REVISTA APUNTS 2024 - ENG

Message from the rectors

A solid background of success

Like everything related with sport, collaboration is the shortest path to success: the experience that the University of Barcelona and the University of Lleida have had with the affiliated INEFC centre is, without a doubt, renewed confirmation of this. A solid background of success based primarily on three cornerstones:

Firstly, academic excellence as the result of the highest demands in teaching quality and innovation, the permanent renewal of contents based on the advances made in research or the connection with leading sports organisations as the driving force of the range of training activities.

Secondly, the values of equality, fairness, sustainability and inclusion as the mainstays of sporting activity and, therefore, of its university education.

Lastly, the advanced education offered by INEFC promotes dynamics and skills that are essential both now and for the near future: healthy life styles that are vital for well-being, values of cooperation and negotiation that are necessary to face global phenomena such as the climate crisis or dynamics of plural coexistence that are imperative in a world of growing diversity.

For all these reasons, and many more, the training of professionals at INEFC to work in sport is a guaranteed investment in the future. It will be a pleasure to share this university adventure with you all!

Champions in health and well-being

Great athletes are, without a doubt, social insignia who fill people with excitement and stir up health rivalry. It is hard to find geniuses who trigger such mass, long-lasting support. Professional sport is, therefore, a mirror that moves people of all ages and levels of fitness and encourages them to play, compete, become healthy and add years to their life.

With the support, backing and collaboration of the University of Lleida, INEFC Lleida trains professionals who analyse, train and support elite athletes yet, above all, extend the practice of physical exercise to society as a whole, from youngsters to the elderly, a very necessary job that benefits everyone. In addition to the great results of sport are the small, everyday victories, the reward for which is the health and physical and emotional well-being of people.

Joan Guàrdia Olmos Rector of the University of Barcelona

Jaume Puy Llorens Rector of the University of Lleida

INEFC,

a key part of the Esportcat universe

Interview with Anna Caula and Eduard Inglés

What motivated you to decide to take the helm of SGEAF and INEFC, respectively?

ANNA CAULA (AC): Being given the chance to be able to work for a sector I really love. I think sport and physical activity are tools with an incredible power to build a healthier society in every sense, and being able to form part of this initiative was extremely seductive.

EDUARD INGLÉS (EI): For me, INEFC is home and the community forming it is family. I was able to see its transformative power the very first time I walked through the door. And now, almost four years later, I felt the energy and the excitement of leading the way. It was time to give back a small part of everything INEFC has given me.

What were the main objectives met during this period?

AC: We have increased the tools and the resources for the Catalan sports sector and, therefore, have turned Catalonia into the sporting country we wanted. In women’s sport legislature, we have innovated in actions that had never highlighted women’s sport and generated new benchmarks. We have also considerably increased the financial resources for organisations, which are also able to plan their activities more accurately.

EI: We have consolidated INEFC as the benchmark centre in sport sciences, not only in the university arena with education and research but also in the social realm on all levels, with its transfer to and impact on society. We have grown in all areas and, most particularly, building upon what was a dream four years ago: our third centre, INEFC Pirineus.

One of the most innovative initiatives of your tenure has been the promotion of Totesport: Entre totes, JOC!, a recreational area at INEFC Barcelona. Which milestones has it reached?

AC: Last January, we confirmed the success of the first edition by bringing together over 10,000 participants. We have built upon a key area to highlight women’s sport and create new perspectives, and to do so in a fun way. The kids were able to try around thirty different sports and, more particularly, could see that they all have a female role model.

EI: My greatest lesson from Totesport and from other milestones met over these four years, has been that the success of a project depends largely on two factors: the enthusiasm when you image it and the share commitment when you build it, and that’s what has happened in this case. Thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment shared with Esportcat, we have opened INEFC up to over 10,000 people and, more importantly, we have created 10,000 new, more female-oriented perspectives of sport.

The Congress Equality on the Move, held at INEFC Barcelona in spring last year, established the bases for more inclusive, female-oriented and diverse Catalan sport. Do you think any progress has been made in this area?

AC: We have progressed in different areas, but there is still a lot left to do. And speeding up the change is down to us. I would like to highlight the 20% increase in women’s membership numbers between 2021 and 2023, the parity in the use of sports facilities, and the greater presence of women in high performance. But stereotypes must still be changed and benchmarks and visibility established in order to progress towards equality between men and women in sport and physical activity.

What is left to do in this legislature?

EI: Once again, thanks to the trust placed in INEFC by the Secretariat of Sport and Physical Activity, we have been able to open our doors to a global event of the highest academic and, above all, transformative level. Thanks to the expertise of our researchers, we have been a benchmark in women’s sport for many years now, and these past four years have seen us take a huge step forward. We have progressed a great deal, but there is still a long way to go. We want sport to be more female-oriented, and an essential initial step in this is for INEFC to become increasingly so too.

This school year will see the graduation of the first generation of students from INEFC Pirineus. How would you value this?

AC: It reflects the commitment of Esportcat towards quality, decentralised sports training. It is a project with a female, territorial and transformational outlook that has bridged the gap between the university and the Pirineus and has become a benchmark in Catalonia, Spain and worldwide in terms of outdoor sports.

EI: Seeing a generation about to graduate from INEFC Pirineus is a clear sign that what we imagined has come true: the greatest dream is not just being able to make it come true but being able to share it. And that is what having reached this point makes me feel: eternal gratitude to everyone with whom we have shared it, with whom we share it, and with whom we will share it.

AC: To continue speeding up the changes we have been introducing so that sport becomes transformational, and to build on the activities to ensure equal opportunities in sport for everyone.

EI: At the start of the legislature, we wanted to draw out our time frame and ensure the initial steps to find our bearings. Now that the objectives are clear, we must pick up the pace to build on all the activities we have started and continue moving forwards.

Sum up this legislature in just one sentence.

AC: The legislature of women’s sport. EI: The legislature of the University of Sport.

Anna Caula, secretary-general of Sport and Physical Activity, and Eduard Inglés, director of INEFC

INEFC Pirineus, benchmark training in Europe

The third INEFC campus, INEFC Pirineus, has been a resounding success the first three years of its life in terms of both training and research into physical activity and sport. The first three school years filled the 40 places available with students who ooze enthusiasm and commitment to outdoor sport. And all of this alongside the consolidation and growth of its faculty and personnel, whose work has played a decisive role in making INEFC Pirineus a benchmark in university education related to outdoor physical activity and sport.

TOP-CLASS SPECIALIST TRAINING

From the very outset, the INEFC Pirineus campus in La Seu d’Urgell (Lleida) has stood out because of its specialist training, linked to the region, with a significant growth in specialisation and the range of outdoor activities, always linked to the natural environment.

With subjects such as “Activities in the Natural Environment” and “Sports I” and “Sports II”, the undergraduate degree in Physical Exercise and Sport Sciences (CAFE) introduces training in sports such as downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, canoeing, horse riding and mountain bike riding, among others, all disciplines in which the student can learn more over the four years with further studies and optional specialisation subjects.

Furthermore, the CAFE degree is committed to the inclusion of new modalities, such as orienteering, canyoning, mountain skiing and climbing, as well as new optional subjects such as “Resources for management” and “Management and organisation of sport and recreation in the natural environment”, reflecting the adaptability of this university centre to the up-and-coming demands of outdoor sport.

A GROUND-BREAKING CAMPUS IN APPLIED RESEARCH

Beyond training, however, INEFC Pirineus is a university centre that, despite its young age, already stands out in applied research thanks to strategic allies in relevant areas, such as mountain and snow activities, and the sustainability and resilience of winter and mountain sports in the Pirineus. Through an agreement with Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, projects are promoted to provide scientific data for decision-making in mountain areas.

Moreover, participation in initiatives such as the PITON (Pyrénées Innovation pour la Transition hOlistique de la moNtagne) cross-border project show the interest of INEFC in generating new models of sustainable development through social and technological innovation.

THE NEW CAMPUS BUILDING, EVER NEARER

With a sustainable architectural project that blends in with the environment, the new INEFC Pirineus is planned to open its doors in early 2026 and its executive project has already been submitted to the Local Council for consideration. It will be a ground-breaking campus in all senses, and a clear commitment towards specialist training and applied research in outdoor sports.

A UNIVERSITY INTEGRATED INTO ITS SURROUNDINGS AND LINKED TO LA SEU D’URGELL

INEFC Pirineus is not only an academic benchmark but an active player in the local community. Through its participation in the educational plan Entorn de La Seu d’Urgell and in other initiatives, INEFC helps enhance the range of educational and recreational activities in the municipality and throughout Alt Urgell. From the organising of activities to raise awareness to the promoting of inclusive sport, INEFC plays an integral role in promoting well-being and social cohesion, as can be seen by the integration of the FDPs (final degree projects) and internships in the enterprises forming part of the region.

In just three years, INEFC Pirineus has generated over one million euros in applied research

In short, INEFC Pirineus has become an example of academic excellence and social responsibility, an essential centre in the spheres of higher education and research into outdoor physical activity and sport, striving to promote the region and help generate new jobs linked to the outdoors.

*University Admission Test

**Advanced training cycles

What will you do at INEFC?

60

INEFC is one of the most modern physical activity and sports science teaching and research institutions in Europe. It has three academic centres: Barcelona, affiliated to the UB, and Lleida and Pyrenees, affiliated to the UdL. The centres are located in an excellent environment that promotes learning and have state-of-the-art equipment that makes them unique in their category. They are centres of international reference because of the quality of their studies and their facilities. FACILITIES +90,000m2

55%

Sports Athletics

Badminton Basketball

Body expression and dance

Court and beach handball Fencing Football

Judo Paddle

Rhythmic and artistic gymnastics

Rugby

Swimming Tennis

Triathlon

Volleyball (court and beach)

Waterpolo

Activities in the natural environment

Adventure racing Canoeing Canyoning Climbing

Cross-country skiing

Downhill skiing Horse riding

MTB Orienteering Scuba diving Snow Surf Surf Trail running Yachting

FAQs

WHAT UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES DOES INEFC OFFER?

