MILAN - FC Internazionale and Sporti are proud to announce the foundation of Inter Academy in Saudi Arabia.
Inter Academy will begin work on 15 November in Dammam after four coaches from Sporti have attended a month's training in Milan. The local coaches will be coordinated a member of the Inter Academy staff, who will remain in Dammam for the whole year.
Marco Monti, Inter Academy technical director, and a group chosen by the Inter Academy staff will visit Saudi Arabia every three months to assess the progress of the project.
"I am very happy with this partnership", said vice president Javier Zanetti. "Our partner shares our values and focus on young players. You can see this above all in the players' education and their technical coaching with a scientific approach. At Inter Academy Sporti, children in Saudi Arabia can play sport in the right environment, learn respect towards one another and team spirit by being part of a group. This all plays a central role in learning how to play football."
"We chose FC Internazionale's experience because we share their approach and philosophy and appreciate their moral values in the youth academy which are obviously reflected throughout the club", said Sporti president Adel Alhowar. "We believe that education from every angle and the top level technical approach Inter has will benefit our children and improve our coaches' ability which - in the long term - will help the entire football system in our country to develop."
Inter Academy already exists in Japan (the Yoyogi, Nojima and Saku projects involve more than 300 children aged 4-12) and the United States. In the US, besides the project run by Riccardo Ferri, there is a roving programme in other areas with long-time partner Crossfire. Inter Academy has worked with hundreds of boys and girls over the years thanks to professionals in the Nerazzurri youth system.
