Zazu Football School marks first anniversary

To celebrate its first birthday, the Zazu Football School organised a social gathering at the Westin Dragonara Resort on February 10.

Enthusiastic children, parents, coaches and directors of the school mingled freely during the well-attended activity.

Playstation2 consoles, provided by Forestals, and an inflatable castle were installed at the Westin much to the delight of the children present for their school's birthday party.

The Zazu Football School was launched by well-known Maltese coach Ray Farrugia in February last year. Around 140 young footballers, including one girl, aged between four and 15, trained under Farrugia and his pool of coaches during the school's first semester.

This season, the number of children enrolled with the Zazu Football School has increased to 165, eight of whom are girls.

The school also holds weekly training sessions in Gozo.

During its first year, the Zazu Football School held two educational seminars and organised a trip to England, where three teams from the school played friendly matches against Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers and Bury Town.

Thanks to the good contacts Farrugia has in Italy, Miguel Ciantar, a player from the Zazu Football School, had the opportunity to undergo a trial with the youth squad of the Italian Serie A club Roma last year.

Meanwhile, Brandon Paiber, the son of Marsaxlokk defender Cesar Paiber, was presented with a memento from the Zazu Football School.

Paiber Jr. will pursue his prosperous football career in Argentina after his family decided to emigrate to his father's country of birth.

The Zazu Football School is supported by a host of sponsors, namely Westin Dragonara, TeamSport, Peugeot, Quaker, Ranieri Cafe and Restaruant, PrintXpress, Degree Services and David Vella Trading.