INEF de Catalunya is an institution affiliated to the universities of Barcelona and Lleida and, through this affiliation, it offers Undergraduate Degrees in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (CAFE), Dual Degrees in CAFE with Physiotherapy and Dual Degrees in Primary Education with CAFE. In addition to meeting the academic requirements stipulated by current legislation, people who wish to access the Dual Degree in Primary Education and CAFE must pass the personal aptitude test (PAP) to undertake the Primary Education Degree.

THE UNIVERSITY ADMISSION TEST (PAU)

Which are the weighted subjects to enter the degree course?

To access the CAFE Degree: Biology, General Sciences, Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry have a weighting of 0.2, whereas Geography, History of Music and Dance, and Mathematics applied to Sports Sciences have a weighting of 0.1.

To access the dual degree in CAFE + Physiotherapy: the weighted subjects are the same as for the Degree in CAFE, in addition to History of Philosophy, which also has a weighting of 0.2.

To access the dual degree in Primary Education and CAFE: Musical Analysis, Performing Arts, Biology, General Sciences, Artistic Drawing, Physics, Art Foundations (Foundations of the Arts), Geography, Geography Environment Sciences (Earth and Environment Sciences), History of Music and Dance, Greek Language and Culture (Greek), Latin Language and Culture (Latin), Art History, Spanish Literature, Catalan Literature, Dramatic Literature, Mathematics, Mathematics Applied to Sports Sciences, Chemistry and Universal Literature (not taught in Catalonia) have a weighting of 0.2.

HOW MANY PLACES IS INEFC OFFERING FOR THE COMING 2024-2025 COURSE? INEFC Barcelona School (UB)

150 places for the CAFE Degree

in Primary Education + CAFE

25 places for the Dual Degree in CAFE + Physiotherapy

Other growing activities and sports

Aqua fitness

Body expression and dance

Breakdance and urban dances

Choreographed activities

Rugby 7

Street skateboard

Ultra-resistance

EFTE

At the same time as your degree, you can study levels I and II of an intermediate sports technician certification.

Mobility: Erasmus, SICUE and others

+30 countries around the world

Curriculum for CAFE degrees

INEFC BARCELONA

CENTRE AFFILIATED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

/ 60 ECTS / 60 ECTS / 60 ECTS / 60 ECTS

Anatomy applied to PASS*

Psychology of PASS

Basic manifestations of motor skills

Sports I: Basic sports

Sports I: Team sports

Physiology of exercise I

Pedagogy and teaching principles of PASS

Body expression and dance

Sports I: Individual and opponent sports

Sports I: Contact sports

Physiology of exercise II

Training theory I

Learning and motor development

PASS research statistics and methodology

Nutrition and dietetics: assessment of body composition

Biomechanics of PASS

Sociology and history of PASS

Activities in the natural environment

Programming of PASS teaching

Sports II

Specialties

TRAINING

Trends in fitness

Technology for exercise and health

Sports analysis

Training theory IV

Training theory V

Sports IV

HEALTH

Trends in fitness

Technology for exercise and health

Biomechanics of PASS II

Functional sports re-education

Training theory V

Integration across disciplines

Education for health

Theory and practice in motor activities

Kinesiology and technology of physical exercise

Principles and fundamentals of adapted PASS teaching

Legislation and organization of sport

Sports III

New Sports

First aid and conditions in PASS

Training theory II

Promotion and prescription of physical exercise to improve health

Sports management

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Trends in fitness

Body consciousness with music

Design of educational projects with applied technologies

Actions for sociocultural change, multiculturalism and gender

Conflict resolution and values education strategies

Team building and leadership

Teaching resources in PE and adapted sport

SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Training theory III

Intervention and evaluation of PASS teaching

Leisure and sport

Optional subject 1 (Specialty)

Optional subject 2 (Specialty)

Optional subject 3 (Specialty)

Optional subject 4 (Specialty)

Optional subject 5 (Specialty)

Practicum

Final Degree Project (FDP)

Sports events management

Leisure and social environment

Entrepreneurship

Sports marketing

Sports facilities management

Basic finance applied to sport

Sports systems analysis

Management skills

Team building and leadership

LEISURE AND NATURE

Sports events management

Leisure and social environment

Entrepreneurship

Management of leisure and tourism organisations

Sport and tourism

Activities in the natural environment III

Activities in the natural environment IV

INEFC LLEIDA and PIRINEUS*

UPON COMPLETION OF THE DEGREE, THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES WILL HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED:

Identifying and analyzing the structural and functional features of physical activity and sport.

Acquiring motor skills and demonstrating the execution of the practice of physical activity and sport.

Recognizing and understanding the different factors that condition physical activity and sport.

Interpreting the elements, effects and risks that condition the practice of physical activity and sport in different professional fields.

Applying the knowledge acquired in physical activity and applying it in professional practice.

Planning and evaluating the processes and programmes of physical activity and sport in teaching, training, health, management and leisure.

CENTRE AFFILIATED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LLEIDA

*Adaptation of syllabus for sports in 1st and 2nd year. Skiing, snowboarding, canoeing, horse riding, mountain biking, and Nordic skiing are compulsory subjects at INEFC Pirineus

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Anatomy applied to PASS

Psychology of PASS

Basic manifestations of motor skills

Sports I

Sports II

Analysis of the functional structure of sports and the structure of physical exercise

Physiology of exercise I

Pedagogy and teaching principles of PASS

Theory and practice in motor activities

Body expression and dance

Optional subjects

TRAINING

Optimization of sports training

Neuromuscular training

*PASS: Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

Physiology of exercise II

Sociology and history of PASS

Learning and motor development

Sports III

PASS research statistics and methodology

Biomechanics of PASS

Training theory I

Sports IV

Activities in the natural environment

Programming of PASS teaching

HEALTH

Organic dysfunctions and physical exercise

First aid and conditions in PASS

Kinesiology and technology of physical exercise

Sports extension I

Principles and fundamentals of adapted PASS teaching

Legislation and organization of sport

Training theory II

Sports extension II

New Sports

Promotion and prescription of physical exercise to improve health

Sports management

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Skills for professional intervention in motor skills teaching

Nutrition and dietetics: assessment of body composition

Training theory III

Intervention and evaluation of PASS teaching

Sports extension III

Sport and leisure

Optional subject 1

Optional subject 2

Optional subject 3

Optional subject 4

Optional subject 5

Practicum

Final Degree Project (FDP)

SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Resources for managing and organizing sports and leisure

Transversal subject

Dual degree curriculum

The aim of the Dual Degrees is to attain a higher level of competitiveness and, therefore, encounter greater opportunities to enter the labour market.

PRIMARY EDUCATION + CAFE

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LLEIDA

This Dual Degree permits simultaneous study at INEFC Lleida and at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Lleida. The aim is to train future graduates in the practice of teaching physical activity and to promote educational experiences of teaching innovation in this field. It consists of undertaking a selection of subjects that are central to the Degree in Primary Education and the Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences for five years, with a teaching load of 362 credits. Once these studies have been completed, students will obtain a Degree in Primary Education and a Degree in CAFE.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

/

Theory, history and context of education

Sociology of education

Anatomy applied to PASS*

Psychology of PASS

Sports I

Analysis of the functional structure of sports

Teaching and organizational processes

Family and school

Physiology of exercise I

Sports II

Theory and practice in motor activities

Body expression and dance

Numbers, calculations and measurement

Physiology of exercise II

Learning and motor development

Basic manifestations of motor skills

PASS research statistics and methodology

Sports legislation and organization

Catalan expression and communication techniques

Music and music teaching

Training theory I

Biomechanics of PASS

Sports III

Sports management

Digital technologies in primary education

CAFE + PHYSIOTHERAPY

IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LLEIDA

Introduction to English language and English teaching

Attention to diversity

Tutoring in primary education

Space and form

Sports extension I

Sports IV

Principles and fundamentals of PASS teaching

Educational processes and contexts

Language and literature teaching

Geography and history

Training theory II

Promotion and prescription of physical exercise to improve health

Sports extension II

Kinesiology and technology of physical exercise

Nutrition and dietetics

Intervention and evaluation of PASS teaching

Practices II

Learning of experimental sciences II

Teaching social sciences

Teaching and learning Spanish language and literature

Visual arts

New Sports

Physical Education speciality

First aid and conditions in PASS

Training theory III

Practices III

Final Degree Project (FDP) in CAFE

Final Degree Project (FDP) in Primary Education

This Dual Degree permits simultaneous study of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (CAFE) and the Degree in Physiotherapy, taught at INEFC Lleida and at the University of Lleida by the Faculty of Nursing, respectively. The aim is to train professionals to deal with both the process of functional recovery from injury and the reintroduction to physical activity in the field of sport. This is a dual training itinerary where a series of key subjects from each Degree will be studied with a global load of 375 ECTS. In this way, the Degree in Physiotherapy and the Degree in CAFE can be obtained in a period of 5 years.

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

/ 75 ECTS / 78 ECTS / 78 ECTS / 78 ECTS / 76 ECTS

Psychology of PASS

Basic manifestations of motor skills

Sports I

Analysis of structural and functional characteristics of physical activity and sport

Structure of the human body I

Fundamentals of physiotherapy I

Pedagogy and teaching

principles of PASS

Physiology of exercise I

Sports II

Assessment in physiotherapy I

Structure of the human body II

Fundamentals of physiotherapy II

Physiology of exercise II

Learning and motor development

Sports III

Sociology and history of PASS

Pathophysiology I

Assessment in physiotherapy II

General procedures in physiotherapy I

Activities in the natural environment

Theory and practice in motor activities

Training theory I

Biomechanics of PASS

Sports IV

Programming PASS teaching

*PASS: Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

Sports extension I

Principles and fundamentals of adapted PASS teaching

Sports legislation and organization

Intervention and evaluation of PASS teaching

Sports extension II

Sport and leisure

Body expression and dance

Training theory II

Sports extension III

Pathophysiology II

General procedures in physiotherapy II

Promotion and prescription of physical exercise to improve health

Clinical Practices II

Kinesitherapy

Training theory III

Specific methods of intervention in physiotherapy I

Fundamentals of sports physiotherapy

Specific sports physiotherapy techniques

Clinical practices III

Nutritional and pharmacological fundamentals in physiotherapy

Specific methods of intervention in physiotherapy II

Physiotherapy in clinical specialties

Research methodology

Clinical practices IV

Clinical practices V

Clinical practices VI

Clinical practices VII

New Sports

Sports management

Organic dysfunction and exercise

Final Degree Project (FDP) in CAFE

Final Degree Project (FDP) in Physiotherapy

Study around the world

Studying at a foreign university and staying in a country far away from home is an added value for both personal and academic education. INEFC has agreements with universities around the world and promotes inter-university mobility programmes. Erasmus is the most popular one.

