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PARKERSBURG – Landen Fulton is living every soccer player’s dream.
The 8th-grader at Parkersburg Catholic High School was selected from a summer soccer camp in Charlotte, N.C. to attend an all-star training camp for 10 days over the Thanksgiving holiday in Barcelona, Spain with FB Barcelona, the world-famous soccer club.
The whole scenario developed when Fulton went to a soccer camp in mid-July in Charlotte put on by some coaches from Barcelona who actually train the professional players in Spain.
“They select the best players out of that camp to go to an all-star camp in Spain,” explained Fulton, who will be gone from Nov. 20-30 and “train with all the coaches, and at the actual training fields with professional players,” he added,
But the trip will not be all soccer, as the youngsters invited to the camp will get time to have some fun in Barcelona too, including a tour of the city.
Fulton has been overseas one time previously, when his family lived in New Zealand for a year, “but I’ve never been to Europe.”
Fulton, 13, has been playing soccer since he was age 3. “That’s when my parents (mom Leah and dad Burt) signed me up at the YMCA,” he said.
“About four years ago, he really got interested in soccer and just took off with it; he just loves soccer,” said his dad.
“I’ve gone to several soccer camps,” said Fulton, “but nothing as big a s the camp down in Charlotte.” There, “they split you into the three groups by age, and then further by your skill level,” said Fulton. “I was in the first group and from there on, we just did a whole bunch of different drills, and then, I guess they saw my good attitude and determination.”
Fulton first played soccer at Vienna Rec, and then in Williamstown for a while and “I’ll be starting to play for Club Ohio (a travel team in Marietta) in the spring,” he said.”
He also runs cross country for Catholic and is pretty good at it, placing second in a Wood County middle school meet held on Blennerhassett Island. “I’ve been getting second place a lot this season,” he said. “I just started cross country last year to help keep me fit for soccer.”
Fulton will play soccer for the Catholic high school team next school year as a freshman.
“I’d love to play soccer in college or even professional; that’s my dream to become a professional,” he said.
But “we got lucky to get him in the camp,” said Burt. “We were in Charlotte just visiting my brother and saw a flyer about the camp and when we checked on it, there were only about five slots left.”
Fulton estimated there “were no doubt several hundred kids at the camp. I was told they they take 10 percent out of all their summer camps (totaling 2,500) to Barcelona. I think they took five from our camp out of all the age groups.” He was in the U14 age group at the camp.
While Fulton is enthusiastic about going to Barcelona, there’s a catch. “You have to pay for the entire thing yourself,” he said.
“But he worked all summer washing cars, mowing lawns and doing all kinds of jobs to help to pay for the trip,” said his dad, who is going to Barcelona with his son.
“I’d like to take all my family (parents, brother Brody, 9, and sister Devyn, 7), but that’s like $15,000,” said Fulton.
A program has been set up in Barcelona with tours of everything, a professional soccer game and I even get to stay in the players’ residence, so that’ll be really cool,” said Fulton. “But just that’s $2,000.”
He will also have interaction with the pros, the FC Barcelona team. “We’ll meet two of them, and I saw a picture from last year, where the campers actually line up to greet the players when they’re coming out onto the pitch to play a game – so that will be super cool,” said Fulton.
“I really want him to go and see what he can do,” said Burt. “I hope he learns a lot more about playing soccer in Barcelona and can use that back here, as he will see pro games and ‘B’ club teams around Spain play. He actually too will play the Spanish youth development team.”
Plus, “former Barcelona players will talk to us and tell us how to improve our game,” said Fulton, a 4.0 student at Catholic.
He has also started a fundme.com account to help sponsor his trip, and has been able to raise about $1,000 so far.
Peoples Bank locally has set up the special account for him where all the fundme.com donations go to,” said Burt. It is: www.fundme.com/en/projects/23214-Attend-FCBESCOLA-All-Star-Camp-Barcelona-Spain
“Type in fundme.com, then go to search and type in Barcelona – and it’s the first or second thing that pops up, and his picture is there too,” said Burt.
Also, checks for Landen’s Barcelona training camp account can be sent to Parkersburg Catholic High School or the bank.