The capital gained another modern football facility today with the inauguration of a new pitch in the Picallë area, an investment carried out by the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) in cooperation with the “Tirona Republic Football Academy.”
The inauguration ceremony was attended by FSHF President Armand Duka, academy representatives, members of the sporting community, parents, and dozens of children who will now have the opportunity to train at the new facility.
This investment is part of FSHF’s ongoing commitment to expanding sports infrastructure across the country and creating the best possible conditions for the development of youth and children’s football.
In his speech during the ceremony, President Duka highlighted the importance of investing in sports facilities and stressed that football should be as close as possible to children.
“I am truly very happy to take part today in this inauguration ceremony of this pitch, which is not just an artificial turf football field, but reflects our idea of investing in you and all your peers, so you can play football, grow up happier, and be better educated through football.
I am very convinced that our generation owes your age group for the infrastructure that should have been built for football. Fortunately, in Albania we are the first country in Europe that loves football. All parents should bring their children to football. All children should ‘pressure’ their parents to take them to football. The duty of all institutions is to create as many opportunities as possible, and we still have deficits in sports infrastructure and football pitches.
But today we are in a good example, one that should be followed by everyone.
I would like to thank the leaders of the ‘Tirona Republic Football Academy.’ This is a cooperation with the Football Federation. As is known, this pitch has been invested in by both FSHF and private funding from the academy’s management. I want to thank them for taking this initiative and to encourage all those who love football and those who have the means but are not involved in it, to join our initiative to build more football pitches and be as close as possible to you, in order to improve infrastructure and truly provide you with the conditions to follow your dream and passion for this beautiful game.
I want to thank all of you here, especially the children who are present. Thank you for following our game and supporting us. I also thank all participants and parents for their trust, the academy leadership, and I hope you enjoy this pitch. I hope you enjoy football, have fun, score goals, make friends, and grow as a community and as a team. Thank you very much for being here today,” said President Duka.
The new pitch in Picallë will serve children and young people in the area, providing a modern space for training and sporting activities. This is another concrete investment by AFA within the “100 Pitches” project, which aims to increase the number of football facilities and improve conditions for football development throughout Albania.
