Manchester United have signed a 5 year sponsorship deal with Pan-African telephone company Globacom. The partnership was unveiled yesterday at Old Trafford. The amount involved in the deal is not yet known. As part of this deal young players from Nigeria, Ghana and Benin will train at the Manchester United Football Academy. Click to continue reading...

Cheltenham Town 0 – 4 Crewe Alexandra
League 2 - Saturday 31st October 2009
Cheltenham were given a lesson in basic football skills by a well prepared Crewe Alexandra. Dario Gradi is one of - if not the - longest serving managers in any of the leagues. He sent out a solid and disciplined side who kept their shape, passed well, defended in strength when needed and made the most of their opportunities. Click to continue reading...

Wrighty defends his academy investments Ex-Arsenal star Ian Wright has hit back at suggestions that he is exploiting South African children at a football academy. The head of the South African FA accused him of "raping the country, then running away". Wright is one of a group of investors in the Cape United academy. Click to continue reading...

Coca Cola Championship season is speeding up and we bring you a brief prediction for each club this season. Many things have changed in the squads, especially on benches. It seems that it will be tougher than ever and many so-called favourites might just prove otherwise...

LEICESTER CITY

When a pretty big club like Leicester city suffers such a failure like a drop to the Third league and then makes it to an express return to Championship, then other clubs should beware of their self-esteem and courage.

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Javier Mascherano joined up with the Liverpool squad in Switzerland yesterday – with Rafael Benitez determined to hold on to the midfielder.
Mascherano's arrival at Liverpool's pre-season training camp was delayed after he became a father for the second time last weekend.
The midfielder has been courted by European champions Barcelona throughout the summer, with Lionel Messi urging his fellow Argentine to make the move to the Nou Camp. Click to continue reading...

Apologies no National Show podcast this week due to technical difficulties.
Local news and Peter Funnell interviews
Cap Football Tech Director Ian Shaw discusses changes, including costs,trials,games to Cap Football Academy and trip/trials for players to Korea coming up soon
Download

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After losing the race for Filipe Melo to Juventus, Arsenal turned their attention to Blaise Matuidi, or as the French call him, ‘next Makelele'.

The 22-year-old player came to prominence thanks to impressive displays for Saint Etienne and considering that he rejected the offer to extend his contract, which runs out in 2011, Matuidi is likely to join Arsenal very soon.

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Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has long been a strong advocate of African football, buying the rights to such players as Ghana's Michael Essien and Nigeria's Salomon Kalou at Chelsea and Ghana's Sulley Muntari at Inter.Â
Now, the Special One is in Nigeria as a special guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA). Click to continue reading...

The EPL has been slow getting into India. Cricket and now 20/20, its version on crack have upstaged the world's game.

However, when talking about India, even a minuscule 5% represents a market of 50 million. Football is currently the lingua franca of sports of the upper middle class. You have to go to Goal.

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NBA superstar Steven Nash is at it again this summer, bringing together the world's best football and basketball players on one pitch in the heart of New York City for a game football.

The event, which was a massive hit in it's inaugural year, will be coming back to the greatest city in the United States on 24 June in an event that's being billed as the 'Showdown in Chinatown'.

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Although no one will say it in public, Serie A are way behind Primera for years now, not to mention Premier League. We are not talking about the results of the clubs in the Champions League, low attendance, comical championship where everyone tries their best not to stand in Inter's way.

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I received a post from Peter today,posted in full below. He raises some questions about Capital Football's role as a Football Club. They should be seen, in my view, as a point of discussion rather than a criticism of Capital Football or it's Board.
I have no opinion on the matter, but I'm more than happy for others to raise points on my blog. Click to continue reading...

Everybody loves old school Cannavaro and his shoe-tying bitchface! This was a photo taken in 1991 when Canna was still at the Naples football academy. He's obviously come a long way since then, hairstyle and all.

It is confirmed that Canna will join Juventus again in July. But he doesn't expect a warm reception from the fans particularly after he "deserted" them three years ago for Royal Madrid.

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FAS president Mayor Zainudin Nordin (right) and S.League CEO Winston Lee with the new League Cup trophy
The 2009 League Cup draw was held this afternoon at the Jalan Besar Stadium's National Football Academy Conference Room.
The Groupings as follows:

• Group A - SAFFC, Brunei DPMM, Albirex Niigata (S)
  
• Group B - Tampines Rovers, Geylang United, Young Lions
  
• Group C - Super Reds, Gombak United, Balestier Khalsa
• Group D - Home United, Sengkang Punggol, Woodlands Wellington

The top two sides in each group progressing into the quarter finals. Click to continue reading...

Wenger mentioned the name of this young man who is playing for Lille and that is a definitely sign that he is in for the big scene.

This young Belgian is only 18 years old, as he arrived to France as a kid. Lille scouts spotted him on a tournament playing for A. F. C.

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Questions raised after National Championships by one onlooker.
The National Under 13 Boys competition finished yesterday. Girls and Boys results below. Also below is a post from one "Anonymous" poster.
I have no view on the Capital Football Academy of any real expertise or depth so I won't comment. Click to continue reading...