Júlia Carabias

FROM: INEFC

Pyrenees

CHILE

TO: Universidad Mayor de Temuco

PROGRAMME: Mobilitat UdL

My name is Júlia, a student at INEFC Pyrenees, and I spent the first semester of the third year in Temuco, a city in the south of Chile, studying Kinesiology, a degree similar to Physiotherapy. I chose it because there was no degree similar to CAFE in Chile, but I wanted to go there because it’s a good place for white-water kayaking. The classes were extremely practical and they helped me learn a lot, but I have to say that I missed INEFC because CAFE is my chosen degree. It motivates me and I like it. Because I enrolled for just 24 credits, I was able to travel a lot, which is what I wanted to do, and I was able to see a lot of Chile, a lovely country with very nice people. While the north is desert, there are endless forests and rivers in the south. I still look back on it fondly. They welcomed me wherever I went. But I really missed the cheese, which is horrible there, and our food in general. I was really lucky to be able to study this degree!

Nerea Aguilar

FROM: INEFC Lleida

TO: University of Guadalajara

PROGRAMME: Mobilitat UdL

MEXICO

My name is Nerea and I spent the first semester of the 2023-2024 year at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. It was an incredible and extremely gratifying experience. The truth is that I don’t regret having taken this opportunity to leave home. I arrived on 12 August and I returned on 31 January this year. What I noticed particularly about university life is that the teachers aren’t very punctual and in First Aid we had to know how to treat someone with a knife wound. But what I remember more fondly is 2 November, when we celebrated the death of those no longer with us by making an altar with food and objects that they liked. I was lucky enough to share a flat with people from Mexico and we were able to prepare an altar for our relatives a few weeks beforehand, which is something I’ll never forget. The lovely people I met there made me feel at home, although I missed my friends and family. It’s an adventure in which you learn about other cultures and ways of life that are different to those you’re used to. I also learned how to reflect and to value the little things in life much more.

Lia Moreno

FROM: INEFC Barcelona

TO: Denmark

PROGRAMME: FI-AGAUR/ PARINEF

My name is Lia Moreno. I am currently completing my doctoral dissertation at INEFC in Barcelona under the PhD programme HDK02 “Physical Activity, Physical Education and Sport”, and during this last year of my PhD I decided to go on an international research placement. To be completely sincere, I was really apprehensive about going abroad, but my dissertation advisor encouraged me a lot and I finally decided to go to Copenhagen.

It was there that I was lucky enough to become involved in the “without limits” research. There are a lot of resources available for research, which in short enables you to do almost everything you want to do. Although the weather wasn’t the best and the hours of darkness were hard, Denmark and, more specifically, the city of Copenhagen is a place full of history and incredible spots. A truly recommendable experience!

Personal challenges are the best experiences of your life!

Emma Ruiz

FROM: INEFC Barcelona

TO: University of Jyväskylä

PROGRAMME: ERASMUS

FINLAND

I spent the first term at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. I have always wanted to spend some time studying abroad, and have always been attracted to the Nordic countries. This was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

Jyväskylä is a city that is very well set up for students and is home to the only sports school in the whole of Finland. The educational system there is different to ours, and I was able to see life from a different perspective. The language wasn’t a problem, as all the classes were given in English.

I was quite apprehensive when I arrived, like most. This soon disappeared, however, when I started to meet a lot of people from around the world, who I became very close to. The weather and the hours of sunlight were also one of my main concerns, but it’s all part of the experience.

The experience has shown me a much larger world, both work-wise and personally.

BELGIUM BRAZIL

BULGARIA CANADA

CHILE CROATIA

CZECH REPUBLIC

FINLAND

FRANCE

GERMANY HUNGARY

ITALY

LITHUANIA

MEXICO

NETHERLANDS NORWAY

POLAND

PORTUGAL PERU

SLOVAKIA SPAIN

TURKEY UNITED

First approach to the labour market

The INEFC Practicum programme allows students to stay in organizations, centres or companies to learn how they work and implement physical activity and sports programmes.

The Practicum allows for an internship of between 100 and 150 hours to facilitate the global knowledge of the entity, centre or company where they are carried out. An important part of this stay is the integration of the student in the dynamics of daily working life through the design, implementation and evaluation of a programme of physical activity and sport in one of the different professional areas: management, health, performance, physical education, leisure and nature.

INEFC has an extensive network of collaborating centres in all areas, which makes it possible to offer more than 300 centres where internships can be carried out with high levels of quality.

TYPES OF COMPANIES THAT COLLABORATE WITH THE INTERNSHIPS:

Public sports management entities and companies in the sports sector.

Sports associations, clubs, foundations and federations (of any sport).

Health, fitness and wellness centres.

Secondary schools and Baccalaureate colleges. Nature activity companies, nautical schools, hiking centres, among others.

University sports services.

Third sector or social entities with groups in a vulnerable situation or with special needs.

Main fields of work where we can find professionals in the physical activity and sports sector with a sample of 2,944 members of our collegiate body. The areas of the labour market were quite stable between 2022 and 2023 in terms of the main activity of professionals. The CAFE Degree allows for a wide variety of career opportunities, a true added value today.

MAIN PROFESSIONAL AREAS OF WORK

Montse de Paco

“In India I learned about a culture, a way of doing things, being and feeling that made me grow a lot”

Last year, the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, which carries out very important social work in India, enjoyed the vitality and enthusiasm of Montse de Paco, a CAFE graduate from INEFC Barcelona (class of 2019-2023). Her experience in Anantapur has been useful as a basis for her FDP, which has opened her up a world of possibilities in the area of cooperation.

Where did you do the Practicum and what were your duties in the chosen place? In India, in Anantapur, particularly with the women’s football and hockey teams. I taught them resources that they could use in their training sessions, and how to make a workout schedule and the use of material for different types of exercises. And a lot of teaching resources as an overall method.

Why did you choose this practicum?

Thanks to professor Susanna Soler, we held talks with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in years two, three and four. I found it interesting. In February 2023, I was able to go thanks to an Escape Room, as we did a competition and I was given the chance to do the Practicum for the entire month of August.

How would you weigh up the month you spent there?

Because I was the first to go, there are always things that can be improved on, but even so it was extremely gratifying because when I entered INEFC I didn’t expect to be doing a Practicum in India four years later. I have very fond memories of it.

How did you benefit from this volunteer work personally?

The learning. I learned a great deal and I had a lot of fun. And I not only learned theoretical things about sport but also about a culture, a new way of doing things, of being, of feeling. And that made me grow a lot.

What tips would you give anyone who is going to do the Practicum in the future?

If it’s abroad, to not be apprehensive or have any preconceptions, and to be open to enjoying everything that happens. In my case, I made plans both inside and outside the Foundation, because there’s a lot to see there. It’s an opportunity to experience a lot of things.

Why did you decide to study CAFE at INEFC?

I’ve always liked sport, and when I was little I always said that my dream was to become a Physical Education teacher. My role model was my primary school PE teacher. But now that I’ve completed my CAFE degree, I know that there are thousands of opportunities and not just in physical education. I might end up doing something else...

Like what?

I’ve discovered the world of cooperation. I can convey a lot of values through sport, as it’s a very good tool for

social inclusion that can be used with all collectives. We are lucky enough here to have a lot of sports facilities, federations and teams...but that’s not the case in every country. With everything I’ve learned in the degree, and with everything I can bring to the table, I can develop a project thanks to sport, and I’ll get it off the ground.

What has INEFC as an institution given you?

A lot of memories and, above all, to be able to see things differently, with more perspective, and a series of resources that I have access to. And learning. And in terms of people, I have friends and people I would never have met otherwise.

And India? What did you get out of it?

When I arrived, I had a lot of preconceptions but I found the people to be very open, always willing to help whenever I needed it, and they were always grateful. I felt very fulfilled for a job well done and had a lot of good feelings.

What future plans do you have?

Thanks to the Practicum, I did a final degree project (FDP) that I’m still working on. I all goes according to plan, I’ll take it to India with Susanna Soler. It’s a vocational training school for sports that I want to implement there, in Anantapur. They already have a very large sports complex, but the project needs to be implemented. I’ll do everything I can to make it possible.

Can you imagine yourself there, coordinating the project and setting it up?

Yes. When I went to India last August, I was certain that I would return one day.

CAFE GRADUATE FROM INEFC BARCELONA

Montse de Paco, at the Anantapur Sports Academy with professor Susanna Soler

Complementary studies

DEGREE IN CAFE + TRAINING COURSE FOR SPORTS COACHES

The Catalan EFTE in the Caparrella and Montjuïc centres are the only schools authorized in Catalonia to train sports technicians in conjunction with the INEFC centres.

The training schools for sports technicians (EFTE) at the Caparrella and Montjuïc centres, managed by the Catalan Sports Council (CCE), offer to simultaneously study the CAFE Degree and the Dual Degrees in CAFE Primary Education and CAFE Physiotherapy (INEFC Lleida) with levels I and / or II of the intermediate Sports Technician Degree in the chosen sports modality. Since the 2009-2010 academic year, the Caparrella and Montjuïc EFTEs have been linked to the INEFC centres in Lleida and Barcelona, respectively.

In these 14 years, more than a thousand students have been able to study Undergraduate and Dual Degrees in CAFE with the intermediate-level training cycle in sports. The training consists of carrying out the necessary complements to reach the different levels of the sports technician courses, and at the same time obtaining the training of intermediate level cycles. This allows you to enter the world of work before completing your Degree in CAFE.

Our schools are exclusively for undergraduate and graduate students of CAFE. The timetables are designed to suit the needs of today’s students, making them compatible with the university timetable.

The Catalan School of Kinanthropometry (ECC), through INEFC, is the only public institution that organizes official accredited courses of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) in Catalonia. The ECC offers everyone, in an open way, the opportunity to train as an anthropometer, internationally accredited by ISAK.

