Here’s a look at the new opening titles sequence for Soccer Prince Turkey:

This was the city where along with his team mates, he played in one of  the Reds most famous victories as they came back from three goals down to beat AC Milan on penalties to become European Champions for the fifth time in the clubs long illustrious history.

The towering midfielder came off the bench at half time that night to stir the comeback of all comebacks which will live forever in the hearts of everyone associated with the club.

Didi returned to the famous city as the special guest for the first  live episode of Soccer Prince, labelled locally as ‘Futbol Prensi’. He was clearly very pleased to be back in the city, he said: 

“I have always liked Istanbul as a city, it is dynamic and full of culture and of course it is a city that loves its football. Futbol Prensi will give one young Turkish footballer an unbelievable  opportunity to be developed by one of the greatest clubs in the world.  Hopefully the winner will have as many happy times and memories during his time in the UK as I have.”

Kickworldwide Director, Steve Cartwright added:

“We are honoured to have Didi on the first live show in Turkey. He did more than anyone on that  unforgettable night in 2005 to turn the game around and will always have a  special place in the hearts of the Liverpool fans. To have him back in Istanbul as part of our first live show is a major boost for Futbol Prensi and he will receive a very warm welcome from the Turkish football fans.”

The show, which is labelled locally as ‘Futbol Prensi’ has been commissioned by TRT for 26 weeks and  combines a huge corporate social responsibility programme within the exciting TV format.

The auditions are countrywide and will include 15 cities, starting in Konya and then progressing through Kayseri, Erzurum, Trabzon, Samsun, Ankara, Gazientep, Adana, Antalya, Denizli, Izmir, Bursa, Sakarya, Istanbul and Diyabakir.

There will be two auditions in the football crazy city of Istanbul with one on the Asian side and the other on the European side of the city.

The show is being produced by Kickworldwide’s long term partners in Turkey, TVK and is being broadcast twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays. The Saturday show is being broadcast live and includes live eliminations.

Futbol Prensi will reach its climax on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May 2012 with two live shows to decide which young footballer will win the life changing prize of a twelve month development programme under the guidance of Liverpool Football Club.

Kickworldwide Director Steve Cartwright, who was in Konya to oversee the first audition revealed:

“We are delighted that  Soccer Prince has been commissioned in Turkey where the passion for football is unbelievable. Taking the auditions across the full length and breadth of the  country will give every budding young footballer a chance to fulfil their dream.”

Former Norwich City player and Manager, Ian  Butterworth is the UK anchor for the show with former Bolton Wanderers legend, Paul Jones taking care of the city auditions.

One man who is more delighted that anyone  to see the show get to air in Turkey is Kickworldwide Director Steve Bellis,  who worked in Turkey in the late eighties and developed a real passion for the country and its people. He added:

“Turkey will always be a special place for me  and to be able to provide such a life changing opportunity for a young  footballer from the country is very rewarding. Our production partners TVK are  one of the best production houses in the business and by partnering with the  country’s national broadcaster, TRT, we are guaranteed excellent reach”.

Up to date information about the show can be found on its dedicated website www.futbolprensi.com/ The show can also be watched online through the TRT website.

The Kickworldwide Institute in Pune, known locally as the AKFDC was the scene of celebration as the organisers witnessed the graduation of the 100th qualified coach to emerge from the popular centre for football development.

For the first time since its official opening in 2010, the AKFDC offered back to back coaching courses at Foundation and Intermediate levels with demand once again at exceptional levels.

The courses, delivered by the English Football Association, have proved extremely popular and are making a significant difference to the grass root levels of coaching across the country.

The majority of the successful candidates have found immediate positions in schools and academies across the country which is spreading the good practice delivered by the centre to thousands of young players.

More courses will be delivered in partnership with the English Football Association early in 2012 along with a range of other courses relevant to the football industry.

To celebrate the century of students we have included all the successful students in a special Kickworldwide ‘Hall of Fame’.

