10 Year Timeline! #MajorThrowback
- Amadeus Awad II
- May 20, 2016
- 4 min read
Athletico is celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year!
Dear Athletico Family,What an amazing time for our club! It is our pride and joy to be celebrating this occasion. It all started with the dream of a group of parents looking to offer their kids a real opportunity in football... Today we have more than 1,200 kids and are the number ONE academy in Lebanon!
...so we thought a quick recap on our story since our launching in 2006 would be fun!
2006: Born in 2006 thanks to the initiative of a group of parents who closely follow their children’s growing passion for football, Athletico Club started with a group of 12 kids, aged 10 to 13 years. On a rented sandy field with odd dimensions, kids and parents fully enjoyed every training.That same year, dramatic events happened in Lebanon causing many families to leave the country. But the eagerness of those who came back and the enthusiasm of the players triggered the decision to move on and start dreaming of a more professional environment for our promising players.
2007: A big leap was done and the green field of Saint Joseph School – Qornet Chehwane, one of the best in the Metn area of Lebanon - was rented for Athletico kids. Players, aged 5 to 17, came from all areas of Lebanon to be a part of this very special club, offering a real focus on kids with innovative European standard activities. Training became more frequent while holidays and summer camps were organized. The only wage-earning individuals in the club were the coaches. All the others involved were volunteers and parents of players. The “Athletico Family” spirit started to spread.
2008: This year, the decision was taken to participate in an official international tournament. Dana Cup, in Denmark, was chosen for its position as one of the most important youth football tournaments where more than 1,000 teams meet for a week of great football games. All participants agreed that this was a memorable experience.
2009: This was also the year of international experiences. In the spring of 2009, two Pullman buses, carrying Athletico teams of different ages, headed towards Amman in Jordan, where many games were organized. Surprisingly, the football level of our young club was amazing and the results outdid all expectations.In July of the same year, 4 teams headed to Denmark for our second participation in the international youth football Dana Cup tournament. Reaching round 16 was a huge achievement for all.
2010: 2010 is the year when Athletico Club started to reap the rewards of its ongoing efforts. In the spring of that year, a trip to Aleppo, in Syria, was organized.Many teams participated in the tournament, which ended with our U15 team amazingly winning the trophy after a breathtaking final.In December, our U14 team reached the final of the National Football Championship. Our supporters answered the call and, in front of an incredible crowd of cheering parents, players and friends, Athletico team won the trophy outright with a 2-0 victory over Tripoli. We are proud of this first national title - a stepping stone for the club.
2011: Athletico’s main objective was, from the start, to have an international opening for its players and coaches. On August 11, 2011, that goal was reached by signing a partnership with one of the greatest clubs in France and the second best football academy in the world, the prestigious Olympique Lyonnais. That same year, the famous German coach, Theo Bucker, joined Athletico Club as our technical director. He personally supervised and accompanied the first group of players that joined the OL in April 2012 for a week of intensive training.
2012: From day 1, the search for our own headquarters had begun. In 2012, it was finally achieved. Work on the newly acquired premises, in Dbayeh, Metn area, started immediately and the club’s managers promised that a year from then, the first training would take place on Athletico’s very own green field.That same year, following the high demand from Beirut’s young footballers, a new location for training was successfully added: the Hooligans club in Sin el Fil.
2013: A promise is a promise! In September 2013, the first training started on Athletico’s very own green field.The official opening took place in November, before an audience of officials, Olympique Lyonnais representatives, journalists, players, parents and friends. The sport’s complex features a synthetic green field, 2 Mini-Foot fields, a gym room, a meeting area, offices, changing facilities, showers and a parking. This was the third, and henceforth, main location for Athletico Club. That same year, three Athletico players made the impossible and went to play abroad: Philippe Paoli for the U19 team at Olympique Lyonnais; Claodio Maalouf and Jaques Matta to the U21 team at Dukla Praha.
2014: The Dana Cup tournament, which takes place every year in July, in the region of Hjørring, Denmark, has become the essential not-to-be-missed football event of the season.Hosting around 1,000 youth teams from over 100 countries, it gives Athletico players a full week of competitions, allowing them to measure themselves against other teams.This year, after intense training, our U12 youngsters, giving their best, amazingly reached the quarter final of the Group A. The U13 won the Group B tournament outright, bringing back a valuable trophy to the club and confirming that, from now on, Athletico Club Beirut gained its importance among the major football clubs.
2015: Athletico was officially invited to participate in the Mondial Pupilles de Plomelin, one of the most prestigious football championships worldwide for U14. A breathtaking experience for our players who raised the Athletico name in front of some of the biggest clubs in France reaching 7th place in their group.
2016: So much more to come!
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