14-year-old aspiring footballer Denzel Ari Thrumurgan to be first Singaporean to enrol in the LaLiga Academy

Fourteen year-old Singaporean Denzel Ari Thrumurgan is set to enrol into the LaLiga Academy in ESC Madrid, Spain in September. 

Denzel, who aspires to be a professional footballer and represent Singapore one day, said that it is a “huge privilege” to be the first Singaporean to train and study at the “state-of-the-art” sports and education facility. 

The LaLiga academy includes an academic and sporting programme, as well as football fields, residence, international school and different common areas for the players.. 

Denzel added: “I will work hard to continue improving my fitness, technique and skills. I look forward to training in Spain, where I will learn from some of the best coaches in Europe and train alongside players from diverse backgrounds.”

This was among the announcements made by LaLiga Singapore during its LaLiga Singapore Season Kick-Off event, where it also shared its plans for a campaign to celebrate its fifth anniversary in Singapore which will span from October 2022 to June 2023.

The campaign, which coincides with the 2022/2023 LaLiga season, will “focus on fan and community engagement” through several activities.

Among the activities planned include a live viewing of the El Clásico game between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona on Oct 16. 

LaLiga Singapore added that the match will also be held at an “Asian-friendly timing” to allow local fans to gather and watch the game.

As part of its efforts to engage the local football community and fans, a LaLiga Day Camp will also be held in Singapore. This will give local amateur footballers the opportunity to train under Singapore-based LaLiga coaches.

Local fans can also look forward to giveaways via social media contests as well as Spanish cultural experiences through means such as food and music during the campaign period.

LaLiga Singapore added that it is also “in conversation” with local partners to organise football clinics in an effort to engage the community through skills-based volunteering and in-kind support.

Apart from its fifth anniversary campaign, LaLiga Singapore have also announced that the Valencia youth players will participate in the JSSL Professional Academy 7s which is set to take place next month.

Since the opening of its office in Singapore in March 2017, La Liga have made various developments in the local scene. 

This includes its participation in the JSSL Singapore Professional Academy 7s tournaments in 2018 and 2019, and most notably its ongoing partnership with Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) Unleash the Roar! (UTR) initiative.