#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Nornickel company and the Russian Football Union, which controls all professional leagues in the country, have signed a cooperation agreement for 2021–2023. According to the agreement, the company will act as a partner in the development programs of the union.
One of the key cooperation projects will be the Our Successors reserve training program, the main task of which is to create a system for searching, training and accompanying young players for professional football.
“The agreement provides for the implementation of joint projects for the development of youth football, including a talent search program in the regions, as well as the holding of the Our Successors annual selection review-festival for young athletes from different regions with the youth team coaching staff participation. And to support the best children’s coaches, the RFU, together with Norilsk Nickel, will establish an all-Russian annual grant”, the company said.
It is also reported that a series of the Our Guys family football festivals will be organized in the Moscow region.
“We are glad that such a large and strong partner as Norilsk Nickel has returned to our team”, said RFU secretary general Alexander Alaev. “The RFU pays great attention to youth football, and the emergence of the partner in the RFU development programs will significantly improve the quality of young football players training and create a foundation for the long-term development of our football”.
According to Larisa Zelkova, senior vice president of Norilsk Nickel, domestic football has attracted a lot of attention in recent years, also due to the successful performance of the national team at the 2018 home world championship.
“Working for the future, searching and developing young talents is one of the most important vectors of the company’s social policy. We are confident that the stars of the present will help Russian football find new stars of the future. This is a long and painstaking work, which is incredibly interesting for us to do together with the RFU”, she said.
We add that Norilsk Nickel has twice acted as a partner of the RFU – in 2010 and 2015. Each time, the focus of the company was on the development of children and youth football. Today Nornickel is a partner of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the Russian Olympic Committee, the Mini-Football Association of Russia, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, the Night Hockey League and the Russian Curling Federation. In addition, the company owns the CSKA professional basketball club, the 26-time champion of Russia, and the Norilsk Nickel mini-football club, which won the Russian Cup last season.
As we previously wrote, in December last year, thanks to Norilsk Nickel, a modern sports hall Aika became a new playground for Norilsk Nickel FC and the center of attraction for city athletes.
Text: Mikhail Tuaev, Photo: Norilsk Nickel FC