Kickworldwide Hall of Fame:

The agreement will see the Red’s provide the first prize for every Soccer Prince show as well as the support of the LFC brand as the format is rolled out around the globe.

As part of the agreement, the winner of each Soccer Prince show will receive a twelve month development programme under the guidance of the Liverpool club with the very real opportunity of developing a professional football career.

The Reds have worked on a number of international initiatives with Kickworldwide before, including the creation of the world’s first Football Institute in India, known locally as the Kickworldwide Abhijit Kadam Football Development Centre. (www.akfdc.bharatividyapeeth.edu)

The club also provided the first prize for the Soccer Prince show in Vietnam providing incredible coverage in the territory for the LFC brand. The Vietnam show also included a visit by some of Liverpool’s finest young Academy players to Ho Chi Minh as part of the format.

Commenting on the clubs commitment to Soccer Prince, Managing Director Ian Ayre confirmed:

“What we are providing is that once in a lifetime chance to play for Liverpool. People love us because of football and it (Soccer Prince) lets people in other countries see the power of Liverpool Football Club. The key for us is that it is all over different parts of the world and gives thousands of kids a chance.”

Kickworldwide Director, Steve Bellis added:

“We are all very excited to be working alongside Liverpool FC again as we take this successful reality format into emerging markets around the world. Our collaboration with Liverpool FC, a club steeped in history and tradition, will ensure that the prize winners will be immersed in the true ethos of English football. As well as providing a life changing opportunity for young footballers, Soccer Prince also plays a key role in popularising the English game globally.”

Soccer Prince has just commenced broadcast in Turkey on the national channel TRT Spor. Shows in Brazil, China and India will follow early next year.

The Institute has been developed in partnership with the Oman Football Association and the Modern College of Business and Science and is once again supported by Liverpool FC.

Based at the impressive Modern College campus in Al Khuwair, the Kickworldwide Oman FA Institute commenced the delivery of a range of unique courses in September 2011.

The Institute, which is also supported by the English Football Association and a number of leading UK colleges, aims to greatly enhance the infrastructure of football in Oman while at the same time offering a range of new exciting education and career opportunities for the young people of Oman and the wider region.

The Oman Institute is only the second of its kind in the world, following the opening of the first in Pune, India, known locally as the Abhijit Kadam Football Development Centre.

A Sports Science diploma will also be delivered at the Oman Institute alongside a range of other courses including, Coaching, Refereeing, Football Industry Management, Sports Turf Technology, Sports Law and Sports Photography.

Accredited

The majority of the courses are UK accredited two year diploma’s giving young people the opportunity to take advantage of new qualifications and careers in one of the world’s fastest growing industries….Sport!

It is intended that the successful students will become industry professionals with the ability to greatly enhance the development of football and other sports in the region. The Institute could also play a significant role in preparing local people for employment opportunities in and around the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Liverpool Football Club will oversee the on field football courses alongside the English Football Association. Liverpool’s Managing Director Ian Ayre confirmed the club’s support,

“As a football club we always strive to find important partners and important opportunities in a market like Oman. To get this right we have to invest for the long term and in the right areas. As a highly successful football club with great heritage and a historic level of success, this is very much an opportunity to share our experience across all the disciplines of the game, not just the playing side.

Anyone who has ever been to Anfield to watch one of our games will tell you that what we have here is unique. Our fans are and always have been innovative, inclusive and often break from tradition. The more of that type of unique approach we can export and include in our developing overseas ambitions, the better chance we have of long term success and successful partnerships in this or any overseas market.

