How do I get into a soccer academy?

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For many soccer enthusiasts, joining a training center in their quest to become a professional player is a real goal. Our soccer experts offer you their best advice, as well as all the information you need to make this dream a reality.

How much does a soccer academy cost?

Although the economic situation in the world of professional soccer may seem out of proportion today, the annual cost for a family to support their child at a football academy is not as high as you might think.

Here's what training centers pay for:

food and accommodation for budding footballers
payment of travel expenses for away matches
full equipment supplied to young apprentices throughout the year.

Parents will probably have to pay an annual contribution, which will vary according to the prestige of the training center in question. In addition to the traditional pocket money, but all this will by no means exceed the cost of daily life at home.

The hardest cost to bear for parents and children is often not financial, but psychological and emotional, due to the distance from the family environment.

Recruiting at a training center: how does it work?

There are 37 soccer training centers in France. This means there 's a lot of competition to make your dream come true. Most of the time, it's the clubs themselves who take the initiative in recruiting a young player.

Indeed, to ensure their long-term survival, clubs are obliged to achieve positive sporting results, and they know that this means recruiting young footballers who may one day join the professional team, or be sold for a handsome sum of money.

The act of recruiting a young player is clearly an investment. Today's clubs have a whole network of scouts who go out to the pitches every weekend hoping to unearth the future talent of French soccer, as well as an extensive network of players' agents. You don't join a training center like you would a school, for example.

A young player can be perceived as a marketable commodity at a very early stage, so it's important for the family to always speak to a representative of a professional club, and to be wary of self-employed agents who are more interested in financial gain than in the player's development.

What tests should be carried out?

In the past, the tests to be carried out were very protocol-based. You had to pass a number of detection rounds before you had a chance of being taken on. For example, you had to be able to perform :

50 foot juggles
50 juggles of the left foot
50 head juggles.

Failure to pass this test automatically meant the end of the adventure, followed by several physical and psychomotor tests before moving on to real-life match detection.

What about today?

Today, detections are less based on physical ability. In fact, this was one of the major shortcomings of French soccer between 2005 and 2015, when the best players in physical terms were recruited, resulting in a definite drop in technical standards. This was in contrast to nations such as Spain, which dominated world soccer for almost 6 years.

We're seeing a change in this area in France, and we're going back to the very essence of soccer by analyzing :

the ability to read the game
technique
understanding of the game
the mental strength of young players to enter training centers.

How old do you have to be?

Most youngsters are recruited to training centers between the ages of 11 and 14, but earlier or later recruitments are by no means out of the question! There are many players who become professional footballers late in life, having been discovered late in life or having been turned down repeatedly.

In any case, one of the most important virtues when it comes to becoming a professional footballer is patience and, above all, perseverance. Most of the great champions are known for their unfailing perseverance, never giving up and believing in their dreams .

In fact, we're talking about "dreams" because only 1 or 2 players in a generation make it into the professional world, which is a highly competitive environment.

What is the expected level?

Obviously, you have to be one of the best players in the region to hope to join a training center. In fact, these courses are reserved for the elite of French soccer, and are designed to prepare the future stars of French soccer, so you clearly need to have a high level of practice to be able to join the twenty or so footballers of your generation.

Training centers also promote values and principles specific to the collective and personal development of players. This is a key element in the training of soccer clubs, because all those who fail must be able to reorient themselves and develop professionally, which is why schooling must not be lost sight of.

How do I enroll or join a training center?

If your ambition is to become a professional footballer one day, and you feel strong enough mentally and physically, then the first step is to approach soccer training centers. You should also try to take part in as many detections as possible. Indeed, detective days are an undeniable point of reference for recruiters from professional clubs.

Above all, a club is looking for young players who are mentally sound and have their feet firmly on the ground. Joining a soccer academy is not something to be taken lightly, as moving away from the family home and friends who are stable points of reference for a child can be difficult for some. It also represents a huge psychological investment, and many young players are not prepared for this.

This shows that you have to remain humble and believe in your ability to succeed, without putting too much pressure on yourself. The family circle is very important in providing unwavering support for the child.

What are the top 5 training centers in France?

As we said earlier, a ranking of the best training centers is drawn up at the end of each season.

Paris Saint-Germain tops the list, followed by Rennes
followed by Rennes,
Sochaux,
Lyon
and Monaco.

These clubs have the 5 best training centers on the French scene.

Clear criteria have been set, and these are not just footballing ones. The academic results (Brevet des collèges, Baccalauréat, BTS) of young footballers are also taken into account, as are the quality of the infrastructure and the number of professional contracts signed at the end of the season.

How do you train to join a training center?

To stand out from the crowd in this hyper-competitive environment, it goes without saying that training is essential for a young player. To help you progress further, Netsportique offers you a wide choice of sports equipment at guaranteed best prices. We have suitable products for every position you occupy on the pitch, as well as in line with what you want to work on as an aspect of the game.

For goalkeepers:

A wide range of rebound nets and reaction balls to work on reactivity.
Ball launchers to work on your goal line.
Free-kick dummies to work on the dreaded stopped phases.

For defenders:

Slalom poles to work on the quality of your footwork.
Hurdles to work on relaxation, essential for aerial play.
Ground markers to improve tactical positioning.

For midfielders :

Hoops to improve passing accuracy.
Ball launchers to develop ball trajectory reading.
Rhythm scales to work on coordination.

For forwards:

Precision shooting walls to attach to the goals to work on accuracy.
Ball-throwing devices to hone your aim in any situation.
Rebound nets to work on ball control and reactivity.

For all players in general:

A wide range of fitness and body-building equipment for muscle toning.
Hurdles, studs, pegs and rhythm ladders to work on coordination.
Shooting walls and rebound nets to work on technique.
Ball-throwing machines to improve aiming skills.

Realizing your dream of becoming a professional footballer is a long road with a lot of competition. The player must have a stable family environment and be among the best regional players to have a chance of joining a soccer training center. That's why Netsportique wants to support you as much as possible in your quest for progress by offering you quality sports equipment and materials. We're convinced that with our products, you'll get the results you deserve , and thus have an extra chance of reaching your goal.