Welcome to the 2026 season! It was in this atmosphere that the technical commissions and practically all the staff of Flamengo's youth categories were received in the Noble Hall of Gávea, this Friday (23) for the kick off — the so-called "starting point" — for this year's planning. The vice-president of professional football and youth football, Fábio Palmer, and the director of youth categories, Alfredo Almeida, led the event, which aimed to align and unify the work of one of the most important sectors of the club.

Approximately 150 professionals from Flamengo's youth academy, ranging from the under-6 to the under-20 categories, were present. Fábio Palmer made a point of clarifying that his work, according to the guidelines of President Bap's administration, focuses on macro-level planning and budgeting, among other responsibilities, and that qualified professionals are responsible for day-to-day operations, according to their specific areas of expertise. 

"It's a pleasure to work with the youth academy. The phrase 'Flamengo makes stars at home' has always guided our history. The board's support for the youth categories is unconditional. The greatest legacy this administration can leave for the club isn't in professional football. It's in the youth academy. It's about restoring the formative character of our youth system. Winning is important to create a winning mentality. However, more important than that is development. And I'm talking about developing the athlete, the human being. We know that a very small percentage manage to reach stardom. And what happens to the others? That's the focus we want to give: taking care of this human being so that they can have values ​​and a development that allows for success through other paths, if football doesn't work out," says Palmer, who also emphasized the importance of technical feedback:

"We will always seek the best athletes because the goal is for our professional team to have a greater participation of athletes developed in our youth system. That's our history. The challenge is great, but as the president says, 'dreaming big or dreaming small takes the same amount of work,' so let's dream big."

Investment in infrastructure is another fundamental point in the base's planning. Support for the development of the work of all professionals in all areas will be unlimited, through close collaboration between President Bap and Vice-President Fábio Palmer with Director Alfredo Almeida. The goal is to meet as many needs as possible so that the objectives are achieved.

"Starting this year, we will have the largest youth academy budget in Flamengo's history, in terms of investment. Never before has so much been invested in this area. We will provide all the support in terms of infrastructure, quality of work, budget, in short, everything we can do to meet the department's needs. Of course, the more we give, the more we demand. That's normal. And I'm not talking about results, about winning championships. Winning is a consequence of the work being done, of a medium and long-term vision that the club has. I wish you good luck and a successful year so that we can transform Flamengo's youth academy into a project of excellence. We will succeed because we believe it is possible, within the philosophy and DNA that Flamengo has," Palmer concluded.

The meeting that marked the return of professionals from Flamengo's youth categories was the beginning of a season of hard work and dedication. Alfredo Almeida reiterated that his feeling is one of pride and, at the same time, a great sense of responsibility. The director made it clear that he is working to ensure that everyone understands this and knows that Flamengo has the most qualified professionals on the market: the best players, the best coaches, and the best in all areas.

The entire organizational chart for Flamengo's youth categories was presented, and several professionals spoke about planning, work, new developments, and objectives for the 2026 season. Among them were the coordinator of the health and high-performance department (DSAR), Fabiano Medici; the coordinator of the human development department, Patricia Negreiros; the process coordinator, José Rodrigo; and the technical coordinators, Kadu Borges and Danilo Mattos, who outlined their projects and gave an idea of ​​the many challenges they will face this season.