When will the French tap run dry?...

[Bebestation]

I can't say for Germany, but I don't know where this is coming from in regards to France. Weather is a lot better than England here, unless you're just comparing to a place like Brittany. But even then it's better than the majority of the UK.

I just think there's more facilities here in France for it than the UK. Where I live I see pitches everywhere that are free to use. One thing I've learned since being here too that I believe may play a part is that French children don't have school on Wednesdays. I believe this is all over the country though one of the native French posters can correct me. Instead it's a day will typically be dedicated to extra curricular stuff. Playing sports and all types of sports clubs are a big part of this. I've seen many training sessions with clubs happening about the place on these days, which is the type of time you don't really get elsewhere.

Ah i see, I must have only been to the cold areas of France.

Its interesting with the no school day on wednesdays though and I can see how that would benefit kids that being on a desk 95% of the week and maybe even at home. I know couple countries in Asia that have Wednesday's half days for a similar purpose and not over working of the mental sides of education.

 

[MetoTTT]

You should know that the formation of players in France has been very severely criticized for quite a few years as the main argument that it is based too much on the size and physique of the players and not enough on technique, creativity and off the ball movement.

 

[DRM]

I've not read the responses in this thread so chances are this may have already been mentioned. But to answer the question the OP, never!

France have one of the best football training academies in the world, called Clairefontaine (located all around France and not just in paris). Clairefontaine is used to train young kids in football from around the age 13. Very few get in and those who do are the creme de la creme in youth football. Looking at wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INF_Clairefontaine) these are just some of the things kids are taught at CF:

Youth development at Clairefontaine incorporates many principles on football with their students, such as:

• Making the player’s movements faster and better
• Linking movements efficiently and wisely
• Using the weaker foot
• Weaknesses in the player’s game
• Psychological factors (sports personality tests)
• Medical factors
• Physical tests
• Technical skills
• Skill training (juggling the ball, running with the ball, dribbling, kicking, passing and ball control)
• Tactical (to help the ball carrier, to get the ball back, to offer support, to pass the ball and follow the pass, positioning and the movement into space)

Just think of it as the Oxford university of football. The bar is extremely high to get in but once you are in, you're likely to have a very good career!

 

[Bebestation]

I've not read the responses in this thread so chances are this may have already been mentioned. But to answer the question the OP, never!

France have one of the best football training academies in the world, called Clairefontaine (located all around France and not just in paris). Clairefontaine is used to train young kids in football from around the age 13. Very few get in and those who do are the creme de la creme in youth football. Looking at wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INF_Clairefontaine) these are just some of the things kids are taught at CF:

Youth development at Clairefontaine incorporates many principles on football with their students, such as:

• Making the player’s movements faster and better
• Linking movements efficiently and wisely
• Using the weaker foot
• Weaknesses in the player’s game
• Psychological factors (sports personality tests)
• Medical factors
• Physical tests
• Technical skills
• Skill training (juggling the ball, running with the ball, dribbling, kicking, passing and ball control)
• Tactical (to help the ball carrier, to get the ball back, to offer support, to pass the ball and follow the pass, positioning and the movement into space)

Just think of it as the Oxford university of football. The bar is extremely high to get in but once you are in, you're likely to have a very good career!

Sounds so good. Nice post

 

[JPRouve]

I've not read the responses in this thread so chances are this may have already been mentioned. But to answer the question the OP, never!

France have one of the best football training academies in the world, called Clairefontaine (located all around France and not just in paris). Clairefontaine is used to train young kids in football from around the age 13. Very few get in and those who do are the creme de la creme in youth football. Looking at wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INF_Clairefontaine) these are just some of the things kids are taught at CF:

Youth development at Clairefontaine incorporates many principles on football with their students, such as:

• Making the player’s movements faster and better
• Linking movements efficiently and wisely
• Using the weaker foot
• Weaknesses in the player’s game
• Psychological factors (sports personality tests)
• Medical factors
• Physical tests
• Technical skills
• Skill training (juggling the ball, running with the ball, dribbling, kicking, passing and ball control)
• Tactical (to help the ball carrier, to get the ball back, to offer support, to pass the ball and follow the pass, positioning and the movement into space)

Just think of it as the Oxford university of football. The bar is extremely high to get in but once you are in, you're likely to have a very good career!

