Words from the President

Thank you for your interest in our international academy program. The word "AVAIANO" in Portuguese means "of Avaí". Our blue and white emblem represents our 88 year old history, which is full of emotions and dedication.

Our professional players and cleaning staff greet each other in the corridor every morning knowing that they are part of the history. Our fans from young to old do their day-to-day tasks in an Avaí player shirt and look forward to going to the next match in the Ressacada stadium. Other fans take a picture of themselves with an Avaí uniform in front of the Eiffel Tour and send the picture to us. If you choose to come to Florianopolis and train in our academy, you will be part of this ever-growing Avaí family.

When I was elected to be the President of this club in 2002 I reiterated the importance of investing in our youth academy. Whether in Brazil or in other countries, successful clubs are always founded on a strong youth academy. At that time I urged our directors to restructure our academy and look for well-qualified coaches and assistant coaches to build a generation of players that would stand out in our state of Santa Catarina.

A few years later, our U20 team became the Champion of Santa Catarina in 2008. The same team finished in 3rd place at the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Junior tournament in January 2009. The goalkeeper of this team, Renan Soares Reuter (Renan), integrated our professional team and made his debut against Brusque in January 2010. This young promising player from São João Batista was then called up to the Brazilian National Team’s friendly match against USA in August 2010. In May 2011 Renan accepted an offer to join Corinthians.

Another example is Aleksander Douglas de Farias. Aleks was the goalkeeper of our U20 team and successfully defended the goal of U19 Brazilian National Team in the Sendai Cup in Japan in 2010. He was integrated to our professional team in the beginning of 2011 and showed his outstanding talent in the U20 South American Championship in Peru and the U20 FIFA World Cup in Colombia.

Our objective is not only to foster the next Brazilian football stars but also to help our young players become responsible citizens. This is why the club offers our players services of social assistance, psychology, nutrition and language lessons. All our underage players are enrolled at a local high school and their school activities are closely monitored by our social assistance coordinator.

I can guarantee that this academy program will help you achieve your objectives and reach your full potential. You will be amazed by the natural beauty that this region offers and you will be warmly welcomed by Avaianos and Florianopolitanos.

Kind Regards,

João Nilson Zunino President of Avaí Futebol Clube