WESA u19 girls training in Spain

“It was great to see a level that is beyond any level they have ever seen, and will ever see”

By Than Acuff

For the fourth summer in a row, high school aged soccer players from Crested Butte, and a couple from other mountain towns, headed to Spain to train for two weeks with the FUTEDU based out of Valencia, Spain through a program set up by the West Elk Soccer Association (WESA). It all started with the boys’ team in 2022 and every summer since the boys and girls alternate trips getting a glimpse into the bigger world of soccer.

“Camps in other countries are likely fantastic, but FUTEDU cares about WESA,” says WESA director of player and coach development Tom Lewis. “Having coaches from Spain, who have coached in professional academies, is a great opportunity for our players to see a different side of the game, one we feel fits our philosophy. Having them in Crested Butte in our July camps and then coming to Spain in high school is an incredible opportunity and one that many kids in the U.S. don’t have. We are proud to be able to provide it, and ecstatic to be working with FUTEDU.”

Eighteen high school aged girls, 15 from Crested Butte, two from Missoula and one from Steamboat, as well as Lewis and WESA coaches Matt Wilson and Annalise Smith headed to Spain on June 9. When the trips to Spain started, it was two weeks straight in Valencia. Since then, WESA has worked with FUTEDU to make some changes over the years adding in training with other clubs as well.

“It’s year two for the girls and year four for the trip and it’s one of those where we have learned year after year how to adapt and change the itinerary to suit us better,” says Lewis.

As a result, the girls started their trip in Madrid with training at the Atletico Madrid Academy training facility with their staff of professional coaches and a game against one of their academy teams that was cut short due to thunderstorms.

“It was great to see a level that is beyond any level they have ever seen, and will ever see,” says Lewis. “This was truly the highest level of girls’ soccer I had seen myself. There were no bad touches from Atletico, there was constant movement, and it really allowed our girls to see a level that we can teach but is hard to replicate when we don’t get to play against it.”

The girls and coaches then headed to Valencia and while the trip does have a primary focus on training with two training sessions per day, there’s plenty of room for some fun in the sun as well.

“We have had three days of training so far, with three more days coming up and a game against a local team on Thursday,” says Lewis. “Mixed into that there’s been some beach time, a day at the waterpark, go-karting and bubble soccer.”

The training is top shelf with FUTEDU coaches Jose and Pere, both of whom will coach again at the camps in Crested Butte in July, as well as Ruben Baraja. Ruben has played for Spain 43 times, played in a World Cup, played 463 league games, with 300+ of those in LaLiga for Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Valladolid. As recently as December 2024 he was the head coach of Valencia in LaLiga.

The girls and two WESA coaches then fly home on Friday, June 20 and after a brief respite, FUTEDU coaches Jose and Pere then come to Crested Butte to run some youth summer camps July 7-25 for u14 aged boys and girls as well as u19 boys and girls. Ruben will be here as well on vacation.

“He’s bringing his teenage daughter who plays for the U15 Spanish Regional Team, and Valencia CF, and son who plays for the U12 Spanish Regional Team, and Valencia CF, and they will both be on the FUTEDU Spanish Camp the week of July 21-25,” says Lewis. “Our plan is to run a coaches education session, and a meet and greet with him while he is here. I watched Ruben play in the Champions League Semifinal in 2001 Valencia vs. Leeds United. This is something the whole of Colorado would be blown away by, and they will be with us in Crested Butte. It’s an incredible opportunity!”

Information and registration for the FUTEDU camps in Crested Butte can be found at westelksoccer.org.