Small corrections Clairefontaine is specifically the FFF training center and where the DTN is, it's essentially the "Pôle France". Clairefontaine is only in Paris and it doesn't have that much of an importance for the few kids going there, most of the alumnus don't have a very good career and it makes sense since we are talking about "pre-formation" for kids between 13 and 15 years old. Now what is all around France are "pôle espoir" generally in CREPS, that's where pretty much all kids in all sports that have a federation start their "careers" at 13 years old, the key link to the INF is the formation of youth coaches, the coaches in pôle espoirs/CREPS are partially formed at clairefontaine but mainly in regional structures of the FFF(which are the twelve academies mentioned on wikipedia).

Now the reason french football produces players is mainly due to clubs, french youth coaches are well trained(by the FFF), kids are well coached before 13 years old, the vast majority of kids are developed by local clubs and at 12-13 years old it's generally by the big local clubs such as Olympique Lyonnais, PSG, OGC Nice, AS Saint Etienne, Stade Rennais, RC Lens, Girondins de Bordeaux, LOSC, FC Nantes, Monaco or FC Metz.

 

[JPRouve]

You should know that the formation of players in France has been very severely criticized for quite a few years as the main argument that it is based too much on the size and physique of the players and not enough on technique, creativity and off the ball movement.

They shouldn't because it's not the case. What you are talking about is a pretty old discussion within the FFF about a bias in favour of physical players in the early 2000s which led to a dip in talent between 2008-2012. That issue has been fixed a long time ago and it's also where the quota scandal comes from.

 

[Ibi Dreams]

They shouldn't because it's not the case. What you are talking about is a pretty old discussion within the FFF about a bias in favour of physical players in the early 2000s which lead to a dip in talent between 2008-2012. That issue has been fixed a long time ago and it's also where the quota scandal comes from.

Sounds very similar to English coaching up until quite recently. It does seem like that problem has been more or less fixed in both countries as both are now producing a lot of players that are very good technically

 

[MetoTTT]

They shouldn't because it's not the case. What you are talking about is a pretty old discussion within the FFF about a bias in favour of physical players in the early 2000s which led to a dip in talent between 2008-2012. That issue has been fixed a long time ago and it's also where the quota scandal comes from.

Not true. A lot of journalists/journos and footbal shows still talking about. The Spain prototype player dream.

 

[JPRouve]

Not true. A lot of journalists/journos and footbal shows still talking about. The Spain prototype player dream.

Which lot?

 

[MetoTTT]

Riolo, Brisbois, Duga, Rothen, Courbis, Duluc, Roustan and a lot more

 

[JPRouve]

Riolo, Brisbois, Duga, Rothen, Courbis, Duluc, Roustan and a lot more

I see you are talking about old conversations. I have heard them it was prior to 2015 and half of them are frankly stupid, Duga and Rothen in particular.

 

[MetoTTT]

I see you are talking about old conversations. I have heard them it was prior to 2015 and half of them are frankly stupid, Duga and Rothen in particular.

It's not because you don't agree with and you don't like some of them that it isn't the case (they still talking about in France). So, not old stuff!

 

[JPRouve]

It's not because you don't agree with and you don't like some of them that it isn't the case (still talking about).

It's not widespread and there is no actual discussion about it. You are mixing few remarks with a widespread conversations about it, a typical example of what you are talking about would Mbe Soh, Riolo made that remark and Rothen disagreed because it was a frankly stupid remark every country has physical players, Spain included.
Now on topic there used to be a time around 2010-2013 where that conversation was widespread and justified nowadays it's just a few remarks that often make little sense and are made to create some buzz.