Ever dreamed of becoming the next Lionel Messi or Bojan Krkic? Well, youngsters in Hong Kong could have the chance to emulate those teenage stars of La Liga giants Barcelona when the FCBEscola soccer school opens its doors here this summer.
And the best thing is it's free of charge.
Jointly organised by local First Division club Kitchee and the world-famous Catalan club, with the support of financial firm Fortis, the Hong Kong programme will be based on the model followed in Barcelona. It is the Spanish side's first venture of this kind in Asia.
'We will copy everything from the way it's done in Barcelona and our target is to produce football talents who aspire to represent Hong Kong one day at the highest level,' said Ken Ng Kin, president of Kitchee, who flew to Barcelona to learn from their operation. 'We all know how successful the programme has been as it has produced a lot of stars such as Krkic, Andres Iniesta and Albert Ferrer.'
According to Ng, the annual operating cost would be around HK$1.5 million to HK$2 million, but most of the cost would be offset as they have secured a major sponsor as well as getting Kwun Tong District Council to provide the venue. Hence the free entry.
'The Hong Kong programme is very special because the participants do not have to pay. In contrast, they charge each youngster Euro50 [HK$620] a month in Barcelona. And at another centre in Cairo, Egypt, the monthly fee is around Euro250.'
Albert Perrin, board member of Barcelona, who was in Hong Kong yesterday to announce the programme, said FCBEscola is a unique concept for them.
