Karabakh Wien General Manager: Our club will help needy from profit of its latest success - INTERVIEW

Baku. 30 January. REPORT.AZ/ Report News Agency presents an interview with General Manager of the Karabakh Wien (Vienna) football club in Austria, Ramin Shukurov: 

- How did the idea of creating Karabakh Wien club come about and when did it happen?

- The idea and initiative of creating the Karabakh Wien FC in the Austrian capital was put forward by the president of the club Orkhan Valiyev in 2013. In July 2014, the club "FC Karabakh Wien was officially established. The club's board includes 4 Azerbaijani citizens - President Orkhan Valiyev, Vice President Ulvi Rzayev, Chief Manager Ramin Shukurov and Financial Manager Sanan Ahmedzade, 1 Austrian Vice-President Manfred Modli and 1 Turkish delegation member Kamuran Kush. The name of the club has been selected from the region and city of historical significance for Azerbaijan and Austria. Vienna is the cradle of the history of culture and art in Austria and Europe, and the Karabakh region is the only cultural and artistic place in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

- How are you targeting to introduce occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan to the world?

- Unfortunately, the fact that during the last 25 years Karabakh's name in European and world community mentioned with wars and conflicts, it has actually damaged its value and caused a false recognition of Karabakh by the world community. Promotion of Karabakh through sports in Austria, directly in Europe as part of Azerbaijan is set as the main target by young Azerbaijani founders. Official website of Karabakh Wien informs the Austrian community about the Karabakh name origin. Besides meaning of Kara (black) in word "Karabakh" in ancient Turkish and Azerbaijani means it also means "dense", "thick", "big", "dark" and so on. While “bakh” is garden. From this point of view "Karabakh" also means "black garden", ie "big garden", " thick garden", "dark garden" and so on.

"Karabakh" is a well-known region of Azerbaijan by the international community. Karabakh region, which is considered to be the heart of Azerbaijan, has historically raised many famous people - writers, athletes, politicians and statesmen.Karabakh is the cradle of Azerbaijani music.

- Could you please inform about the club's infrastructure...

- The Board of Directors of Karabakh Wien FC has identified the development of infrastructure as a priority area, with its own football pitch from the very first day of its foundation. In the second half of the 2014-2015 season, negotiations with the club called Stadt Wien (Vienna City Council) and the club Kaiserebersdorf yielded fruit.

From July 2015, Karabakh Wien FC has reached a sports ground, which is about 4 hectares near the sports complex called "SC Kaiserebersdorf", through a legal association of sports societies. Inclusion of this arena to our club has been officially confirmed by the Vienna City Council, the Vienna Football Association and the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In the second half of the 2015-2016 season, the Management Board successfully renamed the club's sporting center from the SC Kaiserebersdorf to Karabakh Wien Sports Center. From the 2016-2017 season Karabakh Wien FC hosts the home matches in the already existing sports ground.

- Do you plan to expand the club infrastructure in the future?

- At present, the infrastructure of the club can be considered useful at moderate level in terms of quality. Located 20 minutes away from Vienna city center, the club's territory consists of 1 artificial, 1 sports grass cover, 1 sports buffet, 4 dressing rooms and 1 office room. Karabakh Wien Sports Center has wide range of opportunities for the development and renovation of the area. Given this crucial factor, our club aims to shift from the current sports center to a modern complex that meets the UEFA standards and called the Karabakh Arena. There has already been an initial activity in this direction. Franz Yants, one of Austria's most well-known architects, has developed a architectural plan of the club that meets modern standards. The City Council highly appreciated the new infrastructure plan that will be called Karabakh Arena. The new Infrastructure plan consists of 1 artificial, 1 natural squares, 4 small indoor soccer fields, 1500-person indoor tribune, a sports center, a fitness center, a fitness center and indoor football garden in accordance with the requirements of Austrian football. The other important requirements of the Austrian Football Federation are also reflected in our infrastructure plan.

- What opportunities does such an infrastructure create for Karabakh Wien FC in the future?

- New territorial planning meets all the infrastructural requirements, including 2nd Bundestag, in the Karabakh Wien FC. Our club can be the first modern soccer training center in Vienna with the Karabakh Arena project for the first time combining a sports hotel, a fitness center, a closed football gardens and football fields.

By hosting international competitions organized at the level of European youth football clubs this arena with its modern infrastructure facilities can boost its children's teams and its name in European football. In addition, Karabakh Wien club provides football clubs coming from Azerbaijan to Austria, as well as our national team with opportunity to host winter and summer meetings every year.

- The most important part of our club's perspective development concept is to create a football school and to have stronger age groups. The concept of development of children's football has already started in August 2015. The concept of the incarnation covers the 5 to 7-year period and aims to successfully upgrade the football school to the academy level by 2022. The Vienna Football Federation is divided into four leagues - WFV League (Vienna Football Federation League), A, B and C, in general for the lower age groups. At the moment our children teams are competing in the B league. They begin to fight different leagues each year according to their age group. In 2016-2017 season, the teams became Champions League winners. This year we went to the first season as a leader in the winter break in league B. At the moment, there is 25 points difference between our closest viewers. The main target is to become champion in the B league and raise to A-League.

- What is your goal to achieve in your development concept by 2022?

- The main objective of our Board of Directors in children's age groups is to raise from the level of football school to the level of academy until 2022 through the concept of development. As raising to the level of the academy is related to the rise of the main team to the Bundesliga, it is essential to achieve success in parallel. Because only low age groups competing in Bundesliga can take part in academy league competitions.

- What conditions have your created for preparation of your low age groups?

- We have started with the establishment of Karabakh Wien football gardens for the familiarization of youngest children with ball. The football gardens consist of 20 people, mostly children aged 4-6. The lowest age group in the football school is the U-7 team (7-year-olds). Children aged 6 years are being transferred from the football kindergarten to the U-7 team. In addition, younger children from other clubs who are not in the gardens or in any kindergarten team are also accepted to teams in low-age groups via Karabakh Wien football school after examinations. Our football school consists of nine teams in different age groups: U-7, U-9, U-10, U-11, U-12, U-13, U-14, U-16 and U-18. The club has created an efficient and planned training via experienced fitness, mental and technical coaches for the full development of children from their youngest age. The club has 200 football players of 20 different nationalities, 25 coaches and 5 additional technical staff. Karabakh Wien has a selective peculiarity in Vienna football with a team of multicultural low age groups.

- What kind of social projects have you implemented?

- The project, prepared by the club in the field of social responsibility, was initially approved by the UEFA and the Austrian Football Federation as an official partner. The project is planned to be financed by sponsors. "Kids and Youth Tribune" is the first pilot project in the field of social responsibility in world football. If it becomes successful then other clubs can benefit from it. Additionally, within the framework of the "Play to Help" project, our club will spend part of its profit from tournaments on charity. Starting this process as a challenge, we will encourage other Austrian clubs as well. We also plan a sport event together with children with Down Syndrome in the nearest 6 months under the name “Disability Is Not Inability”. Our club has been collecting money in the New Year Eve, helping the Saint Anna Children's Hospital to help the fighting childhood cancer.

In general, we have chosen the club’s slogan as "Today's Success is Tomorrow's History". Our main difference from other clubs is our modernity and activity in direction of innovation and the youth. In Austria, clubs are proud of being historical and very conservative. We are developing in the opposite direction of these clubs.