Future Syrian footballers find hope on Turkish pitch

A trailblazing football academy in southern Turkey says it wants to build up a new generation of players for a “new Syria”.

Eighty young people, between ages nine and 16, are being coached at the academy in the southern Turkish province of Hatay - and trying to maintain a sense of normality while continuing to chase their dreams.

"The war in Syria is the biggest war in this century," said Ahmed Vezir, the football academy coordinator and secretary-general of the Syrian Turks Association which established the school last month.

"Now many teachers, doctors, artists, artisans or people with professions have died or emigrated. When the war in Syria is over, we should start our lives in a strong way. We have to go back to our country by being qualified in every aspect," he said. 

Over more than four years, the war has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Syrians and made the country the world's single-largest source of refugees and displaced people.

Ten-year-old Ridvan Bal, 10, is in training, he said, to follow in the footsteps of one of his idols.

"The course is very good," Bal said. "I want to be a player like [Barcelona-signing] Arda Turan by developing myself."

Another budding star, Kened Abu, 13, escaped from Syria to Turkey before joining the academy and is now focused on his future on the pitch.

"I want to make my dream come true here. I did not think that I was able to find an opportunity," Abu said. "I thank everyone who made the effort to establish this academy."

The academy's coordinator, Vezir, said he and the students are looking to curry support from Turkish football clubs to help their young footballers.

"When we were in Syria, we did not miss any matches of the Turkey national team or the Turkish clubs' European matches," he said. “We prayed for them. We celebrated their victories in the streets and now we expect Turkey's prayers."

"We want them to hold the hands of our kids before they kick-off their European matches," he said.