FC Chur  is proud to formally announce the creation of the Arriola Kirol Institutua (Arriola Sports Institute), a non-profit development company established in equal partnership with Gernika Club and Aviron Bayonnais FC. Officially commencing operations on January 1st 2040, the institute represents a long-term commitment to the identification, education and development of young footballers connected by Basque football culture and values, regardless of their place of birth.

The institute will be headquartered at AlpenPark in Chur, the modern and sustainably developed stadium and training campus which has become synonymous with the rise of FC Chur under the leadership of Iñaki Arriola. Having guided the club from the fifth tier of Swiss football to the upper levels of the Swiss Super League and into European competition across a transformative period of sustained sporting growth, Arriola now takes on the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Arriola Sports Institute alongside his continued leadership within the Chur sporting structure.

Built on a shared belief that development is strongest when rooted in identity, the Arriola Sports Institute brings together Spanish Basque and French Basque football perspectives within a unified structure designed to serve the next generation. With development programmes spanning from Under-13 through to Under-18 level, the institute will provide a complete pathway not only towards professional football at Chur, Gernika Club – who Arriola once managed – and Aviron Bayonnais, but also towards opportunities across the wider European game. At its core, the programme has been designed to offer opportunities that may not always be accessible within the intensely competitive traditional Basque professional pathways, while remaining fully aligned with the cultural and footballing principles that define the region.

Central to the institute’s philosophy is the concept “Lan, Batasun eta Etorkizuna” – Work, Unity and Future – a motto reflecting the Basque tradition that collective effort, humility and responsibility to others form the foundation of long-term success. This vision draws inspiration from the enduring football lineage shaped by figures such as Javier Clemente, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola, while also recognising the broader influence of innovators who helped define modern football development in Spain including Marcelo Bielsa, Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff. Together, these influences form part of a development framework that values intelligence, work ethic, tactical understanding and the growth of the individual within the strength of the collective.

Operating as a cross-border sporting and educational environment, players selected into the Arriola Sports Institute will rotate between development locations in Switzerland, the Spanish Basque Country and the French Basque Country. During their time in Chur, players will live and study on site at AlpenPark, combining their football education with academic development and personal growth programmes designed to prepare them not only for football careers but for meaningful futures beyond the game. Alongside player development, the institute will also serve as a centre for the advancement of coaching education, sports science research and holistic performance methodology, ensuring the project contributes to the wider football ecosystem as well as to the three founding clubs.

Speaking on the announcement, Iñaki Arriola said: “This institute was not created to belong to one club or one person, but to an idea. In Basque football we speak often about identity, but identity without work has no meaning, and work without unity has no future. What we are building together with Gernika and Aviron Bayonnais is a place where young people can grow as footballers, but more importantly as people who understand responsibility, effort and respect for the collective. If we succeed in that, the footballers will come naturally.”

Chur first-team players Xavier Iriondo and Beñat Orbaiz, both products of the Gernika development system who have become important figures during the club’s rise in Switzerland, also welcomed the creation of the institute as a bridge for future generations.

Iriondo commented: “Moving away from home to continue my development was not an easy decision, but what I found in Chur was a club that understood the values I grew up with. This institute creates a bridge so that young players can take that same step with support around them, knowing they are part of something bigger than themselves.”

Orbaiz added: “We came here as players looking for opportunity, but we also found a football family. The Arriola Sports Institute means the next generation will have an even stronger structure to help them develop with patience, with education and with the right values around them.”

Representing the founding partners, Gernika Club Sporting Director Aitor Madariaga emphasised the long-term cultural significance of the collaboration: “This partnership ensures that Basque talent continues to develop within an environment that respects where it comes from while preparing it for where it can go. Working together across borders ensures our shared football culture remains strong for decades to come.”

Aviron Bayonnais Academy Director Mathieu Etcheverry added: “This project reflects what Basque football has always represented — cooperation, pride in development and belief in the strength of community. By working together we can give more young players the chance to grow within that tradition.”

The Arriola Sports Institute is structured as a non-profit organisation, with all investment directed back into facilities, education, sustainability initiatives and development programmes. The AlpenPark campus itself, developed with a strong environmental focus, will serve as the central hub of activity and a symbol of the project’s belief in responsible long-term growth both on and off the pitch.

A formal launch event marking the beginning of the institute’s activities will take place at AlpenPark later this month, bringing together representatives from all three clubs, former players, academy staff and figures from across the European football development landscape.

Today’s announcement represents the beginning of a planned 10–20 year project designed to strengthen development pathways, deepen cross-border football relationships and create an enduring structure capable of supporting generations of young players. For Iñaki Arriola, whose journey in Chur has always been defined by collective progress over individual recognition, the institute represents not a conclusion, but the natural continuation of a philosophy built over decades of work.

Further announcements regarding staffing structures and programme leadership within the Arriola Sports Institute will be made in due course.