Neil Stacey. Heritage and tradition have always been hugely important to Athletic Club. In a football world that is increasingly ruled by globalisation, extortionate transfer fees and money, Athletic’s story is one of innovation with an almost complete reliance on their cantera youth academy and players they bring through their own system.
Athletic have a policy where only players native to the Basque Country are eligible to play for them. This means that every player who pulls on the famous red and white shirt is drawn from the communities of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain and the Northern Basque Country in France. This Basques-only policy is not written anywhere in the club’s bylaws, so it is not an official rule. If a presidential candidate wanted to abolish the policy to try to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, he could. But, as one of only three clubs never relegated from La Liga (the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona), Athletic’s model seems to be working just fine.
In Athletic’s proud, 118-year history, no presidential candidate has run a campaign promising a break from this policy, and neither is there a loud dissident voice from the locals. They are largely united in keeping the tradition and preserving the Basque identity. Local Basque neighbours Real Sociedad had a similar policy until 1989, when they abandoned it by signing Ireland international John Aldridge from Liverpool to try to increase their competitiveness.
The saying that defines Athletic’s philosophy – “con cantera y afición, no hace falta importación” – translates as “with homegrown talent and local support, you don’t need for imports.” Cynics will argue that Athletic are held back by their identity, but their specific selection process means they can focus their time and money on local scouting and bringing players through the ranks as opposed to organising and running a global network.
It all starts with Athletic’s feeder club CD Basconia, who play in the Tercera División (the fourth tier in Spain), with the next step on the ladder being their B team, who play in the Segunda División B, a four-league system for 80 teams that sits below the first and second tiers. Of the current Athletic squad, only five players haven’t featured for their B team before representing the senior side. The latest graduate from these ranks now gracing the San Mamés Stadium is Iñaki Williams, who broke into the first team last season.
When Williams, who was born to a Ghanaian father and a Liberian mother in the Basque country (and is therefore eligible to play for the club), scored against Torino in 2014, he became the first black goalscorer in the club’s history. With him in the side, Athletic beat Barcelona at the beginning of this season to win the Spanish Super Cup and secure their first major trophy since 1984, proving that there is substance in their philosophy.
There are only a few other clubs in the world with similar policies. Chivas de Guadalajara, whose academy has produced Carlos Vela and Javier Hernández, only field Mexican players. Yet, they are similar to Athletic in the sense that they are are one of the most successful teams in the country.
This approach to prioritising local talent is as old as the game itself. Just look at the establishment of Internazionale, who were founded to field foreign players unlike their cousins at Milan. These policies are rare today, but traditionalist football fans can be happy to know that, despite changing times, the idea can be sustainable and even successful.
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