New Sports Complex in Avan; Platini Visits Yerevan

By HAKOP ALAJAJYAN
Haladzha@uci.edu


A new sports complex was officially unveiled in the Avan district of Yerevan on September 1st. The complex was part of an agreement between the Football Federation of Armenia and UEFA in 2007, when UEFA and FIFA presidents Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter visited Armenia to lay down the plans for the construction of the complex. Despite being estimated to take four years to complete, this glorious project was completed in little over three years and Platini was in Yerevan at the unveiling of the center.

Platini stated that he is “confident that [the complex] will benefit young players in Armenia” and that the opening of this great complex was a “dream come true for a lot of young people [in Armenia].”

FFA president Ruben Hayrapetyan was grateful for UEFA’s assistance in establishing better standards for football in Armenia, stating that “it would have been impossible to build such a complex without UEFA assistance,” and that “UEFA funded 62% of the work” for building the complex.

The complex is state-of-the-art and features six football pitches (one with turf, five with grass), four tennis courts, a medical room, weight room, Olympic pool and sauna, large cafeteria, and many 2-person hotel-style rooms for players to stay in.
According to forward Yura Movsisyan (Randers, Denmark), the complex rivaled those in the US and Denmark, where he played his club football.

Following the unveiling of the complex, which was attended by RA President Serzh Sargsyan, Sargsyan awarded Platini with a Medal of Honor for his role in helping construct the massive complex. This complex is certainly a blessing and will help in progression of quality in Armenian football.