top professional clubs to aid in establishing brand identity. Famed Dutch club Ajax, which is considered a trendsetter in youth development, opened one in Orlando, Fla.

Real Madrid also has helped to sponsor a large youth tournament in Uruguay and has discussed plans to create a similar event in the United States.

A Real Madrid youth academy would provide competition to many of the youth programs in the Houston area if done correctly. The name carries huge clout in world soccer, but it will take more than a name to be successful in the Houston market. Many successful youth clubs in the area have been producing college and pro players for years. The Houston area currently has nine players performing in Major League Soccer.

Then again, an injection of soccer Real Madrid-style plus fresh ideas in player development might be extremely positive for youth soccer in Houston.