“We want Villarreal to be everybody’s second team,” says De Salas, speaking of international communities, now focusing heavily on the United States with 14 stateside academies. “We love to come here in the U.S. and equally help and learn from what they need and how we can be of assistance.” From Chicago to Las Vegas, and Virginia to Nebraska, the academies in the U.S. host hundreds of boys and girls, aiming to develop and nurture young players with the fundamental ethics of a Villarreal system. Coupled with the social strategy, this is the point of Villarreal that separates them from other clubs — especially those that are similar in size.
“Our academy in Nebraska works wonderfully, and the community engagement is fantastic,” De Salas says. “The director is Argentinian, who was in love with Juan Román Riquelme, and when he chose Villarreal, we created a great relationship and now it’s a great success.” That academy now hosts 400 kids, all extremely aware of Villarreal’s history in Castellón.
The COVID-19 pandemic also made the club’s relationship with these academies stronger via social and digital connections. Whilst these clubs had to shut down during the worst of it and were unable to generate fees, the club didn’t require any of these academies to pay licensing fees or stay open. In fact, Villarreal sent coaching videos and nutritional guides for every academy member in order to facilitate the continued training. Back in Villarreal, during that time, the club’s catering team fed the hospitals, medical and health responders.
Across the board, Villarreal’s philosophy — from their academy to digital presence — is deeply rooted in community. They may be small, but they’re mighty. They may be humble, but they’re strong and resilient. This is a yellow submarine forever searching for new waters, aiming to spread the good news of their culture.
“We don’t ever want to say we’re a better club than this or the other,” De Salas says. “We just want you to think of Villarreal with warmth. So we apply this to our community. We are also in the industry of entertainment, but with this, we also aim as a club to be something positive. On and off the pitch.”
