The Association, Juan Carlos Carreras and the American dream

“Without the Association I wouldn’t be where I am now”. Juan Carlos Carreras is clear on the importance of the education and careers service that the organisation offers its members. The former Barça player and BPA member visited Barcelona after spending months in the USA. Carreras is working there as the director of football at Javanon FC, a football academy in the state of Kentucky (USA) which has links to ISL Fútbol.  

The ex-player arrived in America of his own accord in 2014 to manage a football academy in Florida. However, disagreements on working methods led him to consider leaving his position. It was then that Carreras read about the collaboration agreement between the BPA and ISL Fútbol in the BPA magazine which is sent out to members. The ex-player got in contact with the company and, via the coordination of the BPA, was presented with this new job opportunity in March.

The ex-player is happy with his new employment situation, in which he feels valued and is allowed to work in the way he likes, “Coordinating the teams, assessing the coaches of the different age groups and setting the academy’s education, methodology and model of play”. Next season, Carreras will continue that work, and also take on the role of coach of the under 13s team. The coach explained that this is a key age, because it determines the growth of the players who are moving from primary to secondary school ages.    

His Blue and Claret past was key to getting this job, as Carreras himself explains: “spending five years at La Masia opened the doors to the USA for me. After that it’s your daily work that helps you keep or improve your position, but having pulled on the Barça shirt is a credential that helps at the beginning”. This is further proof of the fact that the Club’s success has sparked interest around the world in terms of importing the Barça methodology and DNA, which are associated with a model that brings success.  

Despite being satisfied with his current situation, Carreras is not thinking about whether or not the USA will be his final destination: “When you’re my age you don’t think too much about the future. You just think about the things you can control: your work and the effort you make every day”. One thing he has no doubts about is the value of the social nature of the Association, an organisation which he considers to be “very dynamic, as it is constantly trying to perfect itself and therefore improve members’ situations”. For Carreras, the BPA’s motivation to create opportunities for its members “is what makes it special, you realise that even more when you speak to players from other clubs who don’t have these services”.