During the educational programme of sport diplomacy advisors at Széchenyi István University, which is unique in Europe, students deepen their theoretical knowledge through practical examples. This is the purpose of the now traditional study trip that participants can spend in Barcelona. During the excursion the students of the institution could visit major sports facilities, including the stadium of FC Barcelona, and could meet sports professionals of the Catalan metropolis. The trip was organised and led by the founder of the training programme, dr. Kovács Barnabás, former Consul General in Barcelona.

During the sport diplomacy training programme at the Budapest Innovation and Training Centre of Széchenyi István University sports professionals who represent different organizations of the sports sector at national and international levels are provided with a unique learning opportunity. A real curiosity of the curriculum is the study trip to Barcelona, which adds a special colour to the students’ programme every year.

Participants of the sport diplomacy advisor programme of Széchenyi István University at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona.

The participants could not miss the famous FC Barcelona Museum this year either where they could had the chance to see the most significant relics of the sports club. Students could also visit Europe’s largest stadium, the Camp Nou, moreover, they could even get to the presidential box and the grassy part of the playing field. After that they listened to the presentation of Josep Roca, the event director of the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympic Games about the Olympic legacy of Barcelona, the transformation of the city and post-Games use. Ramón Alfonseda, former president of the FC Barcelona Veteran Players’ Association explained the similarities of organisational functioning between enterprises and football teams, and he also covered the topics of different ball techniques and the tactics of the football team of Barcelona.

The participants of the programme were welcomed by the Catalan Football Federation as well.

The President of the Catalan Football Federation, Joan Soteras personally received the delegation from Széchenyi István University at the headquarters of the Catalan Football Federation in Barcelona. The students were given a glimpse of the work that goes on there by Álvaro Montoliu. As part of the study trip, the members of the sport diplomacy programme were also given an insight into the editorial office of the Mundo Deportivo sports newspaper, where Santiago Malia, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the sports newspaper gave a presentation on the past and the present of the sports newspaper and the challenges of the digital age. The students were also received by the Consulate General of Hungary in Barcelona, where the Hungarian sports diplomacy projects currently running were discussed.

The participants visited the editorial office of the sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which was also reported in the newspaper.

The four-day trip did not only abound in professional activities, but it was also rich in cultural and sports programmes. The Sagrada Familia, as well as the Montserrat Monastery were unmissable stops besides the exploration of the vibrant city centre. A sport diplomacy excursion cannot be complete without a sporting event. In order to fulfil this, the team looked together the FC Barcelona - Real Sociedad football match, at which the president of the Spanish Football Association handed over the trophy for winning the championship to Sergio Busquets, the team captain of Barcelona.