AC Milan trainers for U-17 players in Kathmandu

Published On: February 15, 2017 09:10 PM NPT By: Prabin Bikram Katwal | @prabinLFC

KATHMANDU, Feb 15: Italian football giant AC Milan is set to conduct junior football training camp for Nepali U17 player in coordination with Kathmandu-based Alantic Sports Management Private Limited (ASM).

The week-long training camp is likely to be held at the Madhyapur Youth Association ground in Madhyapur, Bhaktapur from April 10, according to ASM. The training camp will run either for one or two week depending on the number of participants. However, single full session training will be of one week.

Organizing a press conference in the capital on Wednesday, ASM Managing Director Hari Khadka, also the former national football team captain, revealed that six members of the AC Milan junior coaching team including five coaches will train the players in Nepal. The team will also be accompanied by a scout.

Nepal will be the second South Asian country after Sri Lanka to conduct junior training camp of the Italian football giant which has won seven European Championship titles. It was crowned the Italian Serie A 2010/11 season title and currently sits seventh in the domestic league.

Former Italy international winger Stefano Eranio will be one among five coaches to train Nepali players, according to Khadka. He has won 20 caps for Italy from 1990 to 1997 and played professional football for AC Milan from 1992 to 1997.

The camp duration will be fixed once the number of participants is confirmed. “Registration has already opened and will close in February-end. Only 100 players will be trained in a single training session in one week. If the number of trainees reaches 200 then the training will be extended by a week,” said Khadka.

The entry fee for training has been fixed at Rs 30,000. The fee will also cover lunch, transportation and AC Milan kit for each trainee. “The camp is not-for-profit because we need to pay AC Milan € 262 per trainee,” Khadka said. “Kids will be provided basic football training in European style. It will be a great opportunity for our kids.”

Madhyapur Youth Association's ground has been fixed as training venue but could be shifted to other places.

According to Khadka, ASM has signed an MoU with AAD Polisporteventia, the company that runs junior camp for AC Milan worldwide, for the training camp.