Ministers Nikolina Angelkova and Krasen Kralev, together with the Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno, unveil the Royal Club’s first social school in Bulgaria

Some 100 disadvantaged children will receive training in the football school of the Real Madrid Foundation in Vidin. They will not simply be practicing football – the objective is for them to find their new family, which would from now on stand beside them and help them find their way in life. Thus said the Minister of Tourism, Nikolina Angelkova, during the formal ceremony for the unveiling of the eponymous club’s sports school for social integration in the city. She is a former chair of the Friends of Sport foundation – the local partner of the Real Madrid Foundation for Bulgaria.

The Real Madrid legend Emilio Butragueno arrived for the unveiling of the school in Bulgaria, the event also being attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Krasen Kralev, the Vidin mayor, Ognyan Tsenkov, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Bulgaria, Jose Luis Tapia, and others. The official sponsor of the project in Bulgaria is Minstroy Holding AD, whose Management Board chair, Nikolay Valkanov, also took part in the ceremony.

„The school does not aim to discover Bulgaria’s next football stars, but to prepare these children for their encounter with life and help them become successful instead“, explained Minister Angelkova, who was identified by Emilio Butragueno as one of the prime drivers for the initiative taking place. She emphasized that North-Western Bulgaria has a number of economic problems and it is crucial to implement the first such project of Real Madrid in our country in that particular region. „I am hopeful that we are laying the foundations today of a long-term cooperation, which will be expanded and built upon“, Nikolina Angelkova added.

„What brought us to Bulgaria for the most part is a clear desire to support these children via the foundation. It is because we know that football is a very powerful instruments, which will not only make them happy but can also help them in life ", Emilio Butragueno explained. According to him, the organization’s main objective will be to stay close to those in need, the most encouraging thing being that there already are some 400 such schools worldwide.

„Today is an extremely important day for Vidin and Bulgaria - 100 Bulgarian children are becoming part of the Real Madrid family in Bulgaria“, said Minister Kralev. He emphasized that what makes Real Madrid such a massive club is its drive to enable sports to everyone, regardless of their social status.

The initiative’s sponsor in Bulgaria, the chair of Minstroy Holding AD’s Management Board, Nikolay Valkanov, emphasized that they will continue their support for the initiative because its significant social effect is visible.

The project, whose official start was given today, is part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s initiative to open sports schools and social focus schools for disadvantaged children. The goal is successful integration and development of useful and healthy habits via sports for the groups of children at risk in the given region.

Real Madrid Foundation sets up these schools with the aid of local partners and organizations, which in this case is the Friends of Sport foundation. Real Madrid Foundation provides training to the local trainers to work with children, as well as training materials.

The plans are to have some 180 children be trained at the Bulgarian school, the focus being on children deprived of parental care, children from institutions, children with minor mental or physical disabilities, etc. Some 90 children are currently being trained at the school, the final number due to e reached gradually over time. The project will last 3 years, with an evaluation of the benefit for and progress of the children due to be made thereafter.