These training courses are split into two levels: Level 1 lasts for 24 hours over three days, and Level 2 lasts for 32 hours over four days. This course provides the necessary skills to be able to assess the body composition of a person with scientifically validated criteria. In addition, the ECC has a collaboration agreement with Faixat Bodyscan, SL, a company specializing in DXA (double energy X-ray absorption), thanks to which it is possible to provide service to all individuals, clubs federations and institutions that wish to analyse the state of their health or their sports performance through an advanced body composition analysis.

For the past couple of years, the Montjuïc EFTE and the Caparrella EFTE have been providing the specific blocks jointly according to the volume of students interested in the sports modality.

We adapt to our students’ training needs. Depending on the demand, we can programme courses on fencing, gymnastics, swimming, artistic swimming, rugby, waterpolo...

The modalities that will be developed in the EFTE Caparrella and Montjuïc centres are:

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

ATHLETICS

BASKETBALL

CANOEING

FOOTBALL

FUTSAL

HANDBALL

LIFE SAVING AND RESCUE

SWIMMING

YACHTING

Master’s degrees and PhD programmes

At INEFC, we are committed to offering full, specialist and dynamic training to enter an increasingly demanding labour market. The Institute therefore organises master’s degrees in sport and exercise sciences to provide the specialisation that students need after having completed their degree, reaffirming our commitment to comprehensive, high quality training and linking academia and society.

MASTER’S DEGREES AND PHDS OPEN TO EUROPE

Through its affiliation with the universities of Barcelona and Lleida, INEFC offers university master’s degrees in the main professional areas of the sector. These programmes are adapted to the European Higher Education Area, a common system of compatible credits and comparable methods, in order to facilitate and promote the mobility and inclusion of students into the European labour market.

The PhD studies involve taking a programme that consists of a training period, which generally corresponds to a master’s degree, followed by a research period —managed by the faculty at INEFC and related with the different lines of research— ending with the reading and defence of the doctoral dissertation. A doctoral degree is the highest university certification and qualifies you to work in R&D.

INEFC’S OWN DEGREE PROGRAMMES

INEFC offers a set of its own degree programmes that are clearly aimed at specialisation, focusing on the professional application of the skills acquired in previous studies; and programmes in collaboration with other academic and professional institutions both nationally and internationally.

Master’s Degree in Sport Performance: Technification and High Level (RETAN)

Master’s in Physical Activity and Health (MAFiS)

Master’s in Sports Management

Master’s in Sports Organization Management

Master’s in Sports Law

Master’s in Secondary and Post-Compulsory Teacher Training, Vocational Teaching and Language Teaching

Master’s in n Psychology of Sports and Physical Activity

Master’s in Physical Activity and Education

Master’s Degree in Nutrition in Physical Activity and Sport (official qualifications)

Executive Master’s in Sport Governance (MESGO)

Executive Master’s Degree in Sports Organisation Management (MEMOS)

Professional

in High Performance in Team Sports

Indoor test with professional athlete to measure maximum speed

Master’s degree in teacher training

THE SKILLS THAT STUDENTS, FUTURE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, MUST OBTAIN

To be able to teach physical education at GCSE or A level and in the sport and exercise training cycles, you must take the university master’s degree in Teacher Training for Obligatory Secondary and A level education, Vocational Training, and the Teaching of Languages in the Physical Education speciality after your Physical Activity and Sport Sciences degree.

INEFC takes part by coordinating the physical education speciality of these master’s degrees organised by the universities of Barcelona and Lleida.

The master’s degree has a study load of 60 ECTS credits that can be taken in one year either in Lleida or in Barcelona, or in two years at the Lleida school. This study load is distributed as follows: 15 general teaching credits, 25 specific Physical Education teaching credits, 14 Practicum credits, and 6 final year project credits.

Given its work-related nature, this is above all a practical course. Hence, the priority methods are extremely active: problem solving, real cases, teamwork and Interdisciplinary approaches, two-way communication, criticism and auto-criticism, use of ITCs, etc. Its aim is to increase the training of vocational students to teach with skill and enthusiasm.

THE WORK OF THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER

Physical education during the four years of GCSE and first year of A levels. This is the part of the curriculum that is closest to the Physical Education teacher, an area of knowledge that must contribute to overall development, along with other educational disciplines. Within their area of the curriculum, teachers must also be able to help students in other subjects, multi-disciplinary projects, etc.

The supplementary sport and exercise activities. Physical Education teachers often play an active role in many of the sporting activities that the school offers during school hours, yet outside their subject matter. Ski trips, the organising of championships for different sports, and gymkhanas are just some examples.

Sport and exercise activities taking place at the school outside school hours are often organised by Physical Education teachers, thus ensuring an educational approach that is in line with the school’s educational programme.

In vocational training cycles, the subjects related with sport and exercise that can be found in either of the two cycles are: The leading of outdoor activities (intermediate level) and the monitoring of physical activities and sport (advanced level). These are also found in certain blocks of special sports education offered by the Department of Education.

GOAL: TO EQUIP STUDENTS TO

PLAN,

develop and evaluate teaching processes: lessons in line with their context, in terms of the school and the subject as well as the students.

TRANSFORM

the information obtained and processed into knowledge and apply it to the learning processes.

KNOW

interaction and communication processes and master social skills that encourage coexistence in the classroom, the settling of disputes, and discipline.

DEVELOP

equality-based learning spaces, emotional education, values, equal rights and opportunities, and respect for rights leading to a fairer and more humane society, based on the culture of peace and democratic values.

“A space for training, reflection and exchange so that future Physical Education teachers can supplement their teaching skills and acquire the necessary resources to adapt to the challenges and transformations required by the teaching procession in today’s society”.

Unai Sáez de Ocáriz Granja

Assistant Director

of Studies, INEFC Barcelona

“We are committed to the training of Physical Education teachers who ask themselves and reflect on what they teach, how they can teacher it better, why they teach and, above all, who: who am I as a teacher? This is a vital question because, as Parker J. Palmer says, ‘we teach who we are’. And we want to be vocational professionals with the desire to transform educational institutions, passionate about teaching and committed to the constant improvement of education”.

Eloísa Lorente Catalán Professor of the Master’s degree in the speciality of Physical Education (INEFC-UdL)

A CAFE graduate from INEFC Barcelona (2013-2017) with a RETAN master’s degree also from INEFC, Aitor Piedra has conducted research into load control in basketball and works as a rehabilitator in the FC Barcelona basketball section as well as being an associate professor at UVic. His teaching and professional activity focuses specifically on load control, the prevention of injuries, performance and basketball.

What does your work normally consist of?

I arrive early at the sports hall each morning with what we’ll do with the injured players planned since the day before, which we’ve already outlined. Because the player isn’t in the team dynamics, we call him to the gym to work with the injured structure and, if possible, we go out onto the court. I sometimes also have to work with the trainer with players who are not injured but who we believe need to strengthen a certain area, and we also work on treatment with physiotherapists. It’s a multi-disciplinary job.

What was your area of research at INEFC? After studying for my degree, I took the RETAN (Sport Performance: Technification and High Level) Master’s degree at INEFC too, and thanks to that I directed my research and my doctoral dissertation towards the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) as an organic indicator to control the load in both men’s and women’s basketball.

How would you define your career right now? I’m a sports fan who is lucky enough to work with players of the highest level and, because I’m linked to research, I can apply it in my profession. I can make a living from sport, performance, and I’m in contact with a world that I love: basketball. And research is what enables me to continue to improve as a professional.

How has the education you received at INEFC helped you on a professional level?

It’s been essential. I was there the same year that the specialities were introduced, and I opted for sports management. My professional profile is now completely different thanks to the RETAN Master’s degree I took. The best thing about INEFC is that it gives you overall training in many areas and they are all applicable in the real world.

Aitor Piedra

REHABILITATOR OF THE FC BARCELONA BASKETBALL SECTION

“I can apply research to my profession and make a living from performance and basketball”

What examples could you give?

However much I focus on performance, if I had no idea about management I wouldn’t be able to organise my everyday work and the logistics of a team of people. Or the knowledge of health, as I also work with the physical problems of the athletes. Even leisure.

Touching on so many subjects is a real advantage...

It is. Ultimately, I end up applying all kinds of contents, not just performance, and I’m in contact with other different professionals, such as doctors and trainers, thanks to this multi-disciplinary training.

“INEFC gives you overall training in many areas and they are all applicable in the real world”

What memories do you have of your university experience at INEFC?

After four intense years, CAFE is a degree that turns the people studying with you into family, because you share a lot of experiences with people and professionals who are very similar to you.

What do you remember particularly?

I remember all the people and my role model, Toni Caparrós, who was my PhD tutor and who does a fantastic job at INEFC because he’s so passionate about it.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

It’s hard to tell. Had you asked me a year ago, I would have never imagined I’d be here. The goal would be to continue training and learning from people who know more than I do. And with the research, which is what enables me to continue to improve as a professional.

Aitor at the Palau Blaugrana, working with Álex Abrines

A CAFE graduate from INEFC Barcelona (class of 2013-2017), she took a Master’s Degree in Sports Management at INEFC Lleida. She made the most of her internship at Dorna Sports, the company that organises the World Motorcycling Championship, to get involved in managing MiniGP, a category for young riders who dream about MotoGP.

Do you remember when you decided to study CAFE at INEFC?

During my GCSEs and A levels. I wanted to be a PE teacher. But once I started, I found out about the area of event management and organisation because I helped at the Moto Club Torrelles and had always been linked to this parallel world, like a kind of volunteer. As soon as I started studying Management at INEFC I decided to turn it into my career.

How did that happen?

My class was the first with the specialities: in the fourth year we could choose from Health, Performance, Education or Management. And I chose the last one, with specific subjects. And I then went on to take a Master’s Degree in Sports Management to study it in more detail.

When you finished your Master’s degree, what course did you want your career to take?

During the Master’s degree, I was able to do an internship in the marketing department of the company where I now work, Dorna Sports, and this enabled me to make contacts within the company. Later on, the company called me to say that there was a vacancy that suited my profile in another department.

And there’s where I am now, growing professionally in the talent promotion department which organises racing championships for young riders in other countries because most of the riders and winners of the championships are currently from Spain and Italy.

