Dubai: English Premier League contenders Manchester City Wednesday launched the world's first online coaching facility www.cityecademy.com in association with Abu Dhabi investment company Aabar.
With this free 24-hour video resource detailing step-by-step skills and exercises that are easy for coaches, parents and teachers to replicate the world over; the club hopes to spread its expertise and raise the quality of youth football development globally.
Broken down by an academy coach and then demonstrated by a City player, the technical, physical and goalkeeping routines can even be broadcast directly into the training pitch, street or playground via a bespoke iPhone application.
A points system rewards cityecademy members for watching videos and uploading their own content showcasing the skills they have developed giving the club a portal into the raw talent that will no doubt emerge.
With a simple but detailed registration process, the club will extend its potential scouting contacts to corners of the world otherwise untapped; a remarkable concept given that some of city's most valued players have emerged from developing countries such as Ivory Coast (Yaya Toure) and Togo (Emmanuel Adebayor).
Since 1998, the non-virtual Academy has helped create more first team players than any other Premier league development facility over the same period. They have launched the careers of 10 current international players, 31 current City first team players and 60 squad members who remain in league football.
Micah Richards, Shaun Wright-Philips, Joey Barton, Nedum Onouha, Daniel Sturridge and Stephen Ireland are just a few of their most famous alumni.
Recent City signing Yaya Toure, who was discovered as a youth playing football in the streets of the Ivory Coast by ASEC Mimosas before he was exported to Belgium to play for KSK Beveren, said, "I could never have imagined that you could learn to play football on a computer or a mobile phone when I was growing up,
"We can't build City academies in every town but now every kid can learn the City Academy way."
David Pullan, Manchester City's Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, added "We want to create a global cityecademy community one that is bound by our coaching philosophy."
Aabar of Abu Dhabi invests internationally in various sectors. They became a global partner of Manchester City during last season and are now title partners of cityecademy.
