If we were to ask what comes to your mind when you hear the word “TUMO,” few would say “football,” even during the World Cup. But at TUMO, football is a part of everyday life. For nearly 10 years, TUMO has hosted football training sessions, formed competitive teams, and stood at the center of various other football-related events, the most significant of which was Leo Messi’s Instagram “story” about us.

Vahe Budumyan spoke with TUMO football players, the people behind the TUMO Sports initiative, and students to find out why TUMO values sports (and specifically football), why football stars visit TUMO, and finally, why Messi gifted his jersey to TUMO and posted an Instagram “story” about us.

“Do you remember me? I’m ‘Italy.’”

“You and I, for sure, wanted to be professional football players in our teenage dreams,” confesses Yervand Ismailyan, TUMO’s event and sport coordinator, who, like me, did not become a football player.

Yervand speaks with great enthusiasm about the TUMO Sports initiative and its many student-athletes. Indeed, he often joins the post-training football matches with the same excitement:

“At some point, sports, and especially football, became important for TUMO as part of the students’ daily routine. It gives them the opportunity to get to know each other, form groups, and develop a team mindset,” he says.

Naturally, sports do not number among TUMO’s 14 learning targets, which revolve around technology and design. Still, for many young boys and girls, TUMO Sports is nevertheless an important and beloved element of their educational routine. Every year, hundreds of TUMO students apply for and participate in basketball or football training and competitions, which take place on the renovated fields of Tumanyan Park under the guidance of sports coaches and are offered free of charge. Students who stand out for their exceptional play and exemplary behavior are invited to join TUMO’s squad.

If you’ve ever walked through TUMO Park during the evening hours of any working day, you would have certainly noticed boys and girls wearing colorful jerseys and training outdoors: “A large number of students participate in TUMO Sports, and it’s hard to remember everyone’s name at once. Naturally, they start to recognize each other by the names on the back of the jerseys they typically wear,” says Yervand. “As a result, we have a goalkeeper whose nickname is ‘Italy.’ He saw me outside of practice and asked, ‘Do you remember me? I’m “Italy.”’

We have another student who used to come wearing the jersey of Wbeymar Angulo, from the Armenian national team. He is ‘Angulo.’ We’ve had a ‘Zidane,’ a ‘Xavi,’ and we’ve had many ‘Messis’ and ‘Ronaldos,’” Yervand adds with a smile.

Yervand emphasizes the creation of the TUMO squad as particularly important for developing team thinking and collaboration:

“Students who spend time on the fields, training, doing drills, and improving their skills must also test them,” says Yervand. “That’s why we first created a tournament between our training groups. Later, when we realized the students needed more competition, we formed TUMO football and basketball squads.

The squad allows students to connect more deeply with TUMO, experience the thrill of the game, make more friends, and spend more time at TUMO Yerevan, in the nurturing TUMO environment,” he continues.

“One day, a student’s parent called me and said that their son talks about the squad non-stop at home. They asked that when we notify their son about being called up to the squad, we let them know in advance, so they can film that moment.”

Faster, Stronger, Hungrier

But what do sports and football have to do with TUMO, after all? What do regular physical training and matches have to offer teens who come to TUMO to study programming, animation, filmmaking, music, generative AI, and other innovative fields?

TUMO football coach Armen Khachatryan, a TUMO alumnus and professional football player, is a commanding central defender known for his tall stature and robust physique. Here’s how he elucidates the link between TUMO and football:

“TUMO is structured such that we start with individual activities, then we attend workshops and group classes. It’s the same in football: first you show your skills, what you are capable of as an individual, then you try to combine the skills of 11 people into one idea, and that becomes a group game. If you have a difficult character, if you can’t, for example, help your friend, compromise, or be a team player, then you’re going to have a hard time,” he adds.

TUMO’s educational approach can indeed be compared to sports training, and it is no coincidence that the learning coaches are called “coaches.” The similarity lies not only in the importance of teamwork, but also in educational principles: “In sports, you accept physical stress and sweat because it’s the only way to build muscle,” notes Pegor Papazian, TUMO’s Chief Development Officer. “Education is exactly the same. True learning requires effort, a bit of healthy stress, and overcoming real challenges. You need that constructive resistance to train your ‘motivation muscles’ and become a super learner.”