Your search goes beyond these two countries, doesn’t it? To find talent in other places. It’s an investment to diversify the origins of the riders. Different competitions have been created for different areas over recent years. And the MiniGP championship, which I’m responsible for, has been held since 202. This involves youngsters who race on smaller bikes and karts. Is the way they ride very similar to MotoGP. It’s the project that runs to the maximum category, linked to the national federations, with the coordination of the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation).

And when do you come into play?

When the season is ending, at the same time as the Valencia GP, a world final is organised with the best racers from every country in a karting circuit located next to Cheste, with youngsters aged between 10 and 14 or between 12 and 16. This year there might be up to 70 riders.

What does your everyday work involve?

We work a lot by e-mail and video conferencing right from the start of the day. But I don’t have a very strict routine, it depends on the projects. For me, the pre-season is when there is most work, along with the end of the season. I’m responsible for controlling the media, the production of materials, the corporate image, preparing corporate documents and arranging

“As soon as I started studying Management at INEFC I knew I wanted to work in this area”

everything we have to produce. I travel when there’s a competition and I work there from Tuesday to Sunday. I’m also in charge of the operational organisation of the FIM MiniGP World Series Final event: from speaking with the federations and the families of the riders to coordinating the logistics of the material, sponsors, etc.

How has the education you received at INEFC helped you on a professional level?

I was initially quite certain about how to apply everything I had studied to managing an event. Now I have much more experience in the company and I don’t have to think about that education so much. At the start it was really helpful, particularly the Management speciality and the Master’s degree.

What do you remember of your time at university? It was really good. I remember suffering because I had to study, but I also remember having a great time. I studied what I enjoyed, and I learned. Working in what I enjoyed was a motivation. I also remember the friends and the teaching staff, particularly Francesc Solanellas who I took the Master’s degree with and who helped me join Dorna Sports.

“When I started work, I was quite certain about how to apply everything I had studied to managing an event”

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time? I was asked a similar question, precisely by Francesc Solanellas, during the first year of my degree, and I remember having said that I would like to work in the MotoGP World Championship. Ten years later, and I’m there. It’s hard to say, because I like what I do, but one step forward would be to work in a MotoGP team or even look for a new challenge, such as padel tennis which I really like. But always involving sports management.

Bet works with young MiniGP drivers

Choose your path

WORK IN: Health

Adaptation for athletes in recovery

Technician in the design of physical activity and sport

Technician in the promotion of physical exercise for health

Coordinator of physical activity programmes for specific groups

Personal trainer

SPECIALISE:

Master’s in Physical Activity and Health (MAFiS)

A master’s degree to train professionals with high qualifications in the field of physical activity and health, with a professional or scientific orientation. Students can choose between two specialities: the prescribing of physical exercise or sports rehabilitation and readaptation.

WORK IN: Teaching

Physical Education teacher

Coordinator of after-school activities and of sport and exercise programmes

Physical Education teacher for students with special educational needs in the field of inclusion

Physical sports educator in the field of inclusive adapted sports and in sports federations

Expert in social action of physical activity

Sport technician in prisons

SPECIALISE:

Master’s Degree in Teacher Training

To be able to teach Physical Education at GCSE or A level and in the sport and exercise training cycles, you must take the university master’s degree in Teacher Training for Obligatory Secondary and A level education, Vocational Training, and the Teaching of Languages after your SES degree.

WORK IN: Management

and leisure

Sports consultant

Management of sports organizations and entities

Management of sports events and competitions

Management of sports facilities

Entrepreneur in the area of physical activity and sport

SPECIALISE:

Master’s Degree in Sports Organization Management

The Master’s Degree in Sports Management offers thorough training for different career opportunities currently involving sport administration in each of the specific areas of sport. You can choose between two pathways: professionalisation or research.

WORK IN: Sports performance

Physical trainer for sports teams

Personal trainer

Technician and trainer in sports performance

Trainer of performance specialists

Researcher in the field of sports performance

Coordinator/technician of competitive sports teams

SPECIALISE:

Master’s Degree in Sports Performance: Technification and High Level (RETAN)

RETAN provides students with tools to expand their professional and research knowledge of sport performance. They therefore learn how to optimise the training process in terms of technification and at high levels.

WORK IN: Natural environment

Promotion in the area of sports tourism

Manager or director of an outdoor sports facility

Technical director of outdoor sport and exercise

Coordinator of mountain, snow, sea and river activities

Expert in the planning and organisation of active tourism programmes and products

Specialist in sports activities associated with tourism and/or leisure

SPECIALISE:

Master’s Degree in Sports Law

The Master’s Degree in Sports Law aimed at Law graduates has become the best option to specialise in the sector of sports case law.

Master’s Degree in Sports Management

The Master’s Degree in Sports Management is given entirely online. Its goal is to provide indepth knowledge of the duties involved in the design, planning, monitoring and control of sports programmes, technician training, and sport or exercise promotion. The programme includes visits and work placements in nationally and internationally renowned centres.

Mònica Andreu combines her job as a teacher at the Maria Rúbies Secondary School in Lleida with her work as a coordinator and coach of the women’s basketball teams at Club Força Lleida, from junior to first-year youth. She belongs to the tenth year graduates at INEFC Lleida (1991-1996).

Where does this vocation of yours for teaching and sport come from?

I have wanted to be a teacher or be involved in sport from an early age. I always played a lot of sports: swimming, tennis, rhythmic gymnastics, futsal, basketball, etc. I swung towards basketball at the age of eleven, and at sixteen I got my instructor’s licence and started to coach.

When did INEFC come into your life?

I was quite sure that I wanted to study at INEFC, but the doubts started to arise when I was sixteen and suffered a knee injury while playing basketball. Because I wasn’t able to take the entry trials due to the injury, I tried with a year of History while I recovered. Doctor Biosca, who was the Anatomy professor and who I’m really fond of, told me that I could do whatever I wanted. I passed the trials and... here I am.

What has studying at INEFC Lleida given you? They were the best years of my life. I learned a lot. The curriculum has changed. There used to be a wide variety of sports and theory that I was unfamiliar with. I learned a lot from that range of activities, such as dynamic expression, sports such as judo and rugby, anatomy, physiology, psychology, etc.

How has physical education evolved since you finished your studies?

A lot, if I compare what I did at school with what is done now. I’ve always worked in state-run secondary schools and have seen that there’s a large number of students who don’t do any sport, especially the girls. I’m obsessed with ensuring the two hours of Physical Education are used for sport, so that they can see different activities and enjoy exercise.

Is there much difference between what you teach at school and what you do at Força Lleida? Yes, especially in terms of motivation and group control, which means I can use the time better. The greatest difference, however, is between when I started coaching, 25 years ago, and now. And between my first stint as a basketball coach, which lasted until I was twenty nine, and the second, which started six years ago. I’m always looking for motivation through the variety of contents so that students can be involved in sport in the future.

How has studying at INEFC helped you in your career?

Although I prefer basketball and team sports, the training I received enabled me to each a wide variety of activities: if I have to do expression, I can do; if I have to use music, I can do that too. In our school we try to do a lot of activities. First year students now do parkour, the second year do swimming, the third year duathlon, and the fourth year play padel tennis. We’re in a neighbourhood in which students don’t have the opportunities of those from other parts of

Mònica Andreu

TEACHER AT THE MARIA RÚBIES SECONDARY SCHOOL IN LLEIDA

“I look for motivation using the variety of contents so that students can be involved in sport in the future”

Lleida, and we give them these possibilities of trying different activities.

What can a CAFE graduate contribute to society? The advantage of being able to work in a lot of different areas, such as education, performance, health, etc. Educating people in movement gives them values that can only be obtained through sport. And sport clearly shows respect for team mates and rules, how to deal with frustration, etc. What would our world be like without physical activity?

“INEFC Lleida was fantastic, the dream of anyone like me who wanted to be involved in sports”

What role does physical education have in the education of youngsters?

In education, I want three hours a week to be taught instead of two. Another hour of sport would be essential for society. And a PE teacher, who needs a lot of patience and empathy (because we’ve all been teenagers) as well as a short memory, should have more time.

What memories do you have of your education at INEFC?

I remember the facilities: the pool, the sports hall, the tatami... It was fantastic, the dream of anyone like me who wanted to do sport and had everything available to them. I formed special ties with my classmates by sharing physical activity, a value that can’t be created in the classroom. I remember professors such as Paco Biosca, Àlex Gordillo, Rafa Marín, Tòfol Sala, David Carreras, Freddy Joven, Marta Castañer, Mercè Mateu, Xavier Peirau, and Joan Fuster, etc. They all made sure I enjoyed the five years of the degree, with a balance between theory and practice that I really liked.

Mònica, at the María Rúbies Secondary School in Lleida

Maria Herrmann is Project Specialist in the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team, which takes part in the America’s Cup.

A CAFE graduate from the class of 2018-2022 at INEFC Barcelona after studying Marketing and Advertising, she enjoys her passion for sport and management.

What is your role in the team?

My work consists of organising and connecting the different areas managing the activities of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing team. A typical day starts with e-mails and then, on the battlefield, with the team, to see how we can meet the short and long-term goals.

How would you define your career up to now, a year after graduating in CAFE?

Multi-tasking. I arrived at this job after a long stretch in the sailing world, especially related to leisure, with large yachts. When I finished my degree, I managed fleets of boats in the Balearic Islands and in Barcelona, and I was responsible for all the management, both external and internal, and for the crew. But my goal was always to work in a company like Red Bull, so I didn’t hesitate when the chance arose.

“INEFC is a tool you have to know how to control and use to reach where you want to be”

Why?

The offer encompassed my entire background, as it combined sports, the sea, yachting and boats... When I arrived at INEFC, this was the second degree I had done because I had already studied Marketing and Advertising and was more focused on design. I ended up in CAFE because I realised that, despite spending my whole life trying to ignore it, the fact was that my everyday life was based on sport, which was what made me get up each morning and what motivated me.

And how did it happen?

After two years in the workplace, I wasn’t completely satisfied and wanted to take this path. I didn’t know it would involve yachting, but I did know that I wanted to reach a place where I could work in professional sports and, above all, in management and organisation. I wanted to combine the two, but I didn’t know how.

