While some believe it puts a ceiling on their potential, Athletic Bilbao's strict policy of only employing players with origins in the Basque Country in Spain is an extraordinary example of the success a club can have when it backs its own.
I had the pleasure of travelling to Spain with LALIGA in January, a trip designed around the Basque derby between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad. The game was played at San Mames, the home of Athletic, and finished 2-1 in favour of the side coached by former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde. It was a cracking encounter between two iconic Spanish clubs, but I was personally more intrigued by that story that surrounds it. Two teams from the Basque region, but just one that chooses to only field footballers with origins in the region. And that team, Athletic Club, or the Lions as they're affectionately nicknamed, is the only club alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona to have never been relegated from Spain's first division.
What is the Basque Country?
The Basque region is located in the western Pyrenees and straddles the border between France and Spain along the coast of the Bay of Biscay. As of 2017, there are 3.1 million people living in the region, which is made up of 10 different cities across seven provinces, with Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastian among its main cities. This is where I spent the majority of this trip with LALIGA, although we did also visit Pamplona, located in the province of Navarre. What I found particularly fascinating is that the Basque language has no direct link to any other known language in the world, and is one of the oldest in the world. Non-Basque Spanish speakers don't speak nor understand Euskera, as it is called in Basque. Like most places in the world, the Basque Country isn't perfect – a large number of people have left the region over the past 25 years due to a Basque nationalist political environment – but I'm interested in how the overwhelming sense of community in this region impacts one of the country's most famous clubs.
Finding out more about Athletic Club's player policy
Growing up a football fan, and having worked as a journalist since 2015, I've always been aware of Athletic's policy of using only players from the region, but this was the first time I could have it explained to me by some of the people who help implement the rule. While it dates back to 1912, I'm fascinated by its relevance today, in a sport that has seemingly become increasingly motivated by money. Speaking to club executives on the trip during a roundtable interview, I was curious to find out how this policy impacts the club's ambitions. Before I could finish answering my question – and that's understandable as I'm sure it is one they've been asked a lot – I'm told that this policy, as they see it, makes Athletic Club more ambitious than any other team in the world.
How it functions is that Athletic have agreements with more than 100 clubs, essentially feeder clubs, in the region. People from Athletic are in regular contact with these sides with regards to the players they develop, and they're given a heads-up when teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona show interest in a particular player. As per the agreement, Athletic effectively have first option. If the player is deemed to have a bright future, more often than not Athletic will bring them to Athletic Club Cantera, their youth academy, where they will continue nurturing them until they're ready for senior football.
How is the rule interpreted?
Although it is a policy that has run for 112 years, controversy has surrounded the eligibility of certain players in the past. Former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, for example, made his start in professional football at Athletic despite being born in France. The centre-back was deemed to have met the criteria – being of Basque descent – due to his great-grandparents. Locally, Laporte's inclusion in the team caused debate after questions were raised about the interpretation of the rule. He became only the second French-born player to represent Athletic Club after Bixente Lizarazu, who was born in a Basque province in France.
Has it been successful?
Well, yes! Athletic Club are one of only three clubs in Spain, along with Real and Barcelona, to have never experienced relegation from the top flight, and they've also won 35 trophies, which puts them third in the country in the list of clubs with the most pieces of silverware, with only Los Blancos and the Blaugrana having collected more.
Arguably more important than that, though, and more significant than the money Athletic profits from producing talent players and selling them to "bigger clubs" at a later stage, is the community feel that runs throughout this club, the sense of togetherness between the players who represent the team and the fans who fill the stadium. Those supporters who regularly attend matches, both away and at San Mames, know they're backing footballers they relate to, footballers who understand what it is to be Basque.
