Borussia Dortmund expands! The club recently announced it’s first international academy in Africa. Creatively named, BVB International Academy Ghana, the football academy will open this month and seek to develop players of both genders. The academy is based in in Accra and is being established in partnership with the Ghanaian team, Accra Shooting Stars FC.
Personally, I have no clue if this academy will develop first team players but I think that’s secondary to it’s actual goal. Former BVB player and Academy director, Teddy Hiadzi, says it best; “Every child’s football journey is different. Whether recreational or elite, our goal is to provide quality coaching, structure, and a safe environment where players can grow both on and off the pitch”.
Dortmund News
- Carney Chukwuemeka is considering changing his national team from England, where he was raised, to Austria, where he was born. He is also able to represent Nigeria but the African nation did not qualify for the upcoming World Cup. As someone who just secured tickets to watch Austria play Algeria in the World Cup, this is huge news.
- With Dortmund facing up against Mainz on Saturday, Nadiem Amiri came out to express his appreciation for BVB in a recent interview. Mainz’s 29-year-old midfielder is a certified baller and a potential transfer to Dortmund can always be a “what-if”.
Other News:
- Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal. The final four are Freiburg, Stuttgart, Leverkusen, and Bayern.
- RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart are linked to Southampton player, Caspar Jander. I will defer to our resident Southampton expert, Paul Johnson, to see if Dortmund are missing out.
Your Thoughts
Hypothetical time: if you were a billionaire and could open a state-of-the-art soccer academy anywhere on the planet, where would you pick? Personally, I would either pick an underappreciated hotbed of soccer, like East LA, or somewhere I have traveled to like Fez or San Salvador. Let me know below!