Electronic Arts plans to start the new year strong and write a new line in their own history books: the company plans to release its first DS exclusive game, Football Academy DS. The game will be released in March this year and, just to make sure no confusions arise, I have to tell you that it refers to European football (or soccer) and not American football.

Football Academy DS is being described as “a collection of mini-games and challenges that improves football knowledge in a fun and entertaining way,” which means that we’re not getting a proper football simulation game (we already have FIFA 09 for that) but a more casual approach to the game.

So instead of creating, managing or controlling your team, you’ll get the chance to learn football strategy, positioning and technique by completing all sorts of tasks – end eventually you’ll be able to take your skills onto the pitch and compete against friends. Which sounds interesting enough, right?

Here are the first released screenshots for Football Academy DS: