Valencia CF continue growth in Asia with new academy in South Korea

Valencia CF will increase the club's presence in Asia thanks to the inauguration of a new VCF Soccer Academy in Busan, South Korea's second largest city with over 3.5 million inhabitants. The country has one of the strongest footballing traditions in the continent, and has a special connection with Valencia CF through player Kang In.

The exciting project is a collaboration with company KS Sportain. Thanks to this alliance, the VCF Soccer Academy in Busan will boast magnificent facilities including both indoor and outdoor pitches. Some 400 players will be taught through the training methodology used by the VCF Academy at all levels.

A chief coach from the VCF Academy will be put in charge of the Busan project, and will receive support from the rest of the departments back home. The players will have the opportunity to complete their Valencia CF experience with the possibility of periodic visits to Spain, to see Mestalla and to train at the Ciudad Deportiva.

The new VCF Soccer Academy in Busan adds to existing projects in Asia, such as those in Shanghai, Osaka and Wakayama. Valencia CF are one of the LaLiga clubs with the largest presence in the continent, and the vision of majority shareholder Peter Lim and Meriton has been key to the progressive internationalisation process to take the club into new markets across five continents.

Choi Kyungsoo, KS Sportain manager: “We are eager to begin this new VCF Soccer Academy project in Busan. We are going to provide the opportunity for the same training methods used by the VCF Academy at the Ciudad Deportiva to be applied in our city and our facilities. We want to create a complete experience with summer campuses, coaching courses, tournaments and more, as well as exposing our players to Spanish culture."

Sean Bai, VCF Academy director: “Valencia CF are a very well-known football club in South Korea, as Kang In came through our academy from 8-a-side level to his reaching the first team squad. We are sure that this is the correct project for Valencia CF to have a presence in such a strategically important country as South Korea, with a programme that already boasts hundreds of players. Through this, we will help young talents to develop their potential to the fullest. The project also gives the opportunity to our VCF Academy coaches to be trained and to develop on an international level, in a completely different context to what they are used to in Valencia."