Arsenal Soccer schools come to Kerala

Kochi: The renowned Arsenal Soccer schools, already launched in Delhi and Mumbai, will soon kick off in Kerala.

Sportico Ventures, a Kochi-based grassroot football development startup, has teamed up with the India On Track (IOT), the official partners of Arsenal Football Club, to bring the Arsenal Soccer schools to the state.

Arsenal Soccer Schools will be set up across the state partnering with reputed educational institutions that provide a growth platform to top performers through various channels, including Arsenal FC-organised youth tournaments, exchange programmes and trials with various international clubs, IOT CEO Vivek Sethia told reporters here.

The children would be provided two fold training. At the grassroot level children in 5-15 age group can learn football, live skills, physical fitness. The entire curriculum will be designed by Arsenal Technical committee.

As the school finds talented children, Development centers would be set up where children on invitation basis would be coached. The infrastructure here will be better, students would get lots of matches, he said.

In New Delhi, there were six Arsenal centers and recently a development centre with 50 odd children had been set up, he said.

David Moliner, Technical Director Arsenal Soccer Schools, said the new initiative will impart participants top class training and coaching in quality facilties with programmes created and executed using the technical expertise and coaching staff of Arsenal FC.

Choice school here will partner with Arsenal soccer schools to support the project, Molly Cyril, Director of Education and Planning Choice Foundation said.

Hibi Eden, MLA, Former Indian International Joe Paul Ancherry, Francis Noel Ben, Managing Director Sportico ventuers also spoke.

Founded in 1886, Arsenal is the London based Soccer major and is one of the leading clubs in World Football which has lifted the English League Champions cup 13 times and FA Cup winners 11 times.