And then you arrived at INEFC, where you thought you could combine these two spirits of yours... That’s right. INEFC was a great sporting reference for me. I had always followed its activity and some friends who had been studying here had really encouraged me. I liked its lifestyle. And I thought that, if I could combine my goals with the tools I was given by INEFC, I would reach where I wanted to be.

Maria Herrmann PROJECT SPECIALIST IN THE ALINGHI RED BULL RACING TEAM

“I combined my goals with the tools I was given by INEFC to reach where I wanted to be”

How does the education you received help you in your profession?

Well, for example, through the contacts I’ve made. I was inspired quite a lot by the professors of sports events, such as Susana Vega, by their background and because they me brave enough to go out and take risks that I never thought possible. INEFC is a tool you have to know how to control and use to reach where you want to be. There’s a lot of competition in the workplace, especially in terms of management, because applicants can come from other degrees: Business Administration and Management, Economics, Law... We have to prove that INEFC produces good professionals who have a great deal to contribute.

“I ended up in CAFE because my everyday life was based on sport, which is what motivated me”

It’s not been long since you left INEFC. Do you still have any ties?

I have two main groups: the Ossos in rugby, who very often gave me a great deal of support when I started with them just after Covid, and the group of classmates who have always supported me in all the crazy things I’ve done, like when they called me to offer me a job for five days in Mexico and I had to catch the plane two days later. And I have a really good relationship with professors from other areas, like Alfredo Irurtia and Marta Carrasco, who made me doubt whether or not to choose management.

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

Right now I’m in a project that ends in a year’s time. I’ve joined one of the companies I most admire, with people who are great role models to continue learning. I would like to continue with my education, although I think yachting is an area in which I could develop my skills much more. But that’s in a future that seems a long way off...

Maria, during an event organised by Red Bull

Photo: @Marco Rossini

A CAFE graduate from INEFC Barcelona (class of 2011-2015) with a master’s degree in Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation in Football (Castilla-La Mancha University, with the collaboration of the RFEF), Sara Mérida had to extend her degree for one year due to the four cruciate ligament operations she underwent just as she started to shine in RCD Espanyol in the First Division. She admits that, “without a doubt”, she would have taken the dual degree with Physiotherapy at INEFC Lleida had it existed when she was a student.

When did you decide that you wanted to work in sport?

From a very young age, I always wanted to be involved in sport and it was what made me happy. As a teenager, I was sure that I wanted to work in the field because it was what I liked doing. The first year I was injured, I had finished the second year of high school and I had to enrol. Thankfully, because I was on the high performance lists, I was able to do so. My injuries led me to the conditioning, performance and health side of CAFE.

You gained strength from your misfortune... Yes, in fact I ended up specialising in knees and I’ve even taken a Master’s Degree in Prevention and Rehabilitation, which means that there’s a fine line in my everyday work between health and performance. I’ve learned more from all my experiences than any amount of courses I could have done.

How do you combine your different professional profiles each day?

Everything changed a few months ago because I was working in a clinic dealing in knee rehabilitation and, above all, cruciate ligament tears. I even made a name for myself in the subject and was highly sought after. But I’m now in a higher performance tennis centre, the TEC (Tennis Empowerment Center), because junior and professional players motivated me, as did working in prevention and rehabilitation to put an end to imbalances. I also coach the Club Esportiu Europa B women’s football team, which is the job I would like to do full-time in the future while I finish my coaching courses (I’m in the penultimate one, UEFA A).

Many youngsters recognise you because you were in the Queens League, weren’t you? Yes, because I came out of retirement after a long time, a whole decade, to play 7-aside football with Pío, but I had to stop after a few months due to another cruciate ligament tear. I’m still with the team as its assistant coach.

How would you define your career after having graduated from INEFC?

It was a privilege because I graduated with a very solid theoretical base and I was able to work in the field as soon as I left. INEFC gave me the bases for organising my everyday routine and what I have been adding to my professional experience. I now work in the TEC, a highly regarded place, and before that I worked with the RCD Espanyol women’s team as a

Sara Mérida

FORMER FOOTBALLER AND CURRENT COACH OF THE WOMEN’S CLUB ESPORTIU EUROPA B

“My injuries led me to performance, conditioning and health”

rehabiltator and conditioner for four years, and as assistant coach for the last year. I’ve been with Europa for the past two years, and we were promoted in the first season. It’s quite a busy life, but I’m really happy with my professional evolution.

Given that your ultimate goal is to be a head football coach, do you think your experience in conditioning, rehabilitation and performance will help you?

Having work in all these positions (as well as the assistant coach and even as an analyst) is the best way of putting yourself in the shoes of the entire technical team. Football is increasingly multi-disciplinary and the team is important, but the people in the technical team are also essential. The coach must know how to lead, and extra motivation and empathy sometimes go a long way. In my case, this versatility sets me apart from the rest. I’ve a long way to go before I’m in a semi-professional role as a coach, but my overall experience and training will help a lot in the future.

“INEFC is an open and happy place where you make hundreds of friends”

What do you remember about your time at INEFC?

I spent four and a half years of the five years of the degree with a knee injury. I wasn’t able to enjoy the degree because I wasn’t in a good place personally, the worst time of my life due to these relapses. I couldn’t find my place, and I didn’t feel happy in myself. I really feel bad about that, not having enjoyed it like everyone around me was doing.

It wasn’t the best time of your life, then... Despite that, I recommend the degree course because it’s authentic and unique: the human values, the personal relationships, the proximity with the professors... In all these aspects, INEFC marks the difference with other universities that offer CAFE: it’s an open and happy place where you make hundreds of friends, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked nor did I show what Sara was really like.

Sara returned to the pitch in the Queens League

The founders of Lapica, Pere Vilella and Jordi Broca, are Physical Education graduates from INEFC Barcelona (1994-1999) and INEFC Lleida (1993-1998), respectively. Through their company, they manage activities of all kinds in the rural environment, aimed at primary and secondary schools but also at high performance centres, companies and all kinds of organisations wishing to enjoy activities in the countryside.

How did Lapica come about?

It was established in 1993 in Ponts (La Noguera) as a company providing activities in the rural environment and was initially called Segre Mitjà. It started acquiring accommodation in 1996 to develop these activities. In around the year 2000, we started to organise team building activities for companies. Lapica is now formed by two companies: one dealing in activities in the rural environment for schools and accommodation, and the other dealing in the organisation of events for companies.

What has your career path linked to the rural environment and to sport been like?

When we were young, we worked as monitors and combined this with our degrees, and we realised it could be a good career opportunity. Time went by, and the project became a success. The time then came when we were involved full-time and were able to earn a wage over the whole year, not just in the summertime. We’ve now been working in this activity for over thirty years.

With this experience accumulated over thirty years, do you think working in the rural environment is a good career opportunity for CAFE graduates? We’ve seen that these graduates are increasingly considering the rural environment as a career opportunity because they can also progress thanks to their knowledge and skills. We surround ourselves with people we are comfortable with. The degree gives you very communication skills and physical expression, which means these graduates are able to perform very diverse tasks, not only for education or performance. At the end of the day, the most important thing in a professional is attitude.

“A small customer can lead to a large customer. We adapt as much as possible to the customer”

What memories do you have of your education at INEFC?

We had great fun. At the time, we might not have thought that some of the subjects would be of any use to us, but we’ve seen over time that they’ve all been useful. But above all, it led to a large network of contacts for our work. Many of our customers are from INEFC and they have decision-making skills. The fact that one of us is from INEFC Lleida

Jordi Broca and Pere Vilella

FOUNDERS OF LAPICA TRIPS&EVENTS

“CAFE graduates increasingly see the natural environment as a career opportunity”

and the other from INEFC Barcelona has helped make contacts.

What type of customers do you have? What do you look for in these customers?

We have packages of adventure sports for beginners in the different summer camps we run. At the end of the day, we believe that a small customer can lead to a large customer. We adapt as much as possible to the needs of customers.

What were the main milestones over these thirtyplus years of your careers?

The first was when we started to implement all the activities. The next step was to delegate and manage. And then, the third was to use all our knowledge to plan growth. We now want to replicate this knowledge as much as possible to continue growing.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in the rural environment?

It requires a lot of time and enthusiasm. And don’t believe you’ll see the results right from the outset. It’s a long-term career in which there’s no place for impatience. For a project to work, you have to spend a lot of time on it, and to spend a lot of time of it you have to like the project. Afterwards, sooner or later, the results will come, unless you give up at the first hurdle.

Jordi Broca, in action in the natural environment

Jordi Broca

Pere Vilella

Sergi Sáez decided to take the CAFE degree at INEFC to earn a living from exercise and health while he was involved in triathlons. Later on, he took a master’s degree in Sport Nutrition in Northern Ireland. Marc Cuenca followed a similar path before first taking CAFE and then a professional master’s degree in High Performance in Team Sports at Mastercede and INEFC. The “Transfórmate la vida” project arose after spending many years in class together, with the idea of combining their respective specialities of nutrition and training.

When did your joint project start?

We’ve know each other since we were little, and the project as such started in 2018. We complemented each other thanks to our CAFE education in the specialities of nutrition and training, although we also had prior experience in social media content, website programming and digital marketing. These cross-cutting contents are essential nowadays, along with an entrepreneurial spirit, when thinking of a business model in the digital world.

How did “Transfórmate la vida” come about?

We were sure of the fact that we wanted to help people transform their appearance. It’s not just a matter of aesthetics but also involves feeling good on a daily basis, being in good health in later years, and tackling

such simple activities as climbing a ladder. Changing physically also means changing mentally. And that transforms your life.

How do you market it?

How we would both do it remotely stemmed from the main idea, with personalised plans. The name comes from the fact that, ultimately, you have to transform yourself through exercise and a healthy diet. At the end of the day, this leads to better self-esteem, happiness and feeling good about yourself and what’s around you.

In your experience, do you think the pandemic was a turning point in the lives of a lot of people? We already had a job to do as physical trainers, and the project was running half-heartedly. So between 2018 and 2020 we gave shape to everything that couldn’t be seen: the website, for example. And when the pandemic started, we suddenly lost a lot of our revenues and needs to make changes.

What were they?

We made the most of the situation to finish defining how, with little action and little money, our clientele could get the best results. We prefer to have a few customers and offer a top-quality service. And the pandemic meant that a lot of people started exercising at home, which was our formula.

