FC Nordsjælland and Right To Dream: Developing talent in a socially responsible way
There is no other football club like FC Nordsjælland (FCN). They are owned by Right To Dream, a non-profit football academy in Ghana. With unique training methods and a strong emphasis on character development for their academy players, the club strives to compete with the best clubs in Denmark and to qualify for European football each season. Former FCN midfielder Abu Francis (21) is one of the players who joined the club through the Right To Dream academy. ‘I think a lot of Right To Dream players make it to the top because of our characters.’
Photo: Oskar Oltéus (CC BY-SA 4.0)
FCN’s focus on youth development is apparent when analysing the statistics. According to the research group CIES Football Observatory, they have the youngest professional first-team squad in the world. With an average age of just 22,31 years in the 2021/22 season, the club even set a record for the lowest average age ever recorded.
Over the last few years, FC Nordsjælland introduced the world to footballers such as Brentford winger Mikkel Damsgaard (22), Southampton winger Kamaldeen Sulemana (20) and Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus (22), who seems destined to soon move to a top European side. Another player that entered the world of professional football at FCN is Abu Francis.
Click the link below to read Francis's story and the rest of the article
