Dundee link up with AC Milan for coach course

IT was 1 May 1963 and Dens Park was swollen with a crowd of 35,000 for the second leg of a European Cup semi-final. Alan Gilzean was still wearing the Dark Blue of Dundee FC and it was his goal which saw off the mighty AC Milan that night.

Seeking to overturn a 5-1 first-leg defeat in Italy, Dundee fought back for a 1-0 win. They may have lost the tie 5-2 on aggregate but the match has lived long in the memories of the Dens Parkers and of the Italians too, for now, almost 50 years later, Dundee have entered into an exciting partnership with the Rossoneri.

The AC Milan Course for Coaches will see the San Siro club send a team of coaches from their Soccer School and Academy to Tayside for the first joint venture between the two Clubs. Silvio Broli (Soccer School Project Manager), Davide Corti (technical supervisor) and Stefano Baldini and Gianfranco Parma of the AC Milan Academy will all be in attendance and conduct the course in Dundee.

On Thursday 11 and Friday 12 October, Scottish-based coaches who work with young players between the ages of six and 18 will have the opportunity to take part in an exclusive two-day AC Milan Course for Coaches at The University of Dundee Sports facility at Riverside.

The course is certified by AC Milan and certificates will be presented to all coaches who complete the course. A number of professional Scottish coaches will be taking part in the course.

“Dundee FC see the development of the Youth side of the Club as crucial to our future and this is an exciting partnership which enables not only Dundee FC coaches but the coaches of other Clubs at all levels in the region to benefit from the expertise of such a huge and successful Football Club as AC Milan,” said Dundee Chief Executive Scot Gardiner.

“We believe that we have to look to new and innovative ideas to develop the club and this is a major coup for everyone at Dens Park, including our youth teams who will take part in the course.”

“The partnership is particularly exciting because of where it may lead in the future. AC Milan are undoubtedly one of Europe’s leading clubs in every sense imaginable and we see this as a first initial step to a longer term relationship. The experience and technical excellence the Rossoneri coaches bring will be of huge benefit to all who take part,” Gardiner went on.

“An awful lot of hard work has gone into putting this partnership together with myself, Alessandro Gianni, Commercial Director of AC Milan, Dundee FC Director Steve Martin, General Manager Jim Thomson, University of Dundee Director of Sport and Exercise Brian Ewing and our old friend Patrizio Bilio, now with the AC Milan Academy in Kuwait all having a part to play in the last few months.”