Ethiopia’s Youth Football Academy Works to Break Barriers, Seeks International Recognition

Despite boasting a majority youth population passionate about football, Ethiopia is yet to reach the heights the fans demand. Recent results of the national team are once again a reminder of how far behind the country is in its football development. One of the biggest challenges for football in Ethiopia is nurturing young talent. There needs to be more modern academies to develop youth and equip them for life as an international player. EBR’s Dr. Brook Genene looks at the challenges of youth football in Ethiopia and one academy trying to change the trend.

The Ethiopian national team played two qualifier games in September for the AFCON 2025, which is set to take place in Morocco. Both games occurred in Dar es Salaam, and Ethiopia drew 0-0 with Tanzania and lost 2-0 to DR Congo.

The national team failed to find the back of the net in both games and didn’t even register a shot on target in the first one. In a press conference after the matches, national team head coach Gebremedin Haile questioned the players’ fitness and complained about the squad’s lack of a valid number nine.

The Ethiopian national team has only scored once in the last four competitive games. This has jeopardised the team’s chances of qualifying for AFCON 2025 and World Cup 2026 early on.
One popular narrative that is forwarded whenever there is a problem with the national team is the need to work on youngsters. The issue has become a point of discussion among policymakers and fans in the media. While many believe this is one crucial issue to focus on, the discussion on youth development has often been regarded as a cliché without much progress to show.

Three years ago, the Ethiopian Football Federation agreed with the Three Points organisation to launch a national academy. Now in operation, the academy has been producing talents for youth national teams. However, there has yet to be a significant step forward regarding results and facilitating overseas opportunities for standout players.

Many coaches have opened youth projects in different areas. Although the importance of these projects can’t be underestimated, they have yet to bear the desired fruit. A more organised coaching methodology is helpful to have a direct route to a professional football path.

Premier Skills Ethiopia Football Academy is one project that addresses these gaps and makes a difference. The academy recently went to Denmark to participate in the Dana Cup. The Dana Cup takes place in the small Danish town of Hjørring. It is the third-largest youth tournament in Europe and attracts thousands of spectators annually. The game started in 1982 and lasted six days a year.

“We contacted the tournament organisers directly. The process was tiring,, but it finally became successful and we were glad,” Bitania Besrat, co-founder and one of the coaches at Premier Skills Ethiopia, told EBR.

Bitania is disappointed that they couldn’t receive their visas earlier. “If that had been the case, the academy could have participated with two much better teams,” he states.
According to the organisers, the 2024 Dana Cup was said to go down in history as one of the best events to date. Academies from 50 countries participated in this edition. Speaking about the competition, Bitania stated how impressed he was with the physical imposingness of the other young players. “We always say the likes of Haaland are huge but it is more than we think. Together with their physique they have speed and shooting ability. But technically and tactically we are not inferior,” he states.

Premier Skills Ethiopia took two teams to the tournament. The U 16 side managed to reach the last 16, while the U 18 side was able to join the previous 32. Even though the results were unsatisfactory, Bitania believes they have identified where football challenges lie and where the gaps are. He states that they also had the opportunity to participate in two other tournaments, but the process took too long. The tournaments were going to be held in Belgium and Portugal.

Although the academy was only founded two years ago, it has managed to become the first Ethiopian academy to participate in such a prestigious tournament. Bitania states how challenging it is to become a youth coach. “The academy I used to work at was closed, but I didn’t want to give up on my passion, so together with my friends, I decided to open this academy,” he states.
“We currently have nine full-time staff members. Our coaches have CAF C and D licenses. We try to be as professional as possible even though it is hard to reach the level of other countries,” he tells EBR. In addition to a CAF license, some of the coaches have a background in sports science, and the team also has a physiotherapist.

Bitania states that the academy has two programmes: “There are players who train in the summer and winter. Even though we have social media accounts, we use word of mouth among parents to promote our work,” he tells EBR.

“The mission of Premier Skills Ethiopia Football Academy is to empower and nurture the next generation of football talent in Ethiopia,” says Bitania. He adds they are dedicated to providing a comprehensive training environment that fosters skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship. “By participating in the biggest football academy tournaments annually, we aim to showcase the exceptional abilities of our youth, creating pathways for them to be scouted and join prestigious clubs in Europe,” he adds.

He states that some of their ex-players now play for European youth teams. Among them are Dagim Ketema Legese (Bleidenstadt Germany), Caleb Mulugeta, Zeloul Molla, Tensae Tadesse (Harrogate-Town AFC Academy England), and Abubeker Zaki – (France) are just a few.

Speaking about the challenges of being a young coach in Ethiopia, Bitania states how looking at Commercial Bank of Ethiopia’s coach, Betselot Leulseged, winning the Ethiopian Premier League with such a significant margin inspired coaches like him. Betselot achieved great success in his first season coaching in Ethiopia’s first division, having previously worked in lower leagues. Betselot initially missed out on opportunities because he wasn’t a big name, but his endurance gives the likes of Bitania hope.

Despite the notable progress, Bitania still sees room for improvement. Academies like this need more government support, and acquiring a playing field has become challenging. Young people usually play football on the road because of the lack of pitches in neighbourhoods.

The recent agreement between the Ministries of Education and Culture and Sports has been labelled a step forward by many. The two organisations have signed an MOU to work on school sports development. During the signing ceremony, Professor Birhanu Nega, Minister of Education, stated that sports are essential for citizens who are both mentally and physically healthy. He also said that sports competitions would occur in schools and be part of the education reform. Nurturing talents requires integrating football and other sports with academic endeavours. Experts believe this can help mend the issue in Ethiopia’s football.EBR

13th Year • October 2024 • No. 134