January 28 – Italian giants AC Milan will open three academies in Kerala in a three-year agreement in collaboration with Calicut Sports City LLP, the club has announced.
It’s the first time that the Milan club will have a presence on the ground in India and they picked the southern state of Kerala, a hotbed for football in the country, to launch the academies. The football centres will be based in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Ernakulam. In the future AC Milan intends to expand with more academies in Thrissur, Kasaragod and Kannur.
“India is a highly strategic territory and we are proud to launch a project that, from the state of Kerala, will allow us to bring thousands of children into football with passion and competence thus promoting all those sporting values that have always been the basis of our Club’s initiatives,” said AC Milan International Academies Manager Alessandro Gianni in a statement.
“Our mission is to share AC Milan’s technical and organisational know-how, focusing on the training of local coaches and managers so they can involve boys, girls and their families on a daily basis.”
AC Milan has 19 international academies around the world, including in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Morocco, Vietnam, Switzerland and Sweden. The club didn’t disclose a time-frame when the academies will be launched.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1726912618labto1726912618ofdlr1726912618owedi1726912618sni@o1726912618fni1726912618