This project brings football together with first class education and an ambition to feed the game in Oman and the Middle East. It’s certainly an exciting start and one of a variety of key projects that Liverpool Football Club will unveil in the Middle East market

We are looking forward to working with our partners at the Oman FA, the Modern College of Business and Science and our colleagues at Kickworldwide to create new opportunities for the young people of Oman and to play our part in continuing the development of football in the region”

Kickworldwide, the founders of the Institute concept, were quick to praise the Oman FA for their forward thinking. Director, Steve Bellis, commented:

“Through the inspirational leadership of Sayyid Khalid Albusaidi, the Oman FA has demonstrated a clear desire and vision to improve the development of football in Oman and the wider region. They are also very keen to provide new real long term opportunities for the young people of Oman in the hugely significant sector of sport. We at Kickworldwide are delighted to be able to work with the Oman FA, the excellent Modern College and of course Liverpool FC and the English FA to bring about these momentous opportunities”

In response to the support from the UK side, the Chairman of the OFA, Khalid Albusaidi declared

“For the last four years, the vision statement of OFA has been “to transform Omani Football into a flourishing industry”, and, by celebrating this joint venture between the OFA, Kickworldwide, Liverpool FC and Modern College, an important milestone is reached in our long path towards achieving our vision.

Football in our part of the World has been gaining huge popularity, and the time has come to open windows for the youth of Oman to explore new academic options associated with the football industry. By this JV, we offer the youth of Oman new career opportunities through high quality of education in a field that is emotionally very close to them.

The offerings of the Football Institute have been a dream of the OFA Football Academy. And now we are very happy to see a dream come true where Oman becomes a hub for Football Industry education”.

Selecting the appropriate local education partner was undoubtedly one of the most difficult decisions to be made by the OFA and its UK partners. Despite very strong interest from several of the leading colleges in the city, the Modern College of Business and Science stood out from the rest as the ideal long term partners.

Dean of MCBS, Dr Badr El Din, explained why the college is delighted to have become one of the principal partners for the Institute:

“We are delighted to be part of this promising partnership with the Oman Football Association, Liverpool FC and Kickworldwide, for the benefit of our youth.

This partnership is a sign of a qualitative change in the educational and community contribution role of the Modern College of Business and Science. The choice of MCBS vindicates that the College is really one of the crucial players in the socio-economic development of Oman. I congratulate the Oman Football Association for grasping this opportunity, and we are all looking forward to seeing the fruits of this partnership for Oman”

The launch was attended by His Excellency, British Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Dr Noel Guckian CVO, OBE. The Ambassador read out a letter from Liverpool FC expressing their good wishes for the event.

Ian Cranshaw, Deputy Head of UK Trade and Investment, Majdi Fawzi, Press and Public Affairs Director and Arnie Sookdeo, Communications Attaché for the British Embassy in Muscat were also in attendance from the British Embassy.

The latest course to be launched at the Kickworldwide Institute (known locally as the AKFDC) in India is proving very popular with ambitious students across the country.

The Two year Sports Science Diploma, which will commence in August, has received a large number of registrations, despite the course being new to the education hungry Indian market.

The course is being delivered in partnership with Southgate College from North London, who are also currently negotiating with Kickworldwide about partnerships in other territories such as Oman.

The full time two year qualification is designed to equip individuals with the knowledge, understanding and practical skills that are required for success in future employment in the sports industry.

Successful students from the first year will be given the opportunity to complete the second year in the UK at Southgate.       Those students that complete the second year successfully will earn a final qualification that will enable progression through most major universities.

It is also intended that successful students will be encouraged to seek employment in the sports industry in India, to strengthen the infrastructure there.

More Diploma courses will follow in subjects such as Sports Turf Management, Football Industry Management, Sports Law and Sports photography as India continues to lead the way through the Institute in Pune.

Students interested in enrolling on courses at the Institute in India should visit the official website at http://akfdc.bharatividyapeeth.edu/

Successfully launched in China to 130 million viewers, this format is now rolling out internationally.

Our partner, FremantleMedia, known for successful shows such as Idols, X-Factor, Got Talent, The Apprentice, help to make the show both entertaining and authentic.

Through Soccer Prince we engage the stars of the future in a battle to win something priceless – the chance to train for a year with teams from the toughest league in the world – the English Premier League.

The influential defender is currently one of the key players at Chinese First division outfit Beijing Ba Xi where he has resisted offers by the club to tie him down to a long term contract.

