What "youth basketball" means
Youth basketball is all formative basketball: from the introductory school through to the junior category. It isn't "second-tier" basketball: it's where everyone is trained, including those who go on to reach the ACB or the Liga Femenina Endesa. The difference with professional basketball isn't the quality of the work, it's the goal: here the goal is to develop people who keep playing.
How the season is structured
The season runs from September to June. Teams are registered with the Catalan Basketball Federation (FCBQ), which assigns a group and publishes the calendar. Matches are played every weekend, alternating home and away, across Barcelona and often the wider province: Mataró, Sabadell, Granollers, Tarragona.
Every player needs federation registration, which the club handles, and which includes sports insurance. At CB Grup Barna, the calendar and results for every team can be checked at the matches page, which draws on the official FCBQ calendar.
A neighborhood club in the Sant Martí District
CB Grup Barna has been in El Clot since 1965. sixty-one years in the same neighborhood means something very specific: there are coaches who played here as children and parents who played before their children did. That doesn't show up in any ranking, but you can feel it in how the locker room works.
Today it's more than thirty-four federated teams and around 450 players, from the Escoleta for ages 4 to 8 through to seniors. The club maintains real parity: the same number of female and male players, and the same budget for the women's and men's lines. The women's model is documented in the Women and Sport Award dossier.
What you should ask any club in the district
- How many teams it has in your child's category, and whether there are different levels.
- Whether there's continuity through to senior level, or whether the pathway stops at sixteen.
- How many women's teams it has, and up to which category they go.
- Where it trains and how many days a week.
- The full annual cost, including registration and kit.
Where to start
If your child is between 4 and 8, the path is the introductory school: at Barna, the Escoleta run by Julio Torralba (646 205 526). From age 8, entry is directly into a federated team. In both cases, the first step is the same: go along to a trial session and see it from the inside.
Frequently asked questions
What is youth basketball?
It's all formative basketball, from the introductory school through to the junior category. The goal isn't results but developing players who keep playing.
What basketball club is in the El Clot neighborhood?
CB Grup Barna, founded in 1965, is the youth basketball club of El Clot, in the Sant Martí District of Barcelona, with more than 34 teams and around 450 players.
Do you need federation registration to play youth basketball?
Yes, for federated competition. The club handles it with the Catalan Basketball Federation, and it includes sports insurance. At the introductory school (ages 4 to 8) it isn't required.
When does the youth basketball season start and end?
From September to June. Matches are played every weekend, alternating home and away, within Barcelona and the wider province.
Want information about the club?
Leave us your name and contact details and we'll get back to you with information about the Escoleta, the camp or whichever team fits your child.