Sergi Sáez and Marc Cuenca

FOUNDERS OF THE ON-LINE CLUB “TRANSFÓRMATE LA VIDA”

“Changing physically also means changing mentally. And that transforms your life”

What did your prior education in CAFE lend to your enterprising project?

Beyond an education that enabled us to create a training plan with a follow-up, we realised that professional success requires more than just an education. Knowledge of training is essential but knowing how to attract customers is too.

What do you mean?

We asked ourselves: “If we have the best training in the subject, why aren’t people using us?” It’s also important to know something about psychology and how the mind works. CAFE gave us the basics, but science evolves and we have to be continually updating our knowledge to offer a good service. It also gave us scientific rigour and criteria to consider scenarios regarding health.

“We were sure of the fact that we wanted to help people transform their appearance”

What memories do you have of INEFC and of your experience there?

It’s a really fun degree that opens your mind a great deal through the practice of many different sports. Sports help you connect and socialise, which is why we still have friends from that time. Its a very intense education which must later be expanded on for further knowledge in the areas of interest in each case.

How important is a CAFE graduate and what can they bring to society?

Health for people, as they acquire better habits, and helping to fight sedentarianism and the epidemic of a lack of physical activity, with its subsequent problems such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, obesity, etc. And also performance, with more in-depth advice than what might be given by other professions, such as medicine.

Marc Cuenca and Sergi Sáez are the two driving forces behind a transformative project

Through

Mayte Serrat, a physiotherapist and psychologist, heads the Master’s degree in Osteopathy at the Gimbernat University Schools and has a busy academic life. And now, this mountain enthusiast is also in her second year of CAFE at INEFC Barcelona while leading the non-profit CIM Project, which links the countryside and exercise with the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Why does someone with your prior training end up taking CAFE?

I’ve always thought about it. In fact, when I started in Physiotherapy, I had already passed the entrance exams. So it was an unresolved matter because I’ve always really liked sport. What’s more, the non-profit organisation I’m leading, CIM Project, has reached agreements with INEFC students. Doing activities in the mountains has shown me that the CAFE graduate and the mountain sport technician are those with the greatest skills. And because it was an unresolved matter for the past thirty years, I gave it a try...and I’m in the second year, and really eager to finish.

How did CIM Project come about?

I am part of the Central Sensitisation Syndrome

Experience Unit at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, lo which means that my healthcare, teaching, research and educational activity is based on treating people with fibromyalgia, chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. Linked to my doctoral dissertation, I designed the Fibrowalk therapy — which has proven to be effective—, based on the mountains. I thought that I could improve the results if we conducted the therapy outdoors instead of in the hospital.

How do you do that?

I wanted to take the therapy to El Cargol park, right next to the hospital, and it’s now available for anyone through CIM Project, providing continuity altruistically, as social work. CIM Project started on 20 December 2020, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, but it has been running as an association in its own right for a year and a half.

How do the mountains and exercise help in inclusivity and in until-now incurable diseases such as fibromyalgia?

We have gone on outings covering 15 kilometres with climbs of one thousand metres with people who might not have been able to get out of bed or leave the house five years ago. Merely exposing them to the countryside in a park has a great many physical and psychological benefits, but if we also use the countryside for a specific intervention, like a mountaineering club, with a leisure activity, the benefits are multiplied. As an inclusive club, we promote the capabilities of everyone, with or without disabilities.

“CAFE is a fantastic degree that I’m really enjoying. I love it”

How did you come to combine physiotherapy, psychology and, now, the CAFE education?

All this can be summarised into fibromyalgia, pain, inclusion and nature. It’s my world. Everything is included in CIM Project, which integrates everything to continue helping people in educating the brain to reduce chronic pain. And I do it in the countryside. It’s that easy and complex at the same time.

Mayte Serrat

HEAD OF MULTI-COMPONENT GROUP THERAPY AT THE CENTRAL SENSITISATION SYNDROME

EXPERIENCE UNIT AT THE VALL D’HEBRON HOSPITAL IN BARCELONA

“I help educate the brain to reduce chronic pain. And I do it in the countryside”

What does the INEFC students who do their practicum at CIM Project provide and what sets them apart?

They are a cornerstone: people specialised in physical exercise. The club couldn’t exist without them. The people coming from INEFC help us with the correct management, development and organisation and the safety of the outings, on the understanding that these future professionals will have to be certified in mountaineering.

How is the education you are receiving at INEFC helping you on a professional level?

Right now, I’m at a stage of integrating and remembering the knowledge. Our capacity to absorb knowledge is limited. I would like to choose the management path, but I’m taking the degree for a matter of skills and responsibility, as a Practicum tutor of students.

“As an inclusive club, we promote the capabilities of everyone, with or without disabilities”

What do you think you’ll gain from INEFC when you finish your stage as a student?

I’ve already gained. But it’ll be hard to finish it because of everything I have on my plate. I have to do the entire third year, without any validations, and it’ll be hard. It’s a fantastic degree that I’m really enjoying. I love it.

As such a restless woman, where do you see yourself in ten years time?

I’ve been a canyon guide, a mountain guide, and an international tennis referee at tournaments such as Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and at the 2008 Peking and 2012 London Olympic Games, but I still have three things left to do: go to the South Pole (I’ve only ever been to the North Pole), climb Everest (although I have reached the seven thousand meter mark), and go to the Moon. But for now I’m right where I wanted to be. I’ve never done the same thing for so long. Because everything I do ends up converging in the essence of CIM Project, which is my life and my passion.

CIM Project, Mayte links the countryside and exercise with the treatment of fibromyalgia

At INEFC we do research

Year after year, INEFC has established itself as a pioneering leader in research and innovation in the field of physical activity and sport sciences.

Through its research groups, INEFC generates, develops and implements innovative projects and studies in the fields of health and physical activity, sport performance, physical education and the more social and organisational side to sport, through the raising of private and public resources. A total of seven research groups recognised by the Generalitat de Catalunya through the University and Research Grant Management Agency (AGAUR), plus two INEFC-UdL in-house research groups and collaboration with other external groups, make research one of the cornerstones of INEFC. Alongside this and to promote the training of research personnel, every year INEFC announces training contracts for research staff to conduct research in order to obtain a PhD while taking part in and supporting the hiring of researchers during their post-doctoral stage.

RESEARCH GROUPS RECOGNISED BY THE AGAUR (SGR) ATTACHED TO INEFC

Social and Educational Research Group in Sport and Exercise (GISEAFE). Group established and funded 2021 SGR 01189 https:/inefcgiseafe.com/

Research Group in Physical Activity, Food and Health (GRAFAIS). Group established 2021 SGR 01190. http:/php.inefc.net/grafis/

Research Group in Sport Sciences INEFC Barcelona (GRCEIB). Group established 2021 SGR 01191 https:/inefcresearch.wordpress.com/

Research Group in Complex Systems and Sport. Group established 2021 SGR 00846 www.complexsystemsinsport.com

Research Group in Motor Activity (GIAM). Group established 2021 SGR 00847 http:/praxiologiamotriz.inefc.es

UDL-INEFC IN-HOUSE RESEARCH GROUPS

Research Group in Development and Innovation in Physical Fitness and Exercise (DICFE). Group recognised by the UdL and INEFC.

Research Group in Teaching Physical Activity for Education, Culture and Well-being (DECUBIAF). Group recognised by the UdL and INEFC.

RESEARCH GROUPS RECOGNISED BY THE AGAUR (SGR) WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF INEFC

Human Movement Research Group. Group established 2021 SGR 01619. www.movimenthuma.udl.cat

Group of Observation and Neurocognition Applied to Motor Skills and Sport. Established group of the Regional Government of Catalonia. Design Research and Innovation Group (GRID). Group established and funded 2021 SGR 00718. Application to motor skills and sport. GRID is a UB research group linked to the UdL; the R&D project is linked to the UB. http:/lom.observesport.com/

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT

TRAINING AND SPORT PERFORMANCE

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

SOCIAL RESEARCH AND SPORT MANAGEMENT

TERRITORY MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Sport psychology has been a growing discipline over recent years. Its contribution to sport in areas such as performance, education, health, management and others has been essential and will remain as such in the future. This article strives to highlight the role that INEF centres in Catalonia have played in this development, in both education and research and in the field applied to sport projects.

The contents of psychology have always played an important role in the curricula of the INEF centres, present in the first class in Madrid in 1967 and in that of Barcelona in 1975. Subjects such as Physical Activity and Sport Psychology, Educational Psychology or Developmental Psychology have been present in the education of CAFE graduates. José María Cagigal was one of its primary defenders during these early stages. At INEFC Barcelona, role models such as Gloria Balagué, Joan Riera, Josep Roca and Jaume Cruz built upon this area and made it prestigious. In 1982, with the creation of INEFC Lleida, Joan Palmi and the author of this article, as of the year 1984, had the chance to begin and build upon the training in psychology over these past 40 years in the different curricula.

The important role of INEFC has not only focused on education but also on promotion through congresses, science days and associations such as ACPE (Catalan Association of Sport Psychology) in 1983 and the organisation of the 1st National Sport Psychology Congress in 1986, which led to the creation of the FEPD (Spanish Federation of Sport Psychology) in 1987.

WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY?

If we understand psychology as the science that studies behaviour, we will discover a vast diversity of visions and models to comprehend and understand it. In view of this, the initial teachers decided to offer the interbehavioural model proposed by Emilio Ribes based on the philosophical and epistemological ideas

Àlex Gordillo Molina

FORMER HEAD PROFESSOR OF LEARNING AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT AT INEFC LLEIDA BETWEEN 1984 AND 2023

The importance of the INEF centres in Catalonia in terms of sport psychology

of J. R. Kantor. In this model, behaviour is understood as the interaction of the person with all the dimensions of their environment: physical, biological and social. This systemic vision of behaviour also allows for the scope of study of psychology to be defined and, at the same time, to facilitate the relationship with the other physical activity and sport sciences to give future graduates a multi-disciplinary, integral vision of their subject of study: movement in all its dimensions.

WHAT DOES PSYCHOLOGY GIVE TO CAFE STUDIES?

