National Football U-15 Academy Has Opened in Talgar

01 July 2024, 19:20

The opening ceremony of the National Football Academy took place at the base of the KFF national teams in Talgar.

The opening ceremony was attended by the KFF President Adlet Barmenkulov, the Kazakhstani head coach Stanislav Cherchesov, the assistant senior coach of the Kazakhstan youth team Eldos Akhmetov and the Kazakhstani national team's player Aslan Darabaev.

Adlet Barmenkulov emphasized the importance of creating the National Football Academy. This step is key in the strategy for the development of youth football in Kazakhstan and will provide young players with excellent opportunities for professional growth and achievements at the international level.

“The National Academy for the Kazakhstan U-15 youth team is inspiring, the guys get great opportunities. This is a significant step forward in the development of football in Kazakhstan. We hope that in future these young talents will be able to represent Kazakhstan at international tournaments,” emphasized the Kazakhstani head coach Stanislav Cherchesov.

“The idea of the Kazakhstan Football Federation to create a national academy will give a great impetus to the development of our football, indeed. This is a huge opportunity for the future generation,” said Aslan Darabaev.

“The opening of the national academy is a big step for Kazakhstani football. Soon these guys may become players of the national team. I am glad that with the help of this project new doors are opening for children and new opportunities are appearing. Moreover, the team is coached by experienced specialist Stuart Hall, who was trained by Arsene Wenger. I hope that with the arrival of this specialist, the level of children’s and youth football in our country will reach a new level,” said Eldos Akhmetov.

Previously in 2023, as part of the strategic goal, the Kazakhstan Football Federation held negotiations with FIFA, demonstrating its vision for the development of young players. This project became the result of the KFF and the FIFA High Performance Department partnership.

This program is designed for three years. Over the past 6 months, Stuart Hall has conducted a selection among 1,300 players throughout Kazakhstan. Based on the results of the selection, the 25 best players were selected for the future U-15 team. Now the football players will have the opportunity to train under the guidance of the coaching staff and will prepare to participate in international competitions, representing the first Kazakhstan national U-15 team in FIFA and UEFA tournaments.