#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Alexander Sokolov was invited to the post of the senior coach of the youth teams of Norilsk Nickel FC, who had already headed the Norilsk people – in the summer of 2016 he headed the futsal club, and in the fall of 2018 he left his post. In addition, for 14 years he coached Glazov’s Progress, having led the club from the lower leagues to the Super League. His previous place of work was Kazakhstan – Ayat Multifunctional Complex. Now he will coach the youth teams of the Norilsk Nickel FC – the reserve of the main football squad of Norilsk.
To be frank, the news that a well-known specialist was appointed as a senior coach of youth teams surprised. The fact is that a coach of the Sokolov level would be welcome everywhere, including in the Super League club. That is why a thought immediately crept into the heads of many Norilsk futsal fans: what if he is signed for the long term? The answer was encouraging: according to the Polar club press office, a new futsal section is opening in Norilsk, where children from 5 to 9 years old are invited, both boys and girls. Classes will be held under the auspices of the Norilsk Nickel Multifunctional Complex in the new Aika sports and recreation complex, the construction of which has almost been completed.
Apparently, the tasks of Alexander Sokolov include not only strengthening the youth mini-football. He will need to bring the youth teams of the Norilsk Nickel FC to a new, higher level.
According to the coach, given that 18 teams participate in the Norilsk championship this season, futsal is loved and understood in the northern city.
“For a long time I coached the youths of the city of Glazov, and the confrontations with the Norilsk people always turned out to be very difficult. The guys from the Arctic are smart, understand and know how to play mini-football. We will continue development and will try to improve our positions at the all-Russian level”, he concluded.
Text: Mikhail Tuaev, Photo: open sources
