Juventus Academy Armenia opens Avan branch in Yerevan

The Juventus Academy Armenia officially opened its Avan branch in Yerevan. The opening ceremony was attended by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan, Football Federation of Armenia President Armen Melikbekyan, UEFA Secretary General Theodore Theodoridis, Juventus Chief Business Officer Peter Silverstone, and former player of the Italian club, football star Fabrizio Ravanelli.

The opening ceremony began at the academy’s Avan training facility. Academy founder Alfred Sadoyan ceremonially cut the red ribbon together with senior Yerevan officials. The guests toured the training facility, familiarized themselves with the work carried out and the infrastructure, and watched the children’s training sessions.

The Avan training facility includes accommodation for coaches and children, a gym, medical examination and rehabilitation areas, an analysis room equipped with the latest technologies, a shop, and other infrastructure. The building was constructed in accordance with modern “green building” standards.

The officials and guests then visited the community of Nor Hachn in Kotayk Province, where construction work also began on the academy’s third branch and a sports district.

Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan highlighted the significance of the opening of the Juventus FC academy. “For the first time in the Republic of Armenia, an academy of a major European club is opening, creating broad opportunities for our children,” Avinyan emphasized.

According to Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan, the establishment of academies is a cornerstone of football development. “We cannot achieve success in major sports if we do not have a foundation, one of the pillars of which is the establishment of academies. It is clear that bringing international experience to our country and making international football education accessible to our children should be one of the most important strategies. I am glad that with the opening of the Juventus Football Academy, we essentially have such an opportunity,” Andreasyan said.

The project and large-scale construction work began in Yerevan on May 29, 2025. Around $20 million has already been invested, and two modern training facilities are currently operating in Yerevan’s Avan and Kentron administrative districts.

The training facilities feature high-quality pitches with natural and artificial turf, artificial-turf pitches filled with organic materials for younger children, as well as an indoor pitch.

The multifunctional Freedom Arena at the Kentron branch meets UEFA Category 2 standards and, in addition to football matches, will be able to host sporting and other events. The stadium will have around 2,000 seats. The sports complex will also house Armenia’s first specialized sports medicine clinic and rehabilitation center, Medicina Dello Sport. All training facilities are also equipped with modern nighttime lighting systems.