Costa News Spain: A big football club is coming to Estepona

Malmö FF has announced the launch of its first school academy outside Sweden, in collaboration with the Swedish International School in Estepona.

Estepona secondary school students will be able to combine a high-quality education and professional football training starting in the fall of 2025. This will be Malmö FF’s 20th school academy and its first international expansion.

Niklas Skoog is the Head of Academy and he expressed his excitement for this project. He said: “It’s fantastic to be able to extend beyond Sweden, while still staying true to your values.” The initiative originated from the Swedish International School, which sought to adopt Malmö FF’s highly regarded academy model.

Estepona has a strong football culture. Its climate is also favorable. “We saw great potential in combining Swedish education with football in collaboration with Malmö FF,” said Ida Beckman from the school.

The academy will follow the same structure as Malmö FF’s Swedish academies, with three weekly training sessions alongside academics. The club’s training and resources will be provided to the school’s coaches.

For Malmö FF, this is an opportunity to strengthen its brand and offer more young people the chance to develop both academically and athletically. Beckman said that offering a structure in which studies and sports are combined is a great advantage.

Malmö FF is Sweden’s most successful football club, having won the league 27 times and the national Cup 16 times. The club also reached finals of the 1978-1979 European Cup (the predecessor to UEFA Champions League).