Gonçalo Sousa, Rodrigo Mora and Matilde Vaz are some examples of FC Porto's commitment to training
In the refurbished Campo da Constituição, on September 6, 2008, the ambition to train talents and instill the values of FC Porto in young people and children who chose Dragon Force as their first soccer school gained even more strength. 16 years later, the ambition remains firm, but the challenges keep growing - always with the aim of keeping up with the unwavering commitment to excellence and the will to surpass all records.
With 33 schools - 19 partner clubs, 13 colleges and a university - spread across 8 districts and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, involving more than 5.500 pupils - 65% in soccer school format, taking part in the Legends Tournament, and 35% in teams competing in the different associations' championships - Dragon Force has set itself the goal of promoting the technical development of the youngest and doing so on a large scale, reaching as many pupils as possible in different parts of the country.
The Foot-Camps, Super Camps and Super Trainings, whose aim is to boost the level of play of thousands of children, attracted more than 1,900 participants in 2023/24.
A brand on a global scale
Internationally, there are talents running wild at the Dragon Force soccer schools in Brazil, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, all of which are internationally certified. Last season, 24 Foot-Camps were held on three continents, reaching more than 2,500 young athletes. Teams from the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United States of America, Brazil, China and France came to work under the blue and white methodology, with the coaches and against the Dragon Force teams.
Results in sight
90 of FC Porto's current youth players started out at Dragon Force, which corresponds to 26% of the total number of players and demonstrates the strong links between the soccer department and scouting. There have been 324 footballers leaving for FC Porto's youth teams over the last 16 years, including Rodrigo Mora, Gonçalo Sousa, António Ribeiro and André Oliveira.
Despite this not being the number one priority, in 2023/24 Dragon Force and the partners achieved excellent sporting results in 2023/24:
AF Porto
Under-6: District champions (Dragon Force Porto)
Under-8: District champions (Dragon Force Colégio de Ermesinde/Núcleo Desportivo de Ermesinde)
Under-9: District champions (Dragon Force Porto)
Under-10: Runners-up (Dragon Force Porto)
Under-11: Runners-up (Dragon Force Grijó/AD Grijó)
Under-13: Runners-up (Dragon Force Porto)
AF Braga
Under-11: District champions (Dragon Force Braga/ADC Aveleda)
AF Viseu
U-12 and U-14: District runners-up (Dragon Force Viseu/CF Os Repesenses)
AF Viana
U-15: District runners-up (Dragon Force Viana do Castelo/Neves FC)
Dragon Force has become a school for coaches and professionals in different areas, such as nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy and administrative management. 18 coaches in youth soccer have started their careers with this project and the head coaches of FC Porto's U19, U17 and U15 teams have played a key role in its success. Everything is underpinned by a Quality Management System that complies with ISO 9001 standards and was certified in 2010. Dragon Force is audited annually by external bodies and has passed with flying colors.
Launch pad also for women
The first women's team in FC Porto's history includes several players who first touched the ball for Dragon Force. Goalkeeper Bárbara Marques began her career with Dragon Force Porto on the pitch of the Constituição, midfielder Matilde Vaz - the first woman to score a goal at the Estádio do Dragão - began practicing her shooting skills at Dragon Force Grijó and center-back Inês Valente learned the fundamentals of the sport of king-making at Dragon Force Colégio Novo da Maia.
Safe haven off the pitch
The main objective is to continue to develop the students' soccer skills, boosting their all-round education through the close relationship between the Technical Coordination, the Psychology and Pedagogy Coordination and Nutrition.
The Nutrition Office and the Psychology and Pedagogy Office are key to raising awareness among students, parents and coaches. Thanks to the nutrition consultations and the strategies implemented there, 79% of the students monitored improved their body mass index and 62% of normal weight students adopted other eating habits. Through the Pedagogical Department, 75% of the students with negative grades and behavior were able to achieve academic success and improve their attitude in the classroom.
