In the social fabric of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Unificación Bellvitge has stopped being a conventional club to become a laboratory of humanity. Under the direction of Gastón Medrano Espi and the methodology of Lúdika Eventos, the programme "Football for all" is positioning itself in 2026 as the absolute benchmark of inclusive football, breaking the stigma of paternalism to embrace personal growth.
Inclusion in sport has historically been an unfinished homework, often tackled from a charitable or shallow point of view. However, the project "Football for all" is born to tear down those prejudices. Implemented at Unificación Bellvitge, the programme emerges from active listening to families who, after years of seeing their children in "adapted" sports environments, were demanding something more: a comprehensive attention that understands the diagnosis, the relational context and the human reality of each player.
Two decades of pedagogy: The origin of Lúdika
Behind this push is Gastón Medrano Espi, director of Lúdika Eventos, an itinerant project with a DNA forged between Barcelona and Argentina. Since its birth in 2006, Medrano Espi has spent 20 years on the development of playful-educational programmes focused on socio-emotional skills. His career, collaborating with educational institutions, therapeutic centres and foundations, backs up a system that uses play as the ultimate tool for human development.
After a stage of growth in Argentina, Gastón returned to Barcelona in 2024. His return meant meeting Unificación Bellvitge, an entity that has always been open to inclusion and is also financially involved in the project, giving him the chance to apply all that experience in inclusive football. What began as a day-to-day collaboration with the club soon evolved into a high-impact programme on detecting that families needed a space where "being" was as important as "playing".
The Therapeutic Duo: An elite team on the bench
The backbone of "Football for all" is the union of two profiles combining passion for the ball with scientific rigour: Gastón Medrano Espi, expert in playful dynamism, and Isidro Jiménez, a former professional footballer, Physical Education teacher and 7-a-side football coordinator. The two consolidated a "therapeutic pair" over the years at the prestigious Adana Foundation, specialising in behavioural and learning disorders.
This duo doesn't only bring experience as "coaches", but a postgraduate training endorsed by the Ministry of Education. Their methodology breaks down into three fundamental branches:
Functional adaptation: Football is adjusted to the player's abilities to guarantee real success and participation.
Social and emotional skills: Frustration management, empathy and resilience are worked on in game situations.
Habits of autonomy: The changing room is a life classroom where habits of hygiene, order and personal discipline are earned, and where they learn to share their customs, belongings, thoughts and so on.
The Science of Play: Beyond "just letting them have fun"
One of the most disruptive points of this programme is its head-on rejection of paternalism. While other approaches settle for a "let them do what they can", Gastón and Isidro bet on behavioural psychology tools such as the token economy.
Every training session ends with a group and individual "return". The features of the session are analysed and progress is measured against each child's personal goals. These goals are adapted to what each one can give, ensuring that the focus is always on the positive aspects and on small advances that, added up, generate big changes.
The phenomenon of spontaneous applause
In the dressing room and on trips, a genuine sense of belonging fills the air. An indicator of success is the appearance of spontaneous applause. Unlike induced applause, these arise when the rest of the team really recognises a team-mate's improvement. It's the group's validation that generates a gratification that reinforces the players' self-esteem in an indestructible way.
The Economic Challenge: Investing in excellence
Despite its social impact, "Football for all" is fighting to reach the cost structure needed for its ideal form. For the 2026/2027 season, the programme aims to cover an annual budget of 12,000 euros (1,200€ a month).
This capital would allow the addition of a professional sports psychologist to bring specific tools currently outside the purely technical perspective. Until now, the project has been sustained on a fraction of that figure thanks to the directors' dedication and a single sponsor, but the goal is to reach full operation for next season so no family is left without the attention they deserve.
THE INTERVIEW: "We seek a demanding view, not a charitable one"
We speak with Gastón Medrano Espi, director of Lúdika Eventos, about the soul of this project.
Q: Gastón, how has this first year been implementing "Football for all" with Isidro Jiménez?
A: It's been a mutual learning process. At Unificación Bellvitge we've moved from a purely sporting role to integral attention. What gives us the most satisfaction is seeing that families feel held. It's not just coming to play; it's a space of encounter and acceptance adapted to the relational reality of each of the kids. Isidro and I have worked as a therapeutic pair for many years and that lets us read the group's needs very well.
Q: You stress that this isn't a "paternalistic" view. Why is that so important?
A: Because the kids deserve respect, not pity. We try to compete and give the best of ourselves. While we work on the group dynamic, we also work on the personal improvement of each one. We use a token economy and provide constant returns. We want the progress to be real, tangible and celebrated.
Q: What moment has moved you most in this time?
A: Seeing the kids' spontaneous applause for a team-mate. When you give feedback on a milestone reached after a lot of effort and the rest applaud genuinely because they see that the improvement is real... that's the most rewarding thing. There you realise the message of empathy has landed.
Q: What's next for the programme?
A: We need sponsors who believe in this vision. We want to bring a sports psychologist on board to complete the technical staff. We have worked with a fraction of the ideal cost out of pure dedication, but to reach the excellence these families deserve, we need that support heading into the season to come.
FansOrbit and the Aura of the genuine: Why we support "Football for all"
At FansOrbit, our philosophy is built on digital sovereignty and authenticity. We firmly believe that content and communities with "Aura" are those that bring real, tangible value to society. The project led by Gastón Medrano Espi at Unificación Bellvitge fits perfectly with our mission:
Real community: Just like our personalised websites seek a direct connection between creator and fan, "Football for all" removes outside noise to focus on the human bond.
Personal sovereignty: The programme empowers each player to own their own progress, reinforcing their identity beyond diagnoses.
Transparency and values: Supporting initiatives born of vocation and professionalism is part of our orbit's DNA.
Projects like this remind us that technology and influence must serve to give voice to what really matters. From FansOrbit, we celebrate and give a megaphone to this family that, day after day, proves that on the pitch of life, if there's a team, there's always victory.
Conclusion: Beyond the result, the value of belonging
All in all, "Football for all" isn't just an adapted football programme; it's a manifesto on human dignity in sport. Under the direction of Gastón Medrano Espi and Isidro Jiménez, Unificación Bellvitge has shown that when condescension is replaced by adapted demand and professional commitment, the results go beyond the scoreboard.
Getting a young person with learning or behavioural difficulties to find a place in the dressing room where their effort is validated by their peers is probably the greatest sporting success that can be achieved in 2026. The challenge now is to make sure this excellence model isn't stopped by a lack of resources, but keeps growing as a refuge of self-improvement for all those families who simply want their kids to have the right to compete, to improve and, above all, to belong.
Useful links:
Official website: Ludika Eventos - Projects
Instagram: @ludikaeventos