A new star in Manchester United is born in the name of Federico Macheda, an Italian national. He did not have to dive to be an instant hit at Old Tafford, he simply scored a stunning goal at stoppage time against Aston Villa on his debut for the Red Devils.

First game, first goal, and still 17 years old.

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Nedum Onuoha is an English national of N igerian origin. He was born in Nigeria and grew up in Manchester, England.

The 22 year old currently plays for Manchester City Football Club. He started in the club's Football Academy and signed a professional contract when he turned 18.

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You would think if you play Premier League/ Reserve/Pathway football and ACTAS, Capital Football Academy that you are very into your football and the development of the game and opportunities of the game in Canberra.
Training and playing what 3 or 4 nights a week. That's commitment isn't it? Click to continue reading...

"Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." - Albert Camus.
Fabien Barthez and French writer,Nobel Prize winner and philosopher Albert Camus( who incidentally was also a goalkeeper for his university team till he contracted tuberculosis in 1930 - which put an end to his football activities) are the inspiration for a unique French Football academy that aims to instil the values of citizenship in 11-16-year-olds from around the world and from all walks of life.

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Taken from the Bangkok Post
Thai trio wait and see
TOR CHITTINAND
The selling of Manchester City to the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment will not immediately affect the three Thai players on the club's books, according to an associate of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Click to continue reading...

The Mariners have launched their Academy programs today.
And it's interesting to see the numbers of players involved in their Academies. For example, One centre for 9 years olds will train 16 players. And there are FIVE centres. That's 80 players per age group.
At least five centres spread across the Region. Click to continue reading...

The Indonesian FA are looking to open the nation's very own football academy next July in Lido, approximately 70 kilometres south of Jakarta.
I was talking with Marvin, head coach of SSI (the outfit which runs the Arsenal Soccer School) and he said plans allow for a 10 hectare site located in the foothills of West Java and linked to the capital city. Click to continue reading...

Because help is at hand for all you aspiring pseudo-footballers out there that don't give a shit about your career and only want to drive a diamond-encrusted Hummer to China White and back four times a week. You see rather than follow his brother Bradley's example and head into a life of petty crime, Shaun Wright-Phillips has decided to supplement his astronomical income by setting up his own football academy. Click to continue reading...

It is a measure of Petr Cech's character and his sense of accountability that immediately after his error that effectively cost the Czech Republic their chance of progress into the quarter-finals of the European Championship he returned to his house in Prague to face the music.

Pilloried in the Czech press for the inexplicable fumble that handed Nihat Kahveci an 87th-minute equaliser for Turkey - the striker would score again moments later to ensure his own nation's passage from the group stage - Cech even found himself fending off questions about the aberration from seven-year-old kids at the football academy which he runs here in the capital city.

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If you have a questions for Heather Reid all things Capital Football, Anthony Hatton all things Ateam4Canberra and Adem Poric all things Small Sided Games and I'm not sure he's a believer, please email me. Details of tonights show below.
Nationally Terry Henry joins us as host, Former Sheff Wed and Aussie Youth Team Representative and Total Football Academy entrepreneur Adem Poric is live in the studio. Click to continue reading...

Two years ago I wrote a post on the Jamaica Football Federation's efforts to build a national football academy in St. Elizabeth parish in the western part of the country. It was supposed to take seven months, yet it hasn't been completed. And if you read this article from the Jamaica Gleaner, you'll find that the academy has been in the works since 2003! Click to continue reading...

Cobb Futbol Club - Cobb FC
Year Established: 1988
Director: Steve Gummer
President of the Board: UNKNOWN
Summary - Cobb Futbol Club, also known as Cobb FC, has risen to become one of the "clubs to be reckoned with" on the Georgia soccer radar.
Their boys Academy and Select programs have a very solid reputation for producing tough tournament winning teams, but I'm sorry to say I can't speak to where their kids progress. Click to continue reading...

I have always been staggered by the fact that India does so poorly on the international sporting stage. India is a cricket power, I know, and they're strong at field hockey as well (though they have struggled of late), but what about the Olympics? The land of over one billion people claimed just one medal, a bronze, at the 2000 Games and just one silver at the 2004 Olympics. Click to continue reading...

Craig Bellamy is not a particularly nice man. In the last six years, he has hit team-mates with steel chairs and golf clubs, been acquitted of racially abusing a night club bouncer, and even been cleared of assaulting women in two separate incidents. This small melting-pot of Welsh rage now faces his latest shame having being accused of attacking a charity worker in Africa this past weekend.

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Thankfully not burdened by the inconvenience of the ongoing European Championships, the England national team are free to indulge in their favourite passtimes. As such, Wayne Rooney is off in Ibiza smoking and drinking, Joey Barton is in jail, D. Beck is getting his face tattooed, and good old Rio Ferdinand is dressing up in ridiculous clothes while people he doesn't know tell him he's great. Click to continue reading...

Coach Gary Littlefield caught up with Kevin Thelwell of Derby County last week to briefly discuss the academy and its assessment practices. Here's what Kevin had to say.
Can you give the younger Ziga Zoga members an idea of what is expected of a player while on trial at the academy?

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