Man City Exploring Other International Cities To Expand Football Academies

Man City said it is "exploring other destinations around the world" for future expansion, according to Mike Keegan of the MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS. The club already runs coaching centers in cities including Miami and L.A., and "have been rumoured to be in the running to create a new team in New York that would compete in America’s MLS." A spokesperson confirmed that "further expansion is on the cards," after Man City doubled the size of its football school in Abu Dhabi (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 3/28). AFP reported the coaching center in Abu Dhabi, named the MCFC School of Football, "has doubled in size since it opened a year ago." It now caters for 550 boys and girls between ages 5 and 18, and is "run by five coaches on weekday evenings and Saturdays." Coaching at the school "takes the form of 10-week courses, all of which follow the same training techniques and philosophies of Roberto Mancini's first team" at Man City (AFP, 3/27).