Vietnam fields first 3-star football academy in ASEAN

By Dang Khoa September 24, 2020 | 03:36 am PT

A top view of a section of the PVF Football Academy stadium in Van Giang District of the northern Hung Yen Province. Photo courtesy of PVF.

The Promotion Fund for Vietnamese Football Talent (PVF) has become the first 3-star football academy of AFC in Southeast Asia.

According to the announcement Wednesday, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Elite Youth Scheme approved Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to become the latest Member Association promoted to full membership of AFC Elite Youth Scheme.

The member must fulfill the first 11 out of 20 criteria - leadership, planning, organization, staffing, recruitment, finance, facilities, teams, coaching, playing, player performance, health, fitness, psychology, welfare, education, collaboration, assessment, rules and results - outlined by AFC Youth Panel in order to become a full member.

This certificate will be re-evaluated after three years.

PVF Football Academy is now the third in Asia alongside Qatar’s Aspire Academy and South Korea's Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC Academy to receive 3-star approval, the highest accolade equivalent to Premier Level, from AFC Elite Youth Scheme for meeting all mentioned criteria.

According to PVF's website, the academy has a total area of nearly 220,000-square-meters with different facilities including a sports-science complex, gyms, antiretroviral therapy pools, underwater physiotherapy pool and a 3,600-seat stadium. The academy is in Long Hung Commune, Van Giang District, in the northern province of Hung Yen.