KIA Football Academy
Football club / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The KIA Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال کیا), commonly known as KIA FC, is an Iranian youth football academy that was established by Mehdi Mahdavikia in 2015 in southeastern Tehran.[1]
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Full name | KIA Football Academy | ||
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Founded | 2015; 9 years ago (2015) | ||
Ground | Madaran Stadium Tehran, Iran | ||
Coordinates | 35.6469382°N 51.452926°W / 35.6469382; -51.452926 | ||
Chairman | Mehdi Mahdavikia | ||
Coach | Hadi Mahdavikia | ||
League | Iran Football's 3rd Division | ||
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German magazine 11 Freunde has described it as "the best football academy" in Iran, and unique in terms of being dedicated to "sustainable, conceptual youth work".[1] The club follows the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim-model, i.e. starting at grassroots-level before developing into a team that can enter the professional leagues.[2] Each year, the club scouts more than a thousand players from all across the country and after trials, only retains top 25 talents.[3]
KIA has shown remarkable results since its foundation and frequently travels to Europe in order to play against renowned opponents.[1]