POP-UP PSG ACADEMY OPENS IN OSAKA IN THE PRESENCE OF CLUB LEGEND PATRICK MBOMA

As part of its summer tour of Japan, Paris Saint-Germain has opened a pop-up PSG Academy in Osaka. In holding two training sessions a day throughout the week, the academy is providing an immersive football experience for around 100 children, with the club’s coaches deploying the methods that have made the PSG Academy a global success.

Hosted at the Green Sakai sports complex, the PSG Academy welcomed children from Yao Katsura Junior High School on Thursday 27 July in the presence of Club legend and former J-League player Patrick Mboma. Located in one of the city’s southeastern districts, the school is offering football to its students as an integral part of their school day.

PSG Academy Director Nadia Benmokhtar said: “We are delighted to be sharing our passion with the young people of Osaka and to be offering them the chance to play football and improve their skills with our coaches. We have been given a very warm welcome and we would like to thank everyone who has made this initiative possible. Paris Saint-Germain is becoming more and more popular in Japan. Having opened a year ago, the PSG Academy in Tokyo is growing, and we aim to continue expanding our academy network across the country in the months to come.”

Held in 2022, the club’s first tour of Japan revealed the passion it generates in this part of the world and the country’s desire to open a PSG Academy, marking a new phase in the international development of the Paris Saint-Germain brand. The club is now undertaking its second tour of Japan in as many years and already has a strong presence in the country, with a  fan club, stores in Tokyo and Nagoya, and a growing profile on Japanese social media, especially on Line and Twitter.

It has taken only a few short years for the PSG Academy to become one of the most highly regarded institutions of its kind in the world. Its programme has received praise from observers for the quality of its coaches, the methodology it develops, and the facilities used by the club to welcome young players.