AC Milan Opens Three New International Academies In India

Former AC Milan defender Christian Panucci, joined a delegation from the club in the federal state of Kerala to launch three new international academies in India.  

The opening ceremony saw the launch of three new centres of AC Milan International Academy in the federal state of Kerala, in collaboration with Calicut Sport City LLT.

Already present in Asia with established centres in China, Japan, Kuwait and Vietnam, AC Milan makes its own experience and tradition available to its Academies, unreservedly sharing its technical-organisational methodology to contribute to the development of a healthy sports culture, which supports the initiatives to introduce young people to sport.

Official Academy Head Coach Alberto Lacandela, through the application of the Metodo Milan (AC Milan Method), will organise and train the technical staff of the three Academies of Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Malappuram.

Each Academy will offer a training programme that will actively involve girls and boys from 5 to 18 years of age, offering them an elite technical programme to accompany them in their sporting and personal growth.

Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan’s Chief Revenue Officer, said of the launch: “We are delighted to unveil three new AC Milan International Academy centres in India, a strategic territory for the club, with great growth prospects and a Rossoneri fanbase of over 64 million supporters.

“This is further evidence of AC Milan’s desire to be a point of reference both outside and inside its national borders and to invest on the next generations both on and off the pitch, in accordance with the values the define our Club’s DNA.”

Luigi Cascone, Deputy Consul General of Italy in Mumbai, added: “The decision of an Italian club like AC Milan to open a number of Academies in Kerala is a sign of great foresight.

“India is among the countries with the highest growth rates in the world and almost one and a half billion inhabitants with an average age of 28.

“However, the football that I have seen here in Kochi today, and the dozens of families and officials who came to witness the opening, is not just about business. On the contrary, it is above all about values, such as friendship, teamwork and mutual respect. Values of which we are proud as Italians and which today are the real heroes.”

Image: AC Milan