BEIRUT – Lebanon joined the Inter Academy family today as Inter Academy Lebanon – the first such academy in the country – was inaugurated in Beirut by Nerazzurri vice president Javier Zanetti. Inter are working in partnership with Water Resources LTD Company and Sportomondo on the project in Lebanon.
The first phase of the project will see Inter Academy coaches working with youngsters and instructors from Beirut, providing support designed to share the expertise built up by the Nerazzurri over the years. The project is expected to include further affiliation agreements in the local area, with nearly 400 young people between the ages of six and 17 and around 20 local coaches taking part.
The youngsters will have the chance to develop and train according to the high technical and ethical standards synonymous with Inter while remaining in their home country – the ideal place for them to grow not just as footballers, but as human beings too.
Inter Academy Lebanon is not limited to the training of young people but also focuses on coaches, who are the youngsters’ main port of call when it comes to their training. We believe this is the only way to build a network that can help youth football develop in a coherent, complete manner.
“As vice president of Inter, the Inter Academy project is one in which I – and the whole club – believe deeply,” said Zanetti.
“It represents the international expression of the Inter youth academy, which is renowned for its success on the pitch and the unrivalled ability of its coaches when it comes to developing and moulding the professional footballers of the future.
“Yet Inter Academy is about helping youngsters grow as people first, and footballers second. As someone who won it all in Italy, Europe and around the world with the Inter shirt, I am honoured to be able to continue to represent the club through this project.
“All children dream of playing football and I am delighted that – thanks to Inter Academy – this dream can become reality for many young boys and girls here in Lebanon.”
The training programme followed at the new academy will be modelled around the youngsters’ natural development process, with activities designed for the younger children, a competitive-style programme for the older kids and the creation of Elite Teams for both boys and girls.
Initially, there will be two Inter coaches coordinating and training the local instructors on the ground: Aldo Montinaro will serve as Senior Technical Operations Manager, while Massimiliano Barisoni will remain in Lebanon as the first Permanent Coach.
