Footballer Ronaldinho famously said, “I learned all about life with a ball at my feet”. I am not sure exactly how much learning is going on, but there’s a lot of excited kids running around at the Kingdom of Alcazar restaurant at Son Amar. It’s the pre-game activities before the main event of the evening which is a presentation of medals and trophies to the young people gathered, all enthusiastic members of the Russell Martin Academy. As I watch the kids playing on the bouncy castle, and the large playground before diving into some juicy burgers I get chatting to one of the parents, Lucie. She is from the Czech Republic and moved here in 2020. “The club has been very important to my sons who have made such great friends through it. We are very grateful for the incredible support and care that Rob and the other coaches give to them.”
High fives all around. Photo: Vicki McLeod
Rob Croll is the founder of the academy, which is named after Russell Martin, his foster brother, and ex-pro footballer and soon-to-be manager of Southampton FC. If you ask Russell Martin what he thinks of his foster brother’s achievements he leaves no doubt of his views. “I knew that he would make it a success, everytime I come to visit him I can see the progression. They have built a real community and what a football club should be: inclusivity, development, and maximising people’s potential. The most important thing is enjoyment and keeping participation high. What they have achieved in the last couple of years is amazing and they should be very proud of themselves. I am really proud of them. I look forward to coming over soon to watch more of the sessions soon.”
So Rob, how did RMA come about?
“I came to Mallorca twelve years ago to have a fresh start after a broken heart. I only came for six months and that just turned into a permanent move. After a few years away from coaching I started to coach football again and I soon realised that, although it sounds cheesy, that it was my calling and I wanted to set up my own project. And that’s how the RMA was born. I gave myself six months over the winter of 2018/19 to see if I could make it work, and by April time of 2019 it had started to take off. COVID was obviously a set back but we still managed to do some online coaching for the kids to keep them going. And as soon as we were able to train again in person we got back to it.
Rob and his fiance Natalia.
How young can the kids start with you?
“We have the Academy for people who want to learn and encourage participation and get them to really fall in love with the game, and the club for those who want to take it more seriously and compete at the weekends. It has been quite a journey to get the “Extranjero” players federated to play in the Spanish league as they need a DNI to play, but we are getting there. Kids can start from four years old with our “Little Ballers”. It’s tough to start them any younger because little kids don’t have long attention spans. Then they can go into teams from the age of seven and up and join the Benjamines, Allevines, Infantiles and Femenino teams. As the kids have started with us so we have had to grow with them, so as they age up, we have adapted. We also offer summer and school holiday camps for kids. And we do Pro Training for players who are on their off season.
Some of the Falcons.
There are a lot of girls and young women here as well. This is great to see!
“Yes, we have a lot of girls joining the RMA Falcons. They are an incredible bunch and have developed very quickly. Every week we are seeing more girls joining. They are on exactly the same equal playing field as the boys at RMA. The island was slow to react to girls football but we have tried to help them from day one. It’s good to have the older girls as role models for the younger ones, they look up to them and want to be them. It is inspiring for them.
Waiting to be awarded.
The social aspects of the club are very apparent, the atmosphere here is lovely, very wholesome and family friendly.
“Football brings people together as a family. When I recruit a coach I always look at their personality first. It is really important to me that everyone is part of the same philosophy. I had some bad experiences in the past playing football, and so have some of the other coaches, and I wanted to protect the kids from those negative experiences and make a very inclusive and community focused club. Coaches are role models for the players, we have 27 different nationalities in the club and academy and everyone gets on. Sport is a great basis for friendship and creating understanding of each other. When we travel to play matches we have a way of conducting ourselves which is very important. We stick together and support each other as a team. Sportsmanship is about teamwork, discipline and supporting each other.
You must need a lot of support to keep this all going.
“Yes, we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing without our sponsors Mallorca.Agency Real Estate, De Cabo Yacht Painting and Oceans Group Restaurant & Beach Club. And we have parents who volunteer their time as “Delegados” who travel with the teams and support the coaches during matches.
How can someone join?
"Most people just send me a WhatsApp to (0034) 691 17 32 65 or they go to the website www.rmamallorca.com
The coaches and delegados.
You are also coaching pro footballers out of season?
“Yes, we have players who come over in between seasons to prepare for the next. They get to have a great holiday and maintain their fitness, and work 1:1 on their weaknesses or needs. It’s great for our players to see the pros as well, it gives them something to work towards. At the moment we have a player who is preparing for a big transfer and it’s our job to get him in good form for that. Mallorca is a paradise for football, and so many sports. It’s perfect!
During the presentation of the medals for the teams it is wonderful to see the young people supporting each other, cheering for each other and high fiving. As a final shot, I ask them to gather together for a big group photo and they chant “RMA! R.M.A!” as I take it. Thanks for a lovely evening, great setting, great atmosphere, and a great community.
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