| Athletico | |
| Pixels: | 175 |
| Full Name: | Athletico Sports Club |
| City: | Beirut |
| Colors: | Blue and yellow |
| President: | Robert Paoli[1] |
Athletico Sports Club (Arabic: نادي اتلتيكو الرياضي), known as Athletico Beirut or simply Athletico, is a football academy based in Dbayeh, Lebanon.
Founded in 2006, the academy has eight branches across the country.[2] Since 2011, Athletico has been partnered with French club Olympique Lyonnais.[3] In particular, Lyon provide the academy with training expertise and facilities. Athletico graduate Philippe Paoli moved to Lyon's B team in 2013.[4] In 2019, Athletico became the first football academy in the Middle East to receive the "One-Star" label from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).[5] In 2021, the AFC approved Athletico as an elite one-star academy after meeting the 20 criteria in the AFC's Elite Youth Scheme.[6]
The women's team was founded in 2010 as one of the first in Lebanon. They were league runners up in the 2009–10 season,[7] and cup finalists in 2010–11.[8] They withdrew their team prior to the 2012–13 season.[9]
The men's senior team won the Lebanese Fourth Division Beirut in 2021–22, and were promoted to the Third Division.[10]