SEVILLA FC AND CAIXABANK PROMOTE FINANCIAL EDUCATION IN THE YOUTH ACADEMY

This week, several training sessions were held at the José Ramón Cisneros Palacios Training Ground for youth academy players on the importance of financial education in managing their savings. They were led by Antonio Matilla, Head of Professional Athletes at CaixaBank, one of the club’s main sponsors, and Pablo de la Lastra, also a representative of the financial institution.

Sevilla FC always strives to educate its youth academy players on important topics beyond sports. Knowing how to seek financial advice and manage economic resources with the future in mind is of utmost importance. The sessions were attended by players from the three main teams in Sevilla FC’s academy structure: Sevilla Atlético, Sevilla C, and the youth team competing in the División de Honor. Specific cases were reviewed of athletes who have publicly admitted to making major mistakes in managing their wealth through failed investments. In this regard, financial education is crucial.

Specific topics were analyzed, such as the unique income curve of elite athletes, whose professional careers are usually relatively short, beginning at a very young age with very high earnings."In cases like these, it is essential to establish proper financial planning as early as possible. The first decision a professional athlete must make is determining how much they can spend based on their income. From there, they can build a plan that allows them to achieve the goal of preserving their wealth for life after their sports career," explained Antonio Matilla.

The differences between savings and investment, the peculiarities of managing real estate (locations, rentals, unpaid rent, etc.), the ability to incur debt, the analysis of different investment opportunities, and the importance, in any case, of having a financial advisor were topics that were explored in depth during these training sessions.