MOSCOW (AP) – As Russia prepares to host the 2018 World Cup, it is already looking to a future generation of soccer stars.
Government-funded programs to provide free coaching to children have sprung up across Moscow, with kids given the chance to learn the basics of the game for free.
The classes focus on fitness but also act as an informal scouting scheme for possible future pros, says coach Andrei Ilayskin. He runs sessions across Moscow, often on asphalt playing grounds in the courtyards between tower blocks.
“For the younger ones, let’s say between 4 and 10 years old, they have technique and fitness training, as well as games,” he told The Associated Press.
Ilyaskin is a former professional player who spent time with renowned club CSKA Moscow and won the league title in the neighboring ex-Soviet country of Belarus. That experience helps him to identify talented youngsters for the academies of Russian clubs.