Officially, the Technical Center-Academy of the Football Federation of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ֆեդերացիայի Տեխնիկական կենտրոն-ակադեմիա), commonly known as the Yerevan Football Academy or Avan Football Academy, is a modern football training school located in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

, the capital of

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

. The purpose of the centre is to be the base for all coaching and development work undertaken by the

Football Federation of Armenia The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Ֆուտբոլի Ֆեդերացիա, ''Hayastani Futboli Federats’ia'') is the governing body of association football in Armenia. Its headquarters are located in Yerevan. The Fe ...

, and the training and preparation ground for all of the Armenia national football teams.

Overview

The construction of the academy was launched in late 2007 by the

. On 1 September 2010, the complex was officially opened by the President of Armenia

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan ( hy, Սերժ Ազատի Սարգսյան, ; born 30 June 1954)Of ...

, the

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

President

Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...

and the FFA President

Ruben Hayrapetyan Ruben Rafiki Hayrapetyan ( hy, Ռուբեն Ռաֆիկի Հայրապետյան, born 9 March 1963 in Yerevan, Armenia), also known by his nickname Nemets Rubo (''Rubo The German''), is an Armenian football official, a former member of the Armenia ...

. At its inauguration, the academy was home to five regular football training pitches, four tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the indoor sports arena and the hotel complex. Between 2013 and 2016, the academy was redeveloped and expanded to include five additional football training pitches, including the

main stadium Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *" Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centurie ...

. Currently, the Yerevan Football Academy is the largest football training complex in

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

. It is considered one of the most developed training centres in Europe.

Structure

Yerevan Football Academy panoramic view 02

Occupying an area of 120,000 m², the complex is currently housing the following structures: *

Yerevan Football Academy Stadium The Yerevan Football Academy Stadium, officially the FFA Technical Center-Academy Stadium ( hy, ՀՖՖ Տեխնիկական-կենտրոն ակադեմիայի մարզադաշտ), commonly known as the Yerevan Football Academy Stadium or the Avan ...

, with a capacity of 1428 seats, opened on 29 April 2013. It was one of the stadiums that hosted the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship matches. *Seven natural-grass and two artificial turf regular-sized football training pitches, mainly used by the Football Federation of Armenia as a training base for the

Armenia national football team The Armenia national football team ( hy, Հայաստանի ֆուտբոլի ազգային հավաքական, ''Hayastani futboli azgayin havak'akan'') represents Armenia in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation of ...

as well as the youth football teams. The centre is also used by many Yerevan-based football clubs. All of the training pitches meet the professional standards set by

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

and

. *Indoor sports arena with 500 seats, used for futsal, basketball, volleyball and handball. *Fitness centre and gymnasium, including sauna, jacuzzi and a recreation centre. *Four regular outdoor

hardcourt A hardcourt (or hard court) is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the surface and ...

s. *Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, each having a size of 25x11 meters. The outdoor pool is served by a poolside restaurant and bar. *Dining hall and bar with a capacity to serve up to 130 people. *Hotel complex with 49 single and double guest rooms. *Billiards hall. *Conference hall.Yerevan Football Academy Conference hall
/ref>

Gallery

File:Yerevan Football Academy 09.jpg, Natural grass pitches and an artificial pitch File:Yerevan Football Academy Stadium 02.jpg, Pitches and tennis courts near the main stadium File:Yerevan Football Academy 10.jpg, A natural grass pitch and the swimming pool near the main stadium File:Football Academy-Technical Centre Yerevan.jpg, The swimming pool

References

{{Football venues in Armenia Sport in Yerevan Football academies in Armenia Football in Armenia Association football training grounds in Armenia National football academies