CMPC’s Football Schools Program participated in a talent tryout for the Club Deportivo Huachipato, a Chilean soccer team

The event was held at the Municipal Stadium of Collipulli of Malleco in the Araucanía Region, with the participation of about 50 athletes from the Ruiz & Guidi Sports Complex of Los Angeles in the Biobío Region.

There was excellent turnout for the Chilean football team Huachipato de Talcahuano tryouts in the Biobío Region. They were held this past Friday at the Municipal Stadium of Collipulli in the Araucanía Region. The activity was part of the Football Schools Program, which CMPC promotes in various territories of La Araucanía. The training was done with more than 100 children between the ages of 12 and 18 on that day. 

The selection of athletes for the Ruiz & Guidi Sports Complex of Los Angeles in the Biobío Region – part of the CMPC program – was done under the watchful eye of Luis Peña, instructor of the U-17 category of the Huachipato Sports Club.

“As CMPC, we aim to be an agent of development in the territories where we’re located. This occasion is about supporting the sport through our football school in Collipulli. An instructor from the Huachipato Sports Club came in for it, in a sort of talent hunt to see which boys have good prospects, hopefully at the professional level,” said Beatriz Cárdenas, Head of Community Relations and Heritage at CMPC.

For his part, Luis Peña, Huachipato instructor of the U-17 category, praised the work that is being carried out. “First, I must congratulate the directors and teachers because you can see the effort that’s been poured into these children. We as a club are always on the lookout for talent, both nationally and in local communities. Today we’ve been able to observe several talented children who have skills, so in the very near future we aim to invite them to come try their luck at our club. I’d also like to congratulate them on the pitch and the beautiful stadium they have here, so I’m leaving feeling great about everything.”

Perseverance

Joaquín Valenzuela is one of the athletes from the Ruiz & Guidi Sports Complex who participated in the activity, and said he was very grateful for the event. “It was great. Getting more experience and coming here is a new opportunity. It helps us as a community. There are a lot of good players here, and sometimes they get left behind because the clubs are too far away. We think it’s good because there are a lot of phenomenal players here who play all the time, who might go unnoticed in the future, so it’s great that they can come here. I’ve always wanted to be a professional player, so I’ve put my heart into it. I’ve had a few slumps before, but you just have to really want it,” he said. 

Lastly, Diego Ruiz, professional of the Huachipato Sports Club, emphasized the positive and how much this experience will mark the athletes. He said, “I think in particular it contributes a great deal for the boys so that they can have a way out, a dream that they can pursue through soccer, which is very important. On our side, we do our part to support them so that they can achieve their dreams, which is to become professional players. From the academy, our contribution is on the field of play, training them properly, and that also means inculcating other values along with it. All this is a joint effort between CMPC, the Ruiz & Guidi Academy and the municipality, always looking to ensure the best for the children.”