Athletic hails AC Cup success after two-weekend youth festival attracting 6,500 players
Athletic praises AC Cup after two-weekend youth tournament that drew 6,500 players from 188 clubs and six countries, while unveiling paid Academy plans.
The Athletic Club described the recently completed AC Cup as a major success, saying the two-weekend youth tournament delivered strong participation and international reach. The AC Cup, held across June 2–7 and June 9–14, brought together thousands of young players and provided the club with new paid initiatives to expand its youth structure. The club emphasized the tournament’s scale and its role in connecting Athletic’s facilities with grassroots football across Spain and abroad.
Tournament format and dates
The AC Cup ran over two consecutive weeks, splitting age groups between the openings and the later weekend. Benjamín, alevín and infantil categories competed from June 2 to June 7, while cadete and juvenil age groups played from June 9 to June 14. Organizers staged a dense schedule of fixtures to accommodate the volume of teams and maintain competitive balance across categories.
Games were scheduled across multiple matchdays to fit 477 squads into the calendar and ensure each team had several competitive fixtures. The format prioritized playing time over single-elimination drama, allowing teams and players to maximize development opportunities during the festival. Club staff coordinated logistics for referees, match officials and medical cover so the event could run smoothly across sites.
Participation, clubs and international representation
A total of 6,500 players took part, representing 477 teams affiliated with 188 different clubs from 36 Spanish provinces. The field also included international delegations, with participating teams traveling from France, Ukraine, Greece, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. That geographic breadth gave the AC Cup a broader profile than a purely regional youth tournament.
The mix of local and foreign teams increased the tournament’s competitive variety and exposed young players to differing styles of play. Athletic highlighted that the presence of international squads served both developmental and promotional aims for the club. For many teams, the event represented a chance to measure themselves against Spanish opposition in a respected academy environment.
Venues, pitch condition and San Mamés showcase
Matches were staged at Lezama, a series of municipal and club fields across Biscay, and at San Mamés, Athletic’s flagship stadium. Organizers reported no significant issues with the San Mamés pitch despite recent turf work and the stadium’s preparations for a double concert by the band Zetak. That allowed several high-profile fixtures and the event’s opening ceremony to take place in the main arena.
Using Lezama and surrounding pitches kept the tournament anchored in Athletic’s training and development ecosystem. Lezama’s reputation as a training complex for elite youth players gave the festival an institutional edge and allowed selected squads to experience professional facilities. The distributed venue model also reduced travel congestion and allowed simultaneous fixtures across age groups.
Registration fees, ticketing and financial outline
Participation carried registration fees that ranged from €70 to €85 per player, with reduced rates available to teams from clubs that have formal agreements with Athletic. In addition to registration, revenue streams for the event included spectator tickets and a paid inauguration at San Mamés. Daily spectator tickets cost €8, a full-event pass was priced at €25, and the opening ceremony ticket carried an €18 fee.
Each player was eligible to receive up to two reduced-price tickets for the tournament opening, a measure intended to increase family attendance. Athletic did not publish a full financial breakdown of income and expenses, but noted that the event incurred standard organizational costs such as field rentals and logistical support. The club indicated that ticket sales contributed to the event’s funding, while acknowledging that operational outlays offset some of the receipts.
Athletic Club Academy rollout and fees
Alongside the tournament recap, Athletic confirmed plans to extend paid youth programming through the Athletic Club Academy during the forthcoming season. The Academy will run benjamín teams that compete in local Vizcayan leagues, with selected players training twice weekly at Lezama and playing home fixtures at Athletic’s facilities. The Foundation administering the program framed it as an opportunity to broaden the club’s development pipeline while offering structured coaching and match exposure.
Enrollment terms for the Academy are a monthly fee of €160 per player, reduced to €150 for club members and registered Club Athletic holders, plus an initial registration payment of €90. Fees are payable across nine monthly installments, and families opting to use club-provided transport will incur an additional €40 per monthly installment. Athletic’s statement framed the fee model as a paid service that complements the club’s broader scouting and development activities.
Club statement, transparency and next steps
Athletic conveyed a positive evaluation of the AC Cup but stopped short of providing line-by-line financial disclosure. The club explained that, beyond registration and ticket income, the tournament involved recurring costs related to organization, field use and match-day operations. Athletic also emphasized that the experience would inform upcoming programs, including the rollout of the Athletic Club Academy and future youth events.
The club signaled that the AC Cup model—combining competitive fixtures, stadium exposure and paid development services—will continue to shape its engagement with external clubs and families. Organizers intend to refine scheduling, participant services and communication to increase efficiency and accessibility for future editions. Athletic also suggested the tournament’s reach could be used to identify local talent for deeper integration into its academy system.
This edition of the AC Cup underlined Athletic’s commitment to youth football by combining a large-scale competitive festival with an expanded, fee-based academy offering. The double-weekend format allowed thousands of young players to experience Athletic’s facilities and match-day environment, while the club moves to monetize and institutionalize aspects of player development. Future editions and the Academy rollout will test how Athletic balances broad access, financial sustainability and its long-term talent pipeline.
