Thirteen DaRock Elite Academy youngsters enjoyed a memorable Spain tour, sharpening their skills under some of Europe’s best development coaches.

Accompanied by academy founder Danté Leverock, the budding footballers spent just over a week in Spain.

“DaRock Elite Academy was in Spain for a football development and cultural experience for our young players,” Leverock said.

“The boys trained with academy coaches from Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Valencia, while also getting the opportunity to watch La Liga matches at Atlético Madrid and Valencia.

“The tour was about exposing our players to the academy lifestyle, training standards and environment of Spanish football, while also experiencing Spanish culture and creating memories that go beyond the game.

“We had 13 boys on the trip, ranging from the 8 to 11 age group and we were in Spain for eight days.”

Before flying home on Wednesday, Leverock thought it was a productive excursion for the island’s up-and-coming talent.

“Overall, it was a good trip,” the former Bermuda captain said.

“It was all about the boys learning and developing, so it went well. We trained with the Real Madrid academy coaches, trained at Valencia for three days, which was a mini training camp.

“Then we were at Atletico Madrid with their academy coaches. We trained with a Getafe coach and finished off with a match, which the boys won 5-0.

“It was a learning experience for our boys with them being exposed to academy coaches and high-level coaching.

“We also did some stadium tours, including Valencia, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.”