Original title: To become a professional player, you must also take part in the “examination” – to explore the “Paris” youth training concept with equal emphasis on football and education
16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery is a rising star in European football. Last month, the Paris Saint-Germain youth academy helped France win the U17 European Football Championship as an absolute main force. The club then gave him the first professional contract of his player career for a period of three years.
Zaire Emery has a bright future as a footballer.
But when he returned to the club’s youth academy, in addition to professional football training, he had to learn cultural lessons like many of his peers and take part in the French Baccalaureat (“BAC” for short).
Here I need to briefly introduce the BAC exam in France. In the French education system, students who complete high school education pass the graduation exam and get qualified results. The French must hold the “stepping stone”. In France’s football youth training system, it has become a mandatory requirement to complete high school studies and pass the BAC exam to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
“Both aspects (the study of football and culture) are very important, because we have this knowledge, not necessarily for the present, but for the future, to grow better and be a better person.” Emery said these words Shows maturity beyond age.
Emery joined Paris Saint-Germain’s youth system at the age of 13 and lived in a dormitory provided by the club, and his life has been extraordinarily busy since then – half a day in training, half a day in class. On the one hand, it is necessary to improve football skills and strive for the dream of becoming a football player; at the same time, the study of cultural classes cannot be relaxed. Emery told reporters that his best subject is mathematics. He can usually get 17 out of 20, but English is the most troublesome thing for him. The reporter at the interview asked whether he could interview in English. He has always been known for his maturity and stability. The big boy showed a rare shy smile, saying that he would have to study for a while.
Vergeny Menian is the “parent” of dozens of young players at the academy, where she heads cultural courses and life management as a former professional judo player.
“The biggest difficulty for them is balancing the rhythm of sports, schoolwork and life. They come here with the goal of becoming professional footballers, which gives them extra motivation in their studies,” Menian said. After retiring, Menian also served as a physical education teacher on campus. In her opinion, these youth training players will not slack off in cultural studies compared with ordinary high school students. The logic is very simple, to become a professional player, you must pass the BAC exam. Because their goals are very clear, they are more focused and efficient in learning than ordinary high school students.
“We have an agreement with all the youth players that they go through football training at the same time as they go to school, at least until their final year of high school and get a diploma, that’s a requirement for everyone,” Menian said.
As the leading football club in France, Paris Saint-Germain has invested a lot of manpower and material resources to create a good environment for the youth training players and help them pass the BAC exam smoothly. All the teaching teachers are high school teachers who come from surrounding schools and are hired by the club to teach part-time here.
Since the level of cultural lessons for different players is not consistent, in addition to regular large-class teaching, Paris Saint-Germain also provides customized learning programs for young players in need. Arrange for teachers to “open a small stove” for small class teaching or even one-to-one teaching.
For those students who are about to take the BAC exam, the club will give them additional tutoring depending on the situation, and “rush” before the exam. In the interview process, the reporter encountered two such players – Ayman Kari and Younis Hannaxi.
“I’m in my final year of high school, and I’m about to take the BAC exam,” Hannasey, 17, told reporters, giving a very confident answer when asked if he was sure of passing the exam.
Kari, who is also 17, is quite shy. He told reporters that the period before the exam is the busiest—training and taking classes during the day, and he can only squeeze time to review at night, and studying until late at night is the norm.
But for the young people here, they are used to this state.
It is worth mentioning that in the youth training academy of “Grand Paris”, in addition to BAC examination subjects such as mathematics, language, and philosophy, the club also provides a wealth of other courses, such as practical skills such as speech and social network use. Like Emery who just won a national speech contest.
“We want young people who come out of the Paris Saint-Germain training centre to be educated people, educated people, so we work very hard to give them the best possible schooling,” said Menian. “We want to always have Something that allows them to think and develop mentally is very important because they need to learn to balance on the court and in life.”
As Europe’s top giants, what is the youth training concept of “Paris” – people here told reporters that it is not only the training of top players, but also the training of talents.
Jean-François Pian, director of the club’s youth academy, said: “Football training, school curriculum, growth education are the three pillars of our academy, and these three areas work together. Our goal is actually to make Children are here to keep building on these three pillars, which are key to their development as future players and as adults.”(Xinhua News Agency reporters Xiao Yazhuo and Wang Jingyu）