Timur Turlov to allocate $22.7 million for football academy in Karaganda
A football academy will be built in Karaganda. The $22.7 million project was presented to Ermaganbet Bulekpaev, the governor of the Karaganda region, by Timur Turlov, the majority shareholder of Freedom Holding Corp. The project, first announced in April, will be implemented with the financial support of Freedom.
Once completed, the academy will feature a year-round arena, a stadium with 5,000 seats, a training field with modern heating and lighting systems, a boarding school for 80 to 100 boys and girls, a gym, recovery rooms (including medical and other facilities), and various methodological rooms.
The stadium is expected to meet all modern standards and requirements, with seats made of safe materials and arranged in a special way to ensure that all spectators can enjoy matches comfortably. The stadium will be available for various types of teams, including children’s, youth and reserve teams.
The site allocated for the construction of the academy spans 9.61 hectares, while the total area of the complex’s buildings and structures will exceed 28,000 square meters. The project, estimated to cost between $20.8 million and $22.7 million, will be funded entirely by Freedom Holding Corp.
«Our goal is to create a modern, multifunctional academy that will become a real center of attraction for young athletes from all over the region. Here they will receive not only professional sports conditions but also a comfortable, safe educational environment. We want the academy to prepare strong football players capable of becoming members of our national team,» Timur Turlov emphasized.
In turn, Governor Bulekpaev expressed his confidence that the new academy will spark a new wave of interest in football in the region.
Timur Turlov thanked Bulekpaev for the fruitful cooperation, presenting him with a memorable gift – an exclusive T-shirt from the match between the QJ League All-Star team and FK Crvena zvezda of the Serbian SuperLiga.
Turlov serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Freedom QJ League – a football league in which boys’ and girls’ teams from all over Kazakhstan compete across three age categories. The league has been twice recognized as the best sports organization of the year by the Metaratings Top Awards, and Timur Turlov was named the best sports manager of 2024.
The Freedom QJ League is actively introducing advanced technologies into youth football, including smart cameras, access to Wyscout, and other tools. Its digital platform for coaches, FF Manager, has won multiple awards at renowned international competitions such as the Tagline Awards, MARSPO Awards and Workspace Digital Awards.
Earlier this year, Freedom Finance founder and majority shareholder Timur Turlov was ranked 605th on the 2025 Forbes list of the world’s richest people, with a fortune of $5.8 billion. Last year, he was ranked 991st, with a net worth of $3.3 billion.
Freedom Holding runs several fast-growing businesses, including Freedom Finance JSC, Freedom Bank, Freedom Finance Insurance and Freedom Life. The company’s ecosystem also includes Freedom Mobile, Freedom Drive, Ticketon, Aviata and other popular services.
