Atlético de Madrid signs agreement with Kazakhstan to open soccer academy

Madrid, Sep 19 (EFE).- Atletico de Madrid signed an agreement on Thursday to open a soccer academy in Kazakhstan, specifically in Talgar (Almaty), in the fall of 2025 and to provide “strategic support and advanced methods of soccer training” for at least ten years.

Present at the signing were Atlético's CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, the Kazakh Ambassador to Spain, Danat Mussayev, and representatives of the two Kazakh entities involved in the agreement, Doscar Group and Sport Asset Management.

Both the club and the Kazakh backers want to replicate the facilities that the club has in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). This club has a natural grass stadium, five artificial turf soccer fields, and other sports and training facilities with a capacity for more than 1,000 children.

Ambassador Mussayev explained, in an interview with EFE at the club offices in the Metropolitano Stadium, that the project began almost a year ago in response to “a fairly large demand and the private initiative of companies” to work on the Atletico de Madrid Academy with a ten-year projection.

“The construction plans are very ambitious and most likely this academy will be an important center not only for our country but also for Central Asia,” the ambassador said. He added that they expect ‘full support for this project’ in areas such as soccer methodology and advanced technology.

For his part, the director of the Atlético de Madrid Academy, Emilio Gutiérrez, believes that the signing of the agreement is part of the club's expansion strategy in other countries and regions. He said Kazakhstan will be an outstanding place for the training of young players not only from the largest nation in Central Asia but also from neighboring countries.

In June, the president of Atlético de Madrid, Enrique Cerezo, visited Astana to meet with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokáyev to discuss the details of the creation of a soccer academy at the Akbulak Olympic Center in Talgar.

According to the head of state, about 40,000 children in his country are enrolled in soccer schools. As a result, they want to pay special attention to promoting the sport by improving existing infrastructure and constructing new stadiums. EFE

jmp/sab

Kazakh Ambassador to Spain Danar Mussayev (2l) during the signing of an agreement on strategic support and advanced methods of soccer training between Doscar Group, Sport Asset Management, the Kazakh Embassy and the Atlético de Madrid Football Club at the Civitas Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. EFE/David Fernandez

Atlético de Madrid has reached an agreement to open a soccer academy in Kazakhstan in the fall of 2025, specifically in Talgar (Almaty). EFE/David Fernandez

Photo of Atlético de Madrid CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, and Nurtleuov Shalkar, CEO of Doscar Group, after signing an agreement with Kazakhstan to open a soccer academy in the Central Asian country. EFE/ATLÉTICO DE MADRID/Marcos Barquero/PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLETICO DE MADRID/MANDATORY CREDIT