Akademisk Boldklub and AB A/S have just landed an important agreement that secures the partial financing of the club’s Academy with DKK 200,000 for the rest of 2025. The agreement means that the daily operation and development of the club’s talent work can continue undisturbed for the rest of the year. The agreement comes in continuation of partial financing of DKK 350,000 in 2023 and sponsorship sharing in 2024. Since Five Castle Football Group acquired AB A/S in 2022, it has been a priority to be able to support the academy and build an even closer positive collaboration. The close collaboration can be seen, among other things, in the joint clothing agreement with Select and Unisport.

“It is a necessary and responsible decision,” says football chairman of the parent club AB, Kim Ragle. “We are of course grateful for the support and see it as a recognition of the strong work that our coaches, leaders and players have performed over the past years. The sporting level in the Academy today is historically high, and it is crucial that we can maintain that position – both for the club’s future and for the development of the talents.”

Close cooperation – with mutual support
The agreement is also an expression of a well-functioning collaboration between AB A/S and the parent club. AB A/S has, among other things, made technological and material tools available, e.g. GPS tracking systems, switched to using academy parents to operate the stalls on match days and contributed by providing coaches and physiotherapists. When there has been a need, the Academy has helped – among other things in connection with a change of coach, where both talent manager Simon Andresen and U19 head coach Anders Mortensen have been part of the solution.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of AB A/S Brian Grieco says: “We are pleased to be able to continue the good collaboration that gives the young people of AB the opportunity to develop to their full potential.”

In recent seasons, the academy has delivered significant results across year groups and serves as an important food chain for the first team. Several players from the Academy are today part of AB A/S’ first team squad, both as regular players and in a training context. In addition, the Academy supports young contract players to develop at a high level in sport, while at the same time taking care of their school or education.

In addition, the first team continuously contributes players to both the U19 team and the club’s 2nd senior team. It provides the opportunity to ensure continuity, high quality in training and matches – and supports the green thread in development across teams and age groups.

AB A/S is proud to be able to continuously include players of its own breeding in the first team, where the latest vintage 2006 has already delivered no less than 4 players in the form of Pachanga Kristensen, Noah Ibsen, Tobias Hageltorn and most recently Noah Maale.

“It is absolutely central for us to safeguard the strong community we have in AB,” says Sofie Brandi Petersen, CEO of AB A/S. “From day 1, my focus has been on building bridges and optimizing the collaboration between Akademisk Boldklub and AB A/S. We are much stronger when we work together, and I think we are in a really good place today. We have a common goal of developing both the club and the players, and therefore it is both natural and a pleasure that we contribute to ensuring the academy’s continued operation.”

Head of Academy & Coaching, Simon Andresen, also puts words to the collaboration:

“I am extremely pleased that with this agreement we further strengthen the collaboration between Moderklub and AB A/S. I see it as a natural step to continue the development we have been through at the Academy over the past few years. The value of the work we put in at the Academy should go to our best football team in the club, so that we both sportingly and financially contribute to being competitive in the long term – both at youth and senior level”

Over the summer, a dialogue will be initiated on how the Academy can also be secured financially in the long term. This is done in a constructive and solution-oriented tone between the parties, who both see the joint development work as an investment in the club’s future.

“We have a strong starting point with the collaboration that already works across AB A/S and the Academy,” concludes Kim Ragle.