The project follows a series of programmes established by Mohammed VI and his advisors to ensure the development of Morocco. This project was inspired by the lack of sports facilities and shortage of talented footballers in the country. In this case, the construction of a football academy was planned to promote sports in Morocco and produce the next generation of footballers.
Objectives
This project was conceived to attain certain objectives including:
Preparing junior footballers for professional leagues
Foundation
In 2007, the Moroccan monarch instructed Groupe 3 Architectes to build a football academy in Sala Al Jadida. The project costed around MAD140 million. In the beginning, project manager Nasser Larguet toured the country to find adequate candidates. Afterwards, the academy started a testing system to accept students. The North-African Academy is managed by Compagnie Générale Immobilière, a non-profit organization. The academy is presided by the personal royal secretary of King Mohamed VI, Mounir El Majidi, who is also the head of FUS Rabat. King Mohamed VI supported the project by presenting financial aids to encourage similar initiatives in other cities and to guarantee the progress of Football activities in the country. In March 2010, King Mohammed VI inaugurated the academy which aims to provide education, mentoring and football training for its students. The Academy opened its doors in September 2010. It is destined for around 50 candidates aged between 13 and 18 years old. This educational sports facility is financially supported by personal funding from the king. It has also received a part of private investments from ONA, Maroc Télécom, Addoha, BMCE, CDG and AttijariWafa bank. In 2015, similar academies were launched in several cities across Morocco such as Agadir, Tangier, Saïdia...
Structure
The Academy is located near the Bouregreg river and it covers the area of 2.5 km². It is composed of two main areas: The open space and a village. The academy is built to be a modern facility that encloses Moroccan cultural heritage. It is arranged to follow the shape of a traditional douar, with a central village square surrounded by five buildings. Each building caters for a specific function. Landscaped patios were designed to ensure the relaxation of the young footballers.
School
A school was constructed following the guidelines of a Sport-study curriculum. It offers a three-level programme for students with the first level being a preparatory stage to help them adjust. The school encompasses 10 classrooms, along with a language and a computer science classroom. The teaching programme provided by the academy is supported by the ministry of education.
Sports village
The Facility presents its students with four stadiums constructed under FIFA guidelines. A half synthetic football pitch, one training box drill, four locker rooms and a special training box drill for guardians.
Medical centre
The medical centre is composed of a clinic, a physiotherapist office and a balneotherapy pool.
Managing committee
President of the board: Mounir El Majidi Delegated administrator: M’hamed Zeghari Technical director: Pascal Théault Project Manager: Nasser Larguet
