Barcelona's 12 soccer schools in the United States and Canada will be rebranded as the "Barca Academy" from July.
Known until now as the FCBEscola, the Catalan club have academies in six locations in the U.S. -- Charlotte, North Carolina; Austin, Texas; Leesburg, Virginia; Lauderhill, Florida; Chicago and San Diego. They also have another six in Canada in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary.
The move comes as Barcelona attempt to boost their presence and improve their marketability in North America.
In total, 41 soccer schools spread across six continents will be renamed as part of the rebrand, which seeks to put more importance on the word "Barca."
"This new name is part of the new brand project for FC Barcelona, in which the acronym FCB becomes less present and the recognition of the word 'Barca' is capitalised upon," the club said in a statement.
"The specific denomination of 'academy' was chosen to be more adaptable in the club's strategic markets, such as the USA and Latin America."
Barcelona say the idea of the academies is to give children around the globe the chance to learn the club's playing style, methodology and values. There is no specific aim for the players to eventually join the club's La Masia academy in Barcelona, but there is room for the youngsters to progress within the U.S.
In addition to the 41 academies, the club also have the Barca Academy Pro in New York, which is attempting "to compete at the top level in [the] state."
There is also the Barca Residency Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona, which combines "sporting training with preparation for university studies."