 | |||
| Full name | KIA Football Academy | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | ||
| Ground | Madaran Stadium Tehran, Iran | ||
| Coordinates | 35°38′49″N 51°27′11″W / 35.6469382°N 51.452926°W | ||
| Chairman | Mehdi Mahdavikia | ||
| Coach | Hadi Mahdavikia | ||
| League | Iran Football's 3rd Division | ||
| |||
The KIA Football Club (Persian: باشگاه فوتبال کیا), commonly known as KIA FC, is an Iranian youth football academy that was established by Mehdi Mahdavikia in 2015 in southeastern Tehran.[1]
German magazine 11 Freunde has described it as "the best football academy" in Iran, and unique in terms of being dedicated to "sustainable, conceptual youth work".[1] The club follows the TSG 1899 Hoffenheim-model, i.e. starting at grassroots-level before developing into a team that can enter the professional leagues.[2] Each year, the club scouts more than a thousand players from all across the country and after trials, only retains top 25 talents.[3]
KIA has shown remarkable results since its foundation and frequently travels to Europe in order to play against renowned opponents.[1]
- ^ a b c Steffen Weiß (12 February 2017), "Zwischen Kult und Chaos", 11 Freunde (in German), archived from the original on 12 February 2017, retrieved 26 January 2018
- ^ "مهدوی کیا تیم داری می کند، مثل هوفنهایم!" (in Persian). Khabar Online. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Mondial Pupilles. Les Iraniens veulent monter en puissance", Ouest-France (in French), 10 May 2018, retrieved 26 January 2018