Jin has already had a taste of European football following his highly successful time within the Everton Youth academy and subsequent training spells in Hungary and Turkey.

Now into his second season with the ambitious Beijing club, Jin has revealed that he would love a return to Europe. Speaking to Kickworldwide’s China operations manager, Peter Gao, Jin confirmed

“I am having a good time at Ba Xi, I am playing well and enjoying my football but I would like the opportunity to demonstrate my ability in Europe.

I owe a great deal to Kickworldwide and to Everton for the way they helped to develop me as a player and now, with the benefit of regular first team experience I feel I could do a job for a team in Europe, in a country where the regulations would allow me to play”

Kickworldwide currently looking at options in Europe for Jin Hui who has excelled for his Chinese club playing at right back.

Kickworldwide Director Steve Cartwright commented

“It is great to see our first Soccer Prince winner doing so well in his home country and it says a lot about the show. We are working hard on behalf of Jin Hui to try and place him in Europe, where we are sure he will do very well at the appropriate level”.

Kickworldwide Director, Steve Bellis, was in action in Accra last week as the first African Executive Football Summit took place in Ghana.

Following the success of the Soccerex conferences in Johannesburg in 2009 and 2010, at which Steve was also a key speaker, this was the first event of its kind in sub Saharan Africa and Kickworldwide were delighted to be invited to participate.

The two day summit at the Alisa Hotel in Accra was organised by the Pinnacle Group in association with Supersports and the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Ghana.

Main organiser, Edward Abankwa, who worked tirelessly to create the event must have been delighted by the confirmed list of speakers that included Dr Danny Jordan, Chairman of The World Cup 2010 Organizing Committee, Francesco Bruscoli, Senior Manager of Development Programmes Africa, Neil Armstrong, FIFA Instructor, Martin Davies of BBC fame, now Managing Director of Between The Posts Productions UK, Gary Rathbone, Head of Africa (Supersport International), Anthony Baffoe, founder and Secretary of Professional Footballers Association of Ghana, Dr Kofi Amoah, Chairman of CAF CAN 2008 LOC Ghana and Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of Ghana Football Association and that was just on the first day!

The Chairman of the first day was Chris Asempa, Director Chartered Institute of Ghana (CIMG).

Other notables present were Marcel Dessailly, former French World Cup and Nations Cup winner, and Kablam Sampong, Senior consultant of FIFA’s Development in Africa.
The summit was a frank, no holds barred conference that directly addressed some of the most controversial issues and problems that have and continue to blight football on the continent.

Amidst the negativity however were some heartening examples of good practise that were well received by an audience of key decision makers who were genuinely keen to enhance the game in their respective countries.

Many African football associations and clubs were represented including countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Kenya and of course Ghana.

Kickworldwide had two bites at the cherry in terms of presenting as Steve Bellis was asked to speak on the first day and the again on the second day on the subject of Reality TV…an opportunity for African football!

It was clear that Steve also made an impression. Sierra Leone representative, who produced the first report for the media after day one commented:

“Steve Bellis used his former club, Stockport County, to excite the audience with jokes, but in between the humour was the story behind the work of KICKWORLDWIDE, which he serves as Director. He spoke of the wonders they do in India and how he wanted to expand it to Africa. It was very emotional and provided the way football could be used to change the lives of so many. It was a very touching reflection and an exemplary presentation of why football should be a pivotal player in the development of all communities, but more so for children and the sick. It is a presentation that should be a message for the world, and which could serve as a good PR for The Beautiful Game”

Bellis was quick to praise the organisers after the event:

“Edward and his team at Pinnacle have done an amazing job to organise such a well attended event with such professionalism. They worked incredibly hard to make everyone feel like a VIP and I am sure that they will build on this success, especially as they already have a number of countries begging them to bring the summit to them next year!”

It was also a very positive event for Kickworldwide, with invitations from Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe to visit and discuss the possibility of developing not only the Institute concept but also the Soccer Prince show.