The Sporting Clube de Portugal Youth system is divided into six levels: Escolinhas (under-8), Infantis (under-13), Iniciados (under-15), Juvenis (under-17), Juniores (under-19) and Sub-23 (under-23).
The two youngest levels compete at regional level, being spread between the Academia Aurélio Pereira and the Pólo EUL, in Lisbon, and the Sporting CP Academies around the world. The four oldest levels compete at national level, being based at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo.
At international level, the youth teams compete in several international tournaments, and the under-19 team competes in the UEFA Youth League.
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Inaugurated in 2002, with 250,000 square meters, the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo is the football headquarters of Sporting CP.
In addition to being the training ground for the main team, the B team and the women's team, it is also where the under-15s, under-17s, under-19s and the under-23 team practice.
The Estádio Aurélio Pereira, located inside the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, is where the under-15, the under-17, the under-19 and the under-23 teams play their home matches.
With a capacity for 1,189 spectators, it is named after Aurélio Pereira, the mentor and creator of Sporting CP world-renowned youth recruitment and development department, which he coordinated for over 30 years.
The two most famous players to have come through Sporting CP youth system are Cristiano Ronaldo and LuÃÂs Figo, both elected as the best football player in the world.
In 2007, Sporting CP and the University of Lisbon signed an protocol giving the club exclusive rights to use of some existing facilities located at the Lisbon University Stadium, known as the Pólo EUL. It is at this location where the Escolinhas and the rugby team are based.
In 2018, the president Frederico Varandas decided to open the first Escola Academia Sporting 100% owned exclusively by the club. Located on the three pitches surrounding the Pavilhão João Rocha (named after Fernando Peyroteo, LuÃÂs Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo), the EAS Aurélio Pereira it is named after the clubâÂÂs youth development icon, Aurélio Pereira, has capacity for 500 children and serves as a complement to the Pólo EUL.
Launched in 2006, the Escolas Academia Sporting project is part of the Sporting CP youth development program. Consisting of a network with more than 50 academies located around the world, it currently has 6,500 athletes in its training program.
The purpose of this project is to identify players who may go on to complete their training at the Academia Cristiano Ronaldo, with a goal of becoming Sporting CP footballers.
The Escolas Academia Sporting implement the clubâÂÂs training model into practice, through an integrated approach that combines excellent facilities, the quality of the staff involved, and a fun but rigorous concept, with a clear pedagogical focus on how to take advantage of free time. The project aims to bring these training and working methods to young players between the ages of 5 to 14, regardless of their gender.