FC Tokyo U-18 is conducting a Spain-Portugal expedition from Apr 3 (Mon) to Apr 12 (Wed). Due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first overseas expedition for the academy in about 4 years.

On the first day of the expedition, Apr 3 (Mon), we departed from Narita International Airport and arrived at Istanbul Airport in Turkey after approximately 12 hours. After that, we traveled for 4 and a half hours to Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain.

 

Afterwards, we moved to a hotel in Madrid city center, which is about a 5-minute taxi ride from the airport, and arrived there a little after 23:00 local time on the 3rd (Mon). The players rested in their rooms to prepare for the next day's travel, and the first day came to an end.

※Photo taken just before player arrival at Madrid-Barajas Airport

On the second day of the expedition, we checked out of the hotel early in the morning on the 4th (Tue), and took a flight from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Lisbon-Humberto Delgado Airport in Portugal, which took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. From the airport, we moved to the hotel where we will be staying in Lisbon by bus. The travel time was about 30 minutes, but we enjoyed the scenery of Lisbon while moving.

 

In the afternoon, we borrowed a local club's ground within walking distance from the hotel where we stayed and conducted training. As the long-distance travel continued, the players trained diligently, checking their own condition, in preparation for the match on the third day of the expedition.

Even after the third day of the expedition, we will continue to connect growth not only in the soccer aspect but also through experiences such as travel, local climate, meals, culture, and interaction with many people.