The Paris Saint-Germain Academy opened its first official soccer academy in Turkey in May 2018, in partnership with Futbol Union. Since then, it has continued its development with the opening of a 13th campus, in the National Olympic Garden in Erzurum, on Saturday, 16 October.
The event started with the athletes' ceremony, a festive moment for our players and their families. The founder of Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey, Nihat Ugurlu, Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey board member Cem Kiliç, technical director Hamza Gezmis and Bükra Özyapar were present.
The event ended with a training session followed by a match.
SHORT-TERM GOAL: TO BE PRESENT IN 20 CITIES IN TURKEY
Commenting on the development of Erzurum, the founder of Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey, Nihat Ugurlu, said: "Many young people have been able to discover the training methodology of Paris Saint-Germain in Turkey for the past three years. The Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey has quickly exceeded 1,000 players and is expected to reach 2,000 by 2022.
Within our academies, we offer training courses combining football and personal development for young people aged three to 19. Our goal is to spread the Paris Saint-Germain training methodology throughout the country while maintaining our leadership in the Turkish market.
There are very talented children in every city in Turkey; we believe in their potential and we have built this structure to support them. Eventually, we want to institutionalise football infrastructure in Turkey."
Cem Kılıç, Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey board member: "What makes this project special is that, for the first time in Turkey, we are improving not only the athletes' abilities, but also their potential. Through the training methodology we have specially designed, our young people develop skills such as teamwork, self-confidence, personal leadership and communication, etc. Our goal is not just to train athletes, but to train leaders who can compete in the world."
Paris Saint-Germain Academy Turkey Technical Director Hamza Gezmiş said: "While I reiterate my wish to see this unique structure in every province in the country, our priority remains to train many young players using our methods. In every province we visit, we can see high-potential athletes who will improve through our training methodology. Our goal is not only to train footballers, but also to train qualified coaches who will be the guarantors of the Paris Saint-Germain training methodology. I am convinced that we will achieve results that match our ambitions."
Bükra Özyapar, partner of Paris Saint-Germain Academy Erzurum: "As an entrepreneur and football fan, I decided to be part of this beautiful project. As a resident of Erzurum, I have made it my mission to bring a quality education system to the children of our city. I am convinced that the young people who will receive this footballing and personal development training will be ahead of the others. Because the people of Erzurum deserve it."