FC Zenit Academy is a center for training football players, primarily for the main club of the city of St. Petersburg. Football club Zenit in recent years has become one of the leaders of Russian football. And this success was achieved, among other things, thanks to the game of goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, midfielder Igor Denisov, striker Andrei Arshavin, who know firsthand what the Zenith Academy is, which they graduated in different years.
History of the Academy
In 1967, the Zenit football team took last place in Group A of the USSR Football Championship. Accordingly, she had to leave the top division. But due to the fact that the anniversary was celebrated that year - the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution, and Leningrad, as we know, is its cradle, they presented a gift to fans and the club. The team, by decision of the party comrades, was left in the major league. After that, the question arose: "What to do next?" And then it was decided to create a youth school to educate their football talents. The current Zenith Academy in those days was called the "Change". It was organized and headed by Dmitry Nikolaevich Beskov. In the first years of its existence, the Zenit Football Academy was faced with great difficulties. Mentors of the boys were yesterday's players who did not have the experience of coaching. Classes were held at school sites. Neither its base, nor fields, nor locker rooms - all that the FC Zenit Academy now has, was not even mentioned. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the friendly and close-knit coaching staff, the school managed to survive in those years. Seven years passed before Smena had its own sports complex for training and games. In 1975, the school created some of the best conditions for the education of football players. The Zenit Academy received its current name in 2009, when the founder was changed - it became the main club of the city - Zenit.
Academy Infrastructure
The Dutchman Henk van Stee was appointed director of the academy. From this moment, work began to improve the entire infrastructure of the school. Five artificial fields and one with a natural coating, a modern arena for playing football in winter, gyms for physical training and classes in which theoretical classes are held with young football players. The diagnostic and treatment and rehabilitation center of medicine, which is part of the training system for football players, allows you to monitor the health of children. This is all that the Zenith Academy is proud of today. Soon, a boarding school for nonresident children will be completed, which will allow them to live, study and train away from home under the supervision of sensitive and experienced mentors. Since January 2014, Vladimir Kazachenok, one of the best Zenit players in the past, became the sports director of the center.
Selection for the FC Zenit Academy
Every year, in the spring and fall, experienced academy coaches review children for football. Recruitment in groups is carried out for boys from 6 years. The main selection criteria are such qualities as speed, ball possession technique, coordination of movements. When enrolling in the academy, the equipment is given to the guys. All classes for young football players are free. The leadership of FC Zenit, in addition to the sports component, sets as its goal the upbringing and worthy education of its pupils. Especially for this, sport classes have been created at school No. 473 of St. Petersburg, in which for children 13-17 years old there are all conditions for study and training.
Academy branches
Those guys who could not enter the academy the first time should not despair. They will be able to try their hand at one of the fifteen branches that are located in different areas of the city of St. Petersburg, Leningrad Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan. Here, the selection of young football players is carried out more often, and it is much easier to enter them. If the child can prove himself in the branch, he will be accepted to the academy in a year or two.
Achievements of the Academy and its graduates
The Zenit Academy includes 13 teams in which children from 7 to 20 years train. Many of them repeatedly participated and became winners and winners of various competitions. So, last year the Zenit team (born in 1999) won the Winter Cup international tournament. Already this year, the Russian national football champion among interregional associations was the team of the North-West born in 2000, for which 8 academy players played. The youth and junior teams of the country of different ages include many school participants. Graduates of the Academy Vyacheslav Malafeev, Vladimir Bystrov and Andrei Arshavin in 2008 as part of the Russian team became bronze medalists of the European Football Championship.
In 2018, the World Cup will be held in our country. And it is quite possible that as part of the Russian team we will see the guys who studied at the Academy of FC Zenit. So we wish them good luck, health and luck - both in the game and in personal life.