With the opening ceremony, Juventus Academy Shanghai was officially welcomed into the Bianconeri family of academies spread across the world. The latest opening is the fifth in China, following those in Zhuhai, Meishan, Tianjin and Nanjing, and has already attracted 250 sign-ups since it started operating in September.
The academy’s entry into the Juve family was duly marked with two days of events, with club legend David Trezeguet front and centre in his role as Brand Ambassador. He opened the press conference unveiling the new academy, attended by the media, players, Juventus Academy members and representatives, as well as Official Fan Clubs in Shanghai. The press conference was followed by a Q&A session, during which our former striker shared some of his experiences and told anecdotes to those in attendance, and answered the questions of eight youngsters from the academy.
In true Juventus Academy style, football was at the hub of the event. First of all the Brand Ambassador visited one of the three pitches at the Shanghai Academy, where he was welcomed warmly by 80 young players who were training. Trezeguet then met some of the teams involved in competitive games before watching the matches unfold, taking the time to hand out some valuable advice before kick-off.
The official opening of Juventus Academy Shanghai is demonstrative of the continued growth of the Bianconeri’s academy family, in China and beyond, with 54 active academies around the world.