The Barça Genuine Foundation team, made up of players with functional diversity, will make their first appearance in LaLiga Genuine Santander this weekend in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. The team will take part in the first phase of the competition which is in its fourth year with the venue UD Las Palmas' training complex. 42 teams from around Spain will be taking part and they will be divided into three groups named 'Respect', 'Teamwork' and 'Sporting'. 

The Barça Foundation team is in the 'Teamwork' group with 17 other teams. Three of which, Fundación Albacete, UD Las Palmas and Eibar Fundazioa, will be their opponents in this first weekend of competition. Their debut will come on Saturday at 10.30am against Fundación Albacete. The same day at 7.30pm they will face the hosts UD Las Palmas and on Sunday at 11am they will have their final match against Eibar Fundazioa. 

The second phase of the competition will take place on 13,14 and 15 May in La Rosaleda in Málaga and then on 3,4 and 5 June at Athletic Club de Bilbao's training complex at Lezama. 

Competition system 

LaLiga Genuine Santander is an 8 a side competition with games played over 4 quarters of 10 minutes each. Points are awarded at the end of each quarter: the winning side getting a point - each game won at the end is worth three points, two in the case of a draw and one for a defeat. The team can be mixed and players must over 16 years of age and have a functional diversity of at least 33%. There is no limit on the number of foreign players. 

Each of the three groups will have a sporting winner, based on the points accrued during the three phases of the competition and also a fair play champion. The latter will be based on the points accrued for positive attitude and the sporting behaviour shown in the players, coaches and fans. 

Statment from Sergi Mascarell,  Genuine Foundation coach

"We are going to Las Palmas eager to show via the group the Club's values. The squad has worked enthusiastically and we, the coaching staff, have put in a lot of energy and asked of them a lot. We are aware of the club we represent. Moreover, we are really happy at how the players have improved from the first day. It's motivating to have a group like this and we are very much enjoying the experience." 

Statement from Marta Segú, general director of the FC Barcelona Foundation

"LaLiga Genuine is more than a competition. You compete to score more goals than your opponent, yes - but the most sporting also win, most respectful to their rivals and the most modest and most positive. We are very happy to form part of this socially inclusive initiative that espouses sharing before competing." 

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