Although it has been around for a relatively short time, the academy is already establishing itself as a serious football environment, with clearly defined goals, quality age groups and noteworthy results on the domestic and international stage.

But behind the results and sporting achievements lies much more than trophies won – a clear development program, expert coaching, a professional approach and a desire to help every child reach their full football potential.

To learn more about the beginnings, development, ambitions and plans of Alexandro Academy, we spoke with Filip Spaseski, a former youth international and professional footballer, a coach with international experience and a UEFA A Licence holder, who today serves as the academy’s coordinator and coach.

Here is his story:

“My name is Filip Spaseski, a former youth international and professional footballer. Over the last 12 years, I have coached youth and senior football in Macedonia, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and since our football academy opened, I have worked as coordinator and coach for our teams.

I hold a UEFA A Licence. Alexandro Academy was founded on September 4, 2023, as a joint idea of two football families who have devoted their entire lives to football.

Our longstanding involvement in and understanding of the challenges facing Macedonian youth and children’s football inspired us to create our own brand, one that would be recognized as a leader in developing and guiding football talent, and a place where players could fulfill their football potential to the fullest through a professional approach and systematic work.

From the very beginning, we focused on creating a training program where children could master the elements and techniques appropriate to their age at every stage of their football journey, giving them a solid foundation for further growth and development in the game.

The next step was forming strong age groups and selecting children who are eager and able to commit seriously to football.

In just a few years, we have established ourselves in Macedonia and the Balkans as one of the most serious and successful football academies, achieving significant results in competitions and developing quality teams and many talented children.

Today, we are actively working on our organizational and professional development, with greater emphasis on players’ individual progress, expert coaching and clearly defined standards that will distinguish us as an academy that develops successful teams and footballers with a professional and serious approach to the game from an early age.

Our academy currently has around 130 members, divided into 6 competitive age groups (2015 U12, 2016 U11, 2017 U10, 2018 U9, 2019 U8 and 2020 U7). They work with licensed coaches, a goalkeeper coach, as well as staff responsible for organizational and administrative matters and promoting our brand.

In a relatively short time, we have managed to achieve significant results both domestically and internationally.

We would particularly highlight our excellent performances against renowned European teams, including the win over Portugal’s Benfica, the draw with Italy’s Juventus, victories over Vojvodina, Partizan, Levski and Fenerbahçe, and, more generally, the opportunity for our footballers to compete against teams such as Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Lazio, Torino and other football giants.

We would also single out the 2016 age group, which became Macedonian national champion this year and won numerous tournaments over the past period. We are extremely proud of our other age groups as well, which continue to progress and achieve ever better results.

But beyond the trophies, we consider one of our greatest achievements to be that in just three years we have built a recognizable academy with its own identity, a clear vision and growing trust from children and parents.

We regularly follow the AFT platform and its rankings. It is an excellent initiative that gives clubs and everyone who follows youth football greater transparency and the opportunity to compare teams’ results across the region.

We particularly like that it also gives smaller and newer academies the opportunity to promote themselves, showcase their results and become recognized beyond their local community, regardless of the club’s size or history.

Another positive aspect is that it values consistency in results, not just success in a single tournament. This will certainly provide additional motivation for young footballers and create healthy competition.”