PM Opens Int'l Standard Football Academy in Rustavi

Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze, has opened a new Football Academy of international standards in Rustavi, along with the President of the Football Federation of Georgia Levan Kobiashvili, Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Rustavi Irakli Tabaghua and officials of FIFA and UEFA.

The Football Academy, covering 6 hectares of land, has two natural grass surface and two artificial turf surface fields.

The Football Academy will host both training and retreats of teams in various age categories, as well as friendly games.

At the ceremony, the PM noted that sport is of great importance for Georgians.

“We are proud of our traditions, within which football has an outstanding role. Hence, we believe that the key pre-requisite of success is the development of football from an early age. Yet, we still have a long way to go to reach European standards,” he stated, adding that the engaging of children, adolescents and youth in sports is of the highest priority. 

Bakhtadze noted that that the education component is closely integrated with sports infrastructure at the Football Academy. He also 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 which leads to success.

The PM expressed his gratitude to officials of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and to all others who contributed to the creation of such a substantial infrastructure in Rustavi.

By Thea Morrison