| French Program - Part II |
|
|
| on 10 Dec 2007 | |
|
THE FRENCH FOOTBALL FEDERATION TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD AND PLAYER SELECTION PROCESS
by ROBY STAHL
BOYS DIRECTOR OF COACHING
OHIO ELITE SOCCER ACADEMY
This is the third article in a series
that was started two years ago. Please refer to the previous articles
for background information. Some items will be discussed again as thing
change in the world of soccer federations, curriculums and training
methods. These articles can be found at www.osysa.com
under the heading of coaching (“Sessions with Amie Jacquet” and “The
FFF Youth development Program”). This article consists of conversations
by Mr. Aime Jacquet, winning coach of the French National team during
the 1998 FIFA World Championships and current FFF Technical Director,
during the 2002 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, PA.
Roger
Lemerre, the current FFF national team coach has 15 national staff
coaches directly under him. These are all former professional players
and over 50% of them have Physical Education degrees. This support
group works with him in selecting and preparing the national team, and
assists in the scouting of opponents. There are 125 coaches throughout
the country working directly under these staff coaches at various
levels.
The
current FFF structure has the country split up into 21 regions, each
with 21 support coaches. Twice a year these coaches come together at
Clairefontaine, the National Training Center, to ensure they are all
working on the same page and are all following the technical guidelines
set down by the FFF. Together they plan the technical outline for the
next year, implementing a new plan every four years for all the
professional level clubs.
During this time four levels are stressed:
The Coaching Schools
– This is the biggest strength the French have. Every player that comes
through the French system has been or is currently coached by educators
certified by French coaching schools. This ensures continuity in
technical and tactical development. In order to obtain a professional
license and therefore become a professional coach, an individual must
coach or study in a foreign country with a club and write a research
paper.
The National Youth Identification Program
– Here guidelines are developed for the scouting of players for the
U16, U17 and U18 national teams. Each team has three fulltime coaches,
a trainer and a doctor.
Youth Soccer Curriculums
– Coaching for the 6-11 year olds revolves around having fun with
soccer. At age 12-16 it is more focused and the emphasis is on
technique and learning how to be a professional player. Players here
train two hours daily on the techniques necessary at the top level.
“In big games, technical ability will make the difference” - Amie Jacquet.
An
educator who specializes in youth soccer coaches each of these
players. France is the only country in Europe that requires this
certification. The best players from this group will become
professional players, as the clubs know about the top players at age
ten. The French are the current FIFA U17 world champions.
Women’s Soccer
– two years ago the FFF opened a National Training Center based on the
men’s set-up in Clairefontaine. Their U17 and U19 teams are still in
qualification for the European Championships. The stated goal is to be
competitive with the USA women at the 2006 FIFA Women’s World
Championship.
The Technical Advisory Board and Team Selections:
For
the senior national team, Roger Lemerre has three coaches; one
assistant, a fitness/technical coach who also teaches licenses and a
goalkeeper coach. Roger is responsible for the senior, ‘B’ and Olympic
teams. The FFF feels that the Olympic team is the most important as it
consists of the top young players who are their future.
The
core of the 2002 national team is the same as in Euro 2000. Probably 17
of these players will remain on the 2002 World Cup roster. A new and
very talented generation of strikers is now arriving on the
international scene, providing more depth, and competing for the six
new spots on the 23-player squad. Input from each of the 15 national
staff will be in place before the selection is complete. One national
staff coach is present at every league game (and most European
games) in which a potential national team player is playing in. This is
a different coach each time. Reports are then compiled regarding the
technical, tactical, and physical states of the players as well as
their behavior off the field. The lifespan of a French national team player is approximately six years.
The team comes together on every
FIFA international play date. France will play at least one game per
month until June in order to further evaluate the team. The players are
constantly followed medically with weekly conversations with the club
doctors. They are psychologically tested regularly. In this manner, the
FFF can measure the progress of not only the player, but also of the person.
Each
player must buy into the team policies, as the team is more important
than the parts. The best players are not necessarily the most important
for the team. Remember how Amie Jacquet did not pick Eric Cantona and
David Ginolla for the last World Championships! In preparation for the
2002 FIFA World Cup the team will go into altitude at approximately
8000 feet to begin training, along with a recovery period from the long
European and domestic league schedules. Following this will be a
one-week program at Clairefontaine and travel to Japan eight days
before the opening game.
All
the national staff will be working during the World Cup at the disposal
of Roger Lemerre. This process allows the head coach to strictly
worry about the players, tactics and upcoming match. There are very few
counties that make this big an investment.
During
a session conducted by former Scotland national team coach Craig Brown,
several interesting observations of the development of French soccer
were noted. France failed to qualify for the 1990 and 1994 World
Championships. This caused the FFF to restructure their thinking and
change some things within the professional soccer setup. At this time
many of the top French players were leaving the country to sign
lucrative contracts elsewhere. In order to ensure that young French
players where being exposed to top-flight soccer, rosters were reduced
to 20 players. This forced the professional clubs to develop their own
players. Previously the professional clubs were not enthusiastic about
the youth development schemes as it is easier to go and buy a new
player than wait 10 years for one to develop. Monaco provides us with a
great example of what happened. When two senior players were injured
the coaches had to bring two young players up to train with the fist
team. The senior staff about the abilities of these youngsters knew
little. Their names were Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry!
|
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
