In Yerevan, in the Avan administrative district, the Armenian academy of the "Juventus" football club has officially opened. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, Zhanna Andreasyan, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, President of the Football Federation of Armenia Armen Melikbekyan, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Armenia Alessandro Ferrantini, UEFA Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis, Chief Business Officer of the "Juventus" football club Peter Silverstone, club legend and Italian champion Fabrizio Ravenelli, and other guests. 

 

Accompanied by the founder of the academy, Alfred Sadoyan, the guests toured the sports base, familiarized themselves with the work done and the infrastructure, and observed the training sessions of the children.

 

The Avan sports base features a gym, medical examination and rehabilitation areas, a state-of-the-art analysis room equipped with the latest technology, accommodation for coaches and children, and other infrastructures. The building has been constructed in accordance with modern "green building" standards.

 

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, addressing the establishment of high-quality football academies in Armenia, emphasized that youth football and the development of football education are crucial prerequisites for future successes in sports: "This is the cornerstone of football development. We cannot achieve success in major sports if the foundation is not laid correctly. Bringing international experience to our country, as well as making international football education accessible to our children, are key strategies that will continue to be pursued."

 

The minister particularly highlighted the social component of the program, which will allow talented children, including those from rural areas, to study at the academy for free: "This means that the path is open for our future talented footballers."

 

Referring to the preschool education component in "Juventus" academies, Zhanna Andreasyan noted that the methods of working with preschool-aged children can also be beneficial in the field of education, contributing to children's physical development and sports education.

 

She also emphasized the importance of increasing private investment in sports and implementing joint programs through public-private partnerships.

 

Peter Silverstone, Chief Business Officer of the "Juventus" football club, highly appreciated the infrastructure created in Armenia and the pace of the program's implementation.

 

"We are pleasantly surprised to open this wonderful sports base here. This is a testament to Armenia's representation, the great work done here, as well as the high-level partnership between Armenia and Italy. "Juventus" has around 100 football academies worldwide, but what we saw here is truly exceptional. Creating such infrastructure in just one year is an incredible achievement. Most importantly, 600-700 young students have already registered and started training at the "Juventus" academy," said Peter Silverstone, expressing gratitude to the parties involved in the program for their efforts.

 

The construction of the "Juventus" football club's Armenian academy began in late May 2025. Two modern sports bases in Yerevan's "Avan" and "Center" administrative districts are already completed and operational, while the construction of a third base has commenced in the Nor Hajn community of Kotayk Province.

 

The sports bases feature high-quality playing fields with natural and artificial grass cover, fields filled with organic materials for younger children, as well as an indoor playing area.

 

Children training at the "Juventus" Armenian academy are coached by 15 foreign coaches from the "Juventus" system, who apply the club's modern coaching methodology and knowledge-based approach. The best students of the academy will have the opportunity to travel to Turin to attend the "Juventus" main academy, participate in the "Juventus" academies world championship matches, and continue their careers in European clubs.

 

Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports