Portuguese football club FC Porto has signed a partnership agreement with Sialkot Football Academy to establish Pakistan’s first Dragon Force by FC Porto football academy in Sialkot, bringing the club’s youth development methodology to young Pakistani players. The academy will also focus on training local coaches and managers as part of the partnership.
The FC Porto football academy in Pakistan will be linked to Sialkot Football Academy, a flagship project of Forward Sports, the Sialkot-based company known for manufacturing official FIFA World Cup match balls and footballs used in other major competitions.
FC Porto academy to train players and coaches
According to information released by the Embassy of Pakistan in Portugal, FC Porto will provide a comprehensive training programme for young Pakistani athletes while also supporting the development of local coaches and managers.
The programme will introduce FC Porto’s approach to youth football development, including its training methodology, experience and club values. The new academy will become part of the club’s international Dragon Force network, which operates across multiple countries and continents.
FC Porto’s Director of Dragon Force Academies, Ricardo Frey-Ramos, said the partnership would provide an opportunity to share the club’s methodology and experience with young players in Pakistan. He described the project as part of FC Porto’s broader international expansion strategy.
Sialkot partnership expands FC Porto’s international network
The Sialkot academy will become FC Porto’s 11th international Dragon Force academy, according to reports on the partnership. The club already has international academies in countries including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Türkiye, Mozambique, India, Cape Verde and Cyprus.
FC Porto has said its international academy expansion is part of a wider objective to reach 40,000 young athletes globally by 2030. The addition of Sialkot is also its second academy partnership in Asia, following its earlier expansion into India.
Forward Sports connection
Sialkot has a long-standing connection with the international sporting-goods industry and is home to Forward Sports, which is behind the Sialkot Football Academy. The company manufactures official FIFA World Cup match balls as well as footballs used in other major competitions.
The partnership was supported by the Embassy of Pakistan in Portugal. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Portugal, Aisha Farooqui, highlighted the role of the initiative in strengthening links between Pakistan and Portugal through sport. Haroon Sharif, President of the Pakistan Regional Economic Forum and a former investment minister, also contributed to bringing the two organisations together.
The establishment of the Dragon Force academy in Sialkot adds a new international football development programme for young players in Pakistan and extends FC Porto’s youth-training network into another Asian market.