ANB Academy Futbol Finishes Second at "Challenge Jean Pingeon" hosted by Stade Malherbe Caen, France

May 21, 2012 (RELEASE) --

The ANB Academy performed extremely well in the prestigious 2012 edition of the "Challenge Jean Pingeon", hosted by the professional Ligue 1 club, SM Caen. The ANB Academy U-13 team, consisting of 1998 & 1999 born boys, travelled to Caen, Normandy, in the north-west area of France, to spend one week at the formation centre and participate in the weekend tournament.

A total of 32 teams were represented in the U-13 division of the tournament, 22 of them being from French professional club youth academies and 10 regional clubs. ANB Futbol Academy finished 1st in their group with a record of 6 wins, 1 tie, scoring 19 goals and conceding only one. In the second round, the team finished 1st as well, with 3 wins, scoring 4 goals and conceding none. In the semi final game, ANB was victorious over Le Havre FC with a score of 1-0, and lost in the final to Metz FC 1-0.

ANB - Adonijah Reid was voted tournament MVP and top scorer with 9 goals.

The team's achievement was highly and their style of play was praised by all who saw the games. The player's technical ability showed that, through proper training, Canadian players can be on par with their French counterparts. There were many local press reports covering the team's results, both on television and in the newspapers. Normandy Sports followed the team for 4 days and ANB will be the featured story in the next magazine edition, being the only invited team from outside France. The group was congratulated for their efforts and their results, with several professional clubs supposedly interested in following the players' development over the next few years.

"We knew we would do much better than in previous years, since the players and the coaches had the experience learned from 2010 & 2011. The team has been training 4 times per week over the last 5 months in preparation for the 9 vs. 9 tournament. We will continue our communication with the club (SM Caen) to establish a long-term relationship. Overall, we are very proud of the boys, their achievements and their commitment to the Academy's vision," said Academy Director, Bassam Naim.

Plans are already taking place to have The ANB Academy attend the tournament again in 2013.

ANB Results:

First Round:
- ANB vs. AST Deauville (Regional)… 3-0
- ANB vs. Alencon … 1-1 (Regional)
- ANB vs. Rennes (Ligue 1) … 4-0
- ANB vs. La Mos (Regional) … 1-0
- ANB vs. Metz FC (Ligue 2) … 1-0
- ANB vs. Quevilly (Ligue 2) … 4-0
- ANB vs. AJ Petite Ile 2 (French Iles) … 5-0

Second Round:
- ANB vs. Caen (Ligue 1) … 2-0
- ANB vs. Auxerre (Ligue 1) … 1-0
- ANB vs. Vannes OS (Regional) … 1-0

Semi Final:
- ANB vs. Le Havre (Ligue 2) … 1-0

Final:
- ANB vs. Metz FC (Ligue 2) … 0-1

ANB academy's vision is to become Canada's leading soccer development organization. Its mission is to identify Canadian soccer talent, and to maximize the potential of players at any level, through professional coaching and training.
For more information on the programs offered by ANB Academy, check out our website www.anbfutbol.com, contact us by telephone at 905-313-8661 or via e-mail at bassam@anbfutbol.com

ANB academy's vision is to become Canada's leading soccer development organization. Its mission is to identify Canadian soccer talent, and to maximize the potential of players at any level, through professional coaching and training.