BEIJING - Inter Academy's ongoing expansion in China took a further step forward today when Inter Academy Yihai Beijing was officially launched at a news conference.
Building on the project’s success in Shanghai and Nanjing, the new Inter Academy venture in the Chinese capital continues F.C. Internazionale’s policy of working with foreign partners to invest in the development of youth football.
"The Inter Academy project is very important for our club – it's one of the jewels in our crown,” said F.C. Internazionale vice president Javier Zanetti. “It is built around the quality of our teaching methods and enables us to share the excellence of the Nerazzurri youth academy with the world.
"Following on from Shanghai and Nanjing, we are honoured to begin a new adventure in Beijing alongside a prestigious partner in the Yihai Group. This new project will involve 30 schools and around 5000 children over the course of a year.
"We know there are a great many Nerazzurri fans in China and – as president Erick Thohir has said on many occasions – we are keen to form an ever-stronger bond with them.
"China currently represents the perfect country for a project centred around first-rate coaching methods. Passion for football is growing exponentially here and we’re proud to be able to make a significant contribution to that development. Our coaches will work to instil the correct values in the local instructors and therefore in the children, who will be able to indulge their passion and learn through sport."
Founded in 1989, the Yihai Group – which has premises totalling six million square metres as well as over 3,000 employees – operates in a range of sectors including real-estate development, education, property management, health industry and retail industry.
In 1997, the company founded the Yihai Education Group, which has built an elite education system made up of 12 top-level schools and institutions.
The Yihai Education Group's mission is to guide students through their education, helping them to get the best out of themselves and nurture their talent by drawing on a range of cultural influences. The project is strongly focused on the future and aims to mould ambitious generations of young people via an educational model designed to promote the intellectual, social and sporting development of every child.
Joining Zanetti for the inauguration of Inter Academy Yihai Beijing were chief revenue officer Michael Gandler, global youth business director Barbara Biggi and Inter Academy technical director Marco Monti.
Representing Yihai Group were chairman Linda Wang and vice chairman Jessie Wang. The local political authorities and representatives from the Chinese FA also attended the event.
After the media conference, Javier Zanetti and Marco Monti ran a demonstration of a training session with some of the children from Inter Academy Yihai.
