2018-10-24
Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia launched a Football Academy of international standards in Rustavi today.
Head of the Government of Georgia addressed the audience gathered at the launch ceremony and noted that similar facilities are intended to be built in every region of the country in future.
"Sports have always had a special significance to us. We are proud of our traditions, within which football has an outstanding role. Hence, we believe that key pre-requisite of success is the development of football from an early age of childhood. A long way is ahead of us to get approximated to the European standards. Engagement of children, adolescents and youth in sports is of highest priority. Sadly, we lag behind many European countries by the degree of development in mass sports by 6 or even 7 times. Therefore, presence of such infrastructure is very important to further increase the degree of engagement in mass sports" stated the Prime Minister of Georgia.
According to the Head of Government of Georgia, it is particularly gratifying that education component is closely integrated with sports infrastructure at the Football Academy. Prime Minister of Georgia stressed the contribution of Levan Kobiashvili, President of Football Federation of Georgia in this regard and noted that education in the 21st century is among the key formulas leading to success.
Prime Minister of Georgia expressed gratitude to officials of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and all the others, who contributed to the creation of such a substantial infrastructure in Rustavi.
Football Academy, covering 6 hectares of land, has two natural grass surface and two artificial turf surface fields. It currently admits almost 60 children with a full board of tuition and accommodation, who can already enjoy the available infrastructure.
Since its incorporation, Football Academy will host trainings and retreats of teams in various age categories as well as friendly games.
Levan Kobiashvili, President of Football Federation of Georgia; Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia; Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi; Irakli Tabaghua, Mayor of Rustavi, officials of FIFA and UEFA participated in the launch of the Sports Academy today.
Prime Minister's Press Office