June 28 – Premier League Liverpool have added a new international academy initiative in Asia via a partnership with PNH Soccer Academy in Hong Kong.
The project will see Liverpool deliver coaching programmes to children aged three to 17 from grassroots level through to teams in local leagues and tournaments.
Dubbed ‘The Liverpool Way’, the scheme will offer age-specific coaching sessions to “help players improve their football and social skills and develop their technical, tactical, physical and social abilities,” said the club.
Liverpool will base a coach in Hong Kong to oversee the implementation and development of the coaching programme. Local coaches will also be involved and via a coach education scheme which will include the LFC International Academy global accreditation.
The programme kicks off in Hong Kong this weekend with more than 500 local children aged between four and 12 playing in a three-a-side tournament. A total of 60 teams will take part in the age-group competitions.
Perhson Wong, chairman of PNH Soccer Academy Ltd, said: “We are excited with the opportunity to work alongside a prestigious football club with such a strong heritage. It is a great opportunity for us to offer a unique coaching system that brings the best of both local culture and international standards to our young players.
“We believe every child is unique and has the potential to grow as a strong, influential individual. This all starts with education and professional training.”
In April Liverpool opened a similarly structured youth coaching project in Kunming, the capital city of SW China’s Yunnan province, that will initially provide coaching to a selection of schools. The initial project is focussing on the coaching of individuals rather than the establishment of teams.
Dan White, head of the LFC International Academies, who has been responsible for driving the Liverpool training and education expansion in overseas markets said at the Chinese launch: “We consistently apply the same coaching principles on all our programmes. So, when a player plays here at the LFC International Academy in Kunming, they will be coached in exactly the same way as our players in Liverpool.”
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