15-year-old Artur Harutyunyan, who has been attending TUMO football training for a year and proudly wears the captain’s armband, relates the connection between TUMO and football more simply: “I compared football to website development,” he says. “First, you have to understand what design you are going to do, so that in the next stage, coding, you can continue your action, and in the third stage, achieve success and score a goal.”

When asked what TUMO Football offers him in a practical sense, Artur responds with a profound reflection: “Confidence. The ability to fight. The awareness that not everything works out right away. And most of all, honesty with yourself. No success comes from just one or two practices; you definitely have to work hard to achieve success.”

Ball, Strike, Goal, Nice!

TUMO’s educational philosophy applies both on the field and in the classroom. During workshops and learning labs, students often work together on a project to produce a shared result: be it a film, a robot, or, for example, branding.

During one such lab, led by Czech designer Pavel Fuksa, TUMOians created branding for FC Sardarapat. The students were divided into teams, each of which designed its version of logos to be used on jerseys, posters, and flags. In the end, the Sardarapat club chose different branding, but the students’ work remained in their portfolios as a valuable final product.

And during this year’s Alt July, MIT’s Katherine Pagorek created two robots with the students: one that kicks the ball, and another that tries to catch it using sensors. During this robotics lab, students not only mastered various engineering skills, but also developed their ability to cooperate.

Collaboration With UEFA Foundation

This and a total of 10 other sports-themed labs are conducted with one of Europe’s largest sports foundation, the UEFA Foundation for children. Through these experiences, students discover the technological and creative aspects of sports and are inspired to exercise and lead an active lifestyle.

The partnership with the UEFA Foundation will feature not only themed labs, but also football tournaments and regional programs. These activities will open up TUMO Football training sessions to students from various communities, providing them with high-quality equipment, coaches, and turf pitches.

Messi Messi Messi Messi…

TUMO students are used to welcoming high-profile guests. TUMO athletes are, as a rule, visited by professional football players (current and former) or entire football clubs. These encounters allow both young athletes and their coaches to gain new skills and knowledge from top-tier sports professionals. For instance, last year, students hosted former Armenian national team players Levon Pachajyan and Gevorg Ghazaryan, as well as the players and coaches from Armenian Champions Ararat-Armenia, who shared their contemporary approaches with our players.

But our most famous “guest” has yet to fit a visit to TUMO Yerevan into his busy schedule. Instead, through his brother Rodrigo Messi, he sent a signed jersey, the one in which he scored his 100th goal for the Argentine national team, along with his promise to definitely visit TUMO Yerevan in the near future.

Lionel Messi not only gifted his jersey to TUMO, but also turned the attention of the international football community toward us by sharing TUMO’s Instagram page to his “story,” which resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of our Spanish-speaking followers. “It would be wonderful if we could create a space to display Messi’s signed jersey and give students the opportunity to see that relic in person,” says Yervand. “We also have a jersey signed by all the Ararat-Armenia players. Sometimes, for example, we could even temporarily display the Champions League trophy there…”

Extra Time

While waiting for Leo Messi’s visit and the launch of the TUMO Football program in the regions, training at TUMO Park continues as usual. Every evening, “Italy,” “Angulo,” the “Messis,” and the “Ronaldos” make their way to the sports field following their TUMO self-learning exercises and workshops to play on the same team.

And it doesn’t matter how many of these teens will become professional football players. What matters is that today, at TUMO, they have what we were searching for in our childhood courtyards: a green field, strong coaches, and a large community of like-minded people.

TUMO Football is exactly the type of community where sports support education, and education supports sports. This is an invitation to everyone: to TUMOians who are still hesitant to join the training sessions, to parents who want to see their children thrive in a healthy team environment, and to all those who want to join this big and beautiful initiative. The game has begun, and at TUMO, extra time always works in favor of our teens.

• To support TUMO Football students like Artur, “Italy,” “Angulo,” and others, please visit: armenia.tumo.org/donation
• If you are an active student at TUMO Yerevan, you can join our intensive training sessions via this link: tumo.org/sh/docsgooglecomformsd