Four Extremaduran players called up to Spain’s Youth flag football squad

La Roja is again calling up Extremaduran talent for its flag football youth setups. Four players from the region have been selected for the pre-European Youth camp ahead of the tournament in Italy later this September. Jara Ortiz (Plasencia Ducks) joins the sub-15 mixed squad, while Adriana Frías, María del Mar Díez and Laura Recio (Villanueva Black Storks) aim for spots in the sub-17 women’s team. All four will train this weekend in Villanueva de Perales, near Madrid, before the continental showdown kicking off on 24 September in Lido delle Nazioni, Ferrara.

This weekend’s camp -18–19 July- will shrink the rosters. Jara Ortiz will battle for one of the 16 spots on the sub-15 mixed Team Spain, which starts with 21 players. Adriana Frías, Laura Recio and María del Mar Díez will fight to stay among the 15 who travel to Italy after beginning with 18 in the sub-17 women’s pool.

What’s at stake in the camp?

The goal is to finalize the squads that will wear the Spain shirt at the Youth Euro. The four Extremeñas arrived here after surviving trials in Vallecas. Six local lads attended the sub-15 mixed tryouts, and three girls made the cut for the sub-17 women’s access tests. In the end, four Extremeñas cleared the hurdle and now face this decisive weekend.

Why this matters for Spain

The Extremeña pipeline has already delivered on the big stage. In 2024, five Extremeños shone at the Euro in Belgrade: Claudia Bueno and Yakira Rodríguez led the sub-17 women to the title, while Joaquín Romero and Adriana Frías starred in the sub-15 mixed side. Marco Ortiz lifted the sub-17 men’s trophy. A year later in Innsbruck 2025, Marco Ortiz repeated as champion and his sister Jara Ortiz earned bronze with the sub-15 mixed team. Adriana Frías and María del Mar Díez graduated to the sub-17 women’s squad.

Spain has now strung together five straight wins - including the last one, a 2-1 victory over Belgium on 10 July 2026 - and approaches this camp with momentum intact. The next test comes on 26 September, an away friendly against England, sandwiched between Youth Euro fixtures.

What’s next for the four?

After this weekend’s Madrid camp, the players will have little time to lock down their places in the final squads. The teams head to Italy chasing continental glory. For these Extremeñas, pulling on the Spain shirt in an international tournament is both a career milestone and a tribute to the flag-football courts back home.