Between September 4th and 7th, Ekkono officially kicked off the second season of the “EPA Future Stars” program in collaboration with the I League, with an on-site coaching education course in Bogor attended by the 18 Academy Directors and U16 Head Coaches from all First Division clubs.
The main novelty of this season is the inclusion of Academy Directors, who will follow a personalized education plan designed by Ekkono. As part of this plan, they will also spend two weeks in Spain, immersing themselves in professional LaLiga clubs and experiencing first-hand the daily work of Academy Directors.
To launch the program, an Academy Director Workshop was held, combining both theoretical and practical components. The theoretical sessions focused on key aspects of academy leadership, such as the role of the Academy Director during training sessions, how to design strategies and set objectives, the use of evaluation indicators, and the review of technical documents related to game model, talent management, content planning, and methodology.
The practical sessions included observing a training session to analyze coaching behavior and task design, as well as an Ekkono-led training session where Ekkono coaches explained the concepts addressed in each exercise and how the session was structured.
Following the on-site education in Bogor, three Ekkono coaches will spend 22 days visiting the 18 First Division clubs, in order to observe their working methods, deliver individual reports, and coach the best U16 players from each team.
With this second season, Ekkono and the I League continue to strengthen their collaboration and reaffirm their commitment to developing young talent and enhancing academy structures.