If we understand psychology as the study of interactions, we must have a systematic vision that foresees not only the answers of our students, athletes or customers but also their interaction in a specific medium, as well as all the factors that might have an affect at any given time. Therefore, behaviour must be studied from a field model that includes interaction, the contact medium in which it is produced, and considering all the factors that might impact this interaction, either past or present. This is the scenario that CAFE students must consider in any of the areas in which they want to progress in their careers. Knowledge of psychology will enable them to ensure their students, athletes or customers improve their interactions through movement. Helping with better relationships, which means being able to constantly adapt, must be one of the main goals, because as people we are constantly evolving, and our environment is too.

Two very important aspects: identifying in this evolution the transitions and changes resulting from sport or academic development (changes in academic cycle or sport category, for example) and the transitions due to the changes in our environment (ecosystem), such as a club, training centre, place of residence, etc. For these transitions to be possible, sport technicians must make it easier for their students, athletes or customers to adapt to these new situations through the learning of personal resources and skills, and developing strategies in the centres and clubs where they work to encourage this through integration programmes, follow-up plans or personalised assistance.

Another aspect in which knowledge of psychology will help towards a good praxis in sport will be the personalisation capacity of the learning and training programmes. In an increasingly diverse and complex society, teaching must adapt to specific needs that consider all this diversity. A complex yet exciting challenge for which professionals in physical activity and sport must have resources to ensure the learning and adaptation of their students, athletes or customers in all their diversity.

A good level of physical activity and sport should make it easier to meet the basic needs that determine a health lifestyle. On a psychological level, these basic needs would be to feel competent, to be increasingly independent, and to acquire positive and affective social relationships. Sport is a great tool that, if properly directed, will allow for these basic needs to be met at any age and in any environment:

The feeling of competence is achieved through practice, training and effort, and the main overriding goal for any athlete must be to improve and to learn. Aware that results are extremely relevant in our society, an approach that focuses more on the process than the results is necessary, in the knowledge that these are a consequence of which we do not always have any control.

Independence is linked to the capability of selfregulation and control, of knowing how to solve problems, of knowing how to motivate oneself and be creative, among others, and improving self-esteem will be a fundamental aspect of this process.

The capability to establish social relationships is another aspect in which sport can play a fundamental role, and anyone who has been involved in a sport will know the ties it has created in our lives and the values we have acquired if it has been satisfactory and correctly directed.

It is here that one of the most complex challenges in our current society acquires particular relevance, mental health, which is a primordial and cross-cutting goal in all areas of action of CAFE graduates and that must involve ensuring the people and athletes with whom we work relate effectively and affectively with their environment.

New challenges that force us to continue growing and, as an example of this, the creation of INEFC Pyrenees in La Seu d’Urgell and once again hosting the upcoming 13th National Sport Psychology Congress at INEFC Barcelona in June 2024, as a meeting point for experts to continue sharing experiences and to continue innovating to respond to today’s challenges.

The ongoing contribution with new professors and new challenges, such as the adaptation of the curricula to new guidelines that allow for this important legacy of INEFC in sport and physical activity psychology to remain in place and to improve.

Aleix Mora

ASSISTANT PHYSICAL TRAINER OF THE AL-WAKRAH SPORT CLUB AND OF THE QATAR MEN’S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

“We’ve won one Asian Cup and I’ve exceeded my expectations, although my main goal is to remain linked to football, which is what I love”

Born in Terrassa, with a CAFE degree from INEFC Lleida (2016-2020) and a Master’s degree in High Performance in Team Sports from Mastercede, Aleix is a football fan who, from one day to the next, went from working in physical training in the Spanish Third Division to winning the Asian Cup with the Qatar national team last February.

Congratulations for winning the Asian Cup with the Qatar men’s national football team. How did you manage to join the technical team at such a young age?

Everything started in July 2023, when I came to the Al-Wakrah Sport Club, a model team from the first division in Qatar that had been very successful for the past few years with a technical team made up of Catalans and Spaniards, such as Bartolomé “Tintín” Márquez, Diego Orejuela (former players from RCD Espanyol), Sergio Márquez and Xavier Pedrero, among others. The physical trainer, who studied CAFE at INEFC Lleida, needed someone to help him manage the activations and the supplementary strength work.

And how did your name come up?

Through a friend we have in common. He contacted me and I decided to come to Qatar, as I had already left my job as a physical trainer at the Third Division CD Binéfar after four years. And with the resignation of the head coach, the Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, the entire technical team ended up managing the Qatar national team in the Asian Cup, which was played at home.

What do you do there? What is your role?

It’s a very different role to that of the national team, because you spend every day in pre-match preparation. In Qatar, most clubs train in the afternoon due to the weather. In summer, the temperature can feel like up to 55 ºC. Because we train at around six in the afternoon, I arrive two hours beforehand and the entire technical body meets the medical team in the office to design what we’ll do with the physical trainer.

And then?

Then I go to the gym area, where the players train with their respective schedules, depending on their needs. We then go to the training pitch and the work depends on the day of the week and the date of the matches. Everything is always extremely automated, and very few routines change.

And when training is over, what do you do? We give a general evaluation of how the session has gone and analyse the GPS data... It’s a massive change from my experience in the Spanish Third Division. This is very professional football.

Do you think the education you received at INEFC helps you on a professional level?

I wanted to work in football, but I thought it was a pipe dream. I tried to take the parts of all the subject that I

Four years after graduating,

thought would help me on my way, so all the subjects gave me something extra. Absolutely everything I touched on at INEFC has contributed in some way in my career.

Which subjects did you like the most?

I really enjoyed subjects such as Training theory with Jorge Serna, Methodology with Kike Lacasa, and Handball with Gerard Lasierra... And above all, the person I remember most fondly: Ángel Ric, the football professor, who gave me the confidence to follow my dream.

What do you remember from INEFC Lleida?

INEFC Lleida has something very special: there were a lot of us who weren’t from Lleida. Studying there and having an experience like that, on my own, was the best decision of my life. The friends you make there are for life. A degree course such as CAFE creates very strong ties with the teaching staff and among the students. It’s an unique opportunity to open up and experience new environments.

“Studying CAFE at INEFC Lleida and having an experience like that was the best decision of my life”

Will you remain linked to football in the future?

I hope football will continue to offer me great experiences and lessons, and that I can earn a living from this passion of mine. It’s a hard thing to do and maintain, because it’s a very unstable job. But I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by very professional people with great experience. Beyond having won one Asian Cup, my goal is remain linked to football, which is my passion and a continuous learning curve.

Aleix has won a national team championship

Photo: @QFA

Photo: @QFA

A CAFE graduate from INEFC Lleida (1993-1998), with a master’s degree and a PhD, he has always combined his teaching work at the university with training. He has been the coach of different categories of the Catalan Football Federation (FCF) and its technical director, as well as for Vissel Kobe, and was even the latter’s head coach. He was a football professor at INEFC, director of the Professional Master’s Degree in Football, organised jointly with FC Barcelona, and director of the RETAN Master’s degree from INEFC.

What does a working day as sports director of FC Barcelona look like?

I arrive at eight in the morning and hold all my meetings over the next hour and a half. I then go to the first team’s training session, although before it starts I talk to the coach to discuss any new issues. Once the training session has ended, I speak to the odd player as follow-up. My afternoons are spent doing representation and observation work, through scouting which allows me to prepare the next season.

How do you apply all the research you’ve done at INEFC in your everyday life as a professional? Never in a million years will I be able to do such advanced research as that of other colleagues, but I have noticed that the applied part of research is increasingly approaching the world of football. We’d been worlds apart until now. In terms of the game, there’s still great margin for improvement.

How has your multi-disciplinary background helped you direct such a complex section as the FC Barcelona women’s football team? INEFC gave me the foundations and I’ve built myself up. The multi-disciplinary vision I was given has provided me with a much more overall vision of performance. This has been possible not just as a student but also as a professor and with the interaction of my colleagues. I’ve seen other ways of working and of understanding sport that are different to those of football. In my job, human resource management is extremely important and I think INEFC is heading in this direction because it’s unavoidable.

“In the future, I hope to be able to contribute to teaching and research with the experience I’ve accumulated over so many years”

You’ve worked abroad, particularly in Japan. Do you think Catalan football technicians are valued more highly abroad?

Yes, absolutely. The training I received at INEFC and in the Catalan federation was different to that given in Spain and Europe. We are valued thanks to the Barça brand and to Catalan and Spanish football. We’ve created our own identity of playing and training that is highly valued, particularly in the Asian market.

Marc Vivés SPORTS DIRECTOR FOR THE FC BARCELONA WOMEN’S FOOTBALL TEAM

“INEFC gave me the foundations with a multidisciplinary vision and I’ve built myself up”

What do you remember from your university experience, both as a student and as a teacher?

I feel proud. Proud of coming from INEFC and of belonging to this group. The older I get, the more I realise the importance of having studied at INEFC, because I’ve also witnessed all its evolution and it’s changing a lot. The Lleida campus is an exceptional school. And the chance to be a professor and become a colleague of people who were once my professors and are now my friends is also a goldmine. I’m grateful to INEFC on both a professional and personal level. It’s worth its weight in gold.

Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I hope I’ve retired! (He laughs) I’ll soon be fifty... I’ve still got the energy to work in performance, because it really takes its toll, but in five years’ time I see myself slowing down and focusing on teaching and research so that I can provide the experience I’ve accumulated over so many years. I feel lucky to be able to earn a living from football, the sport I like, in many different areas. And I want to convey this vision I’m acquiring based on my experience. The experiential side, not just the theory, is essential for students.

And what about women’s football? How do you see its future and where is it heading?

I’m in the best moment of women’s football. When I was a sports director for the Catalan Federation between 2015 and 2018, I never thought that, a decade later, women’s football would have grown as big as it is. It’s a chance for it to be given the importance it deserves. Women are entitled to play, compete and be valued in all areas. We’re getting close to the level of equality that was always meant to be. It’s fantastic to see women’s football progress towards equality.

Do you think the support for women’s football is sincere?

It’s the future, and all the markets are committed to it on all levels, in terms of sponsorship and finance, etc. I hope the clubs in Catalonia and in Spain take on this commitment and support women’s football, like Barça which is being ground-breaking. I love watching a women’s football match and feeling its atmosphere because a family environment and different, much more positive values are forged.

Marc, at the Joan Gamper Sports Complex in Sant Joan Despí (Barcelona)