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A pitch battle has erupted in Bahrain as rival soccer schools bid to entice young footballers to sign up on their coaching courses.
No sooner had the well-established Arsenal Soccer School Bahrain (ASSB) moved its operation to a sparkling new facility in Saar, former stalwarts, now running Tekkers Academy, moved in to set up another base at its former home.
Officials of ASSB claim the state-of-the-art artificial playing surface at its new base at Saar Cultural and Sports Club is far superior … although Tekkers, headquartered in Busaiteen, believe the additional Soccer City Stadium address will complement its operation.
ASSB’s head coach John Mackenzie said the school had issues over maintenance in Janabiya, adding: “As a leading soccer school on the island, we need to make sure that our facility is the best it can be. Therefore, we have decided to move to a new location.
“Our new pitch is one of the first ‘fourth generation’ pitches in the country. Not only will this enable a better playing surface but also prevent impact injuries and burns. Also, the floodlights are a lot brighter to assist with our later sessions. Along with this, there are a lot of safety elements we have now corrected, for example, padded run-off walls and safe benches to sit on.
“We also have the option to play full-sized games for age-relevant age groups. Over the coming year, there will be regular improvements and new things going into the facility.”
The new term at ASSB has already kicked off and plans are afoot to send a squad of players on a European tour in July to participate in the Costa Blanca Cup, an international youth tournament in Spain.
Meanwhile, Tekkers, run by former ASSB executives Paul Shipwright and his wife, coach and Bahrain international, Deena Rahman, are thrilled to add the Soccer City site to its portfolio.
Rahman said: “When the opportunity of such a fantastic location arose we didn’t think twice about taking it. Our aim is to provide opportunities across the country for as many people as possible to experience Tekkers Academy and we now are lucky to have three amazing facilities – RCSI Busaiteen, The Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Saar and now Soccer City in Janabiya – each with different benefits for our growth and expansion.
“Soccer City has ‘location, location, location’. Hundreds of football players and parents have used it and loved it over the years and the owners are on board about making it ‘THE’ sporting destination in the area.
“It has shade and air conditioning, toilets and changing rooms, big-screen TVs showing all the top games, a swimming pool, great access, car parking and a sports shop – it is the best location around, in my opinion, and we are delighted to be there.”
Since its launch last September, Tekkers has expanded swiftly. Coach Harry Tsappis has been joined by full-time coach Scott Royan and part-timer Clause Hansen. Young apprentice, Ronnie Ferrero, has joined the ranks to assist when needed and gain experience in the field.
Shipwright said: “We are overwhelmed at how well Tekkers Academy has started. We were expecting a slow start with the hope of growing, but we have massively exceeded our expectations and the aim now is to continue to grow but keep offering a professional but personal experience that will encourage people to be a part of it. We also want to add more sports and activities for both parents and children.
“We will be taking on more coaches to offer more class options at Soccer City. With these additions to the team and the third location, we have opened up more class options available for all age groups.
“These are very exciting times and we are delighted about how it is going so far and could not be prouder of what we have achieved in this short amount of time.”
Tekkers will also be staging a tournament for footballing females in the region on February 19 with teams from the Bahrain Football Association Ladies League, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait joining the competition.
There are also other academies on the island offering footballers coaching sessions and many of the Bahrain Football League clubs also train promising young players to play in competitions.
