David Beckham football academy in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, July 29 : Asia’s first David Beckham football academy may be set up here at a cost of at least $10 million, a news report said Saturday.

Managers of the academy, named after the Real Madrid star, plan to visit Hong Kong next month to decide if it is suitable, the South China Morning Post reported. If the academy is set up, it would train 20,000 youngsters a year from around the region and would cost between $10 million and $18 million, the newspaper said. Beckham, who captained England’s failed World Cup campaign, is hugely popular in Hong Kong where football is the leading sport on television. The footballer would visit the academy at least once a year. Students would stay in dormitories at the academy and be trained in physiology and biology as well as footballing skills.

The David Beckham Academy already has branches in London and Los Angeles and is also looking at cities in China - including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen - as possible sites for its Asian base. A spokesman for AEG, which partners David Beckham in setting up the academies, told the newspaper: “Other countries like India, Korea and (countries in) the Middle East have expressed strong interest as well.” However, he added: “The city has to be a hub and Hong Kong fits. Whether a city has existing sports facilities will be a factor, since it could lower the cost.” AEG is seeking local partners in Hong Kong and other Asian countries to set up the Asian branch of the academy and hopes to open it by 2008.

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