HAGl-Arsenal Academy starts first Viet selection

Foreign experts associated with the joint venture Arsenal Football Academy in Vietnam started their first recruitment in Central Highlands province of Dak Lak from May 26-28. This national, pre-qualification stage will last till July. Only 16 applicats will qualify and be recruited for a seven-year training program at the Hoang Anh Gia Lai – Arsenal Academy.

In the first day of selection in Daklak, four out of 50 boys met technical requirements from the experts Robert Procureur and Guillaume Graechen, who will continue their job in other provinces. The four 11-year-old children are A Thuyn Mlo of Ede ethnic minority, Nguyen Van Lam, Doan Quoc Viet, and Nguyen Duc Thanh, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

It is estimated that up to 20,000 boys from across the country will be tested in the pre-qualifiers. The 16 finalists will benefit from the free training course, with the first session to start late this year, and the players’ parents will receive 10 percent of their transfer fees after graduation, according to HAGL.

They will live, learn football, and follow an academic curriculum at the academy – a joint venture between Vietnamese top-flight V-League club HAGL and the world-famous English club Arsenal. The five-hectare school – with two stadiums, a building with 30 double rooms, and space for other facilities – costs US$4 million equally shared by the two partners.