“the school and football system allowed me to be more independent”

It is a system that allows sport and studies to be mixed: the amateur football center of excellence (PEFA) in Amiens is a pioneer in its field, notably with its futsal section. There are only nine in all of France.

They juggle balls and lessons successfully. The young people from the Amiens sports section are winning on all fronts.

Originally, they were all grass football players. Futsal is not necessarily the first choice of students. But to join the center of excellence for amateur football, PEFA, they were able to be convinced by practice. “I discovered this discipline in second grade, says Ayoub Hammouch, Terminale student. Before when I was little, I played futsal, but not like that, futsals in my neighborhood, we played catch. Now there are tactics, that’s what I liked about it.“

After several tests and significant competition, 20 players were selected. A sector that attracts people everywhere in Hauts-de-France, like Maël Morin, originally from Breteuil in Oise. “I found it very interesting, the school and football system and it allowed me to become more independent on homework.“, confides the First Year student.

“What interests us is first of all the academic profile, not only the academic results, but it can also be the behaviorindicates Clément Cailly, head of the futsal sports section. So, we try to see profiles that can stick and those that stick are profiles that are involved academically and then, there is obviously the sporting profile that interests us: how the player does technically, tactically, with the others in terms of cohesion.“

Before being footballers, the young people in the section are above all students. The three high schools in the Amiens school campus allow them to have a flexible timetable. In return, they must show their seriousness, otherwise they will be deprived of training. “You shouldn’t think too much about sport too, you have to work hard, because if you don’t work enough, you’ll get bad grades, you’ll have hours of bonding during training.“, says Tiziano, second grade student.

“Training and classes are fine, it’s more complicated when you’re in competition, you have to make up for either a morning or an entire afternoon of classes, so you have to study specifically to make up for it.“, explains Giovanni, also a Secondary student.

“Sometimes training is a little tiring for themconcedes Marc d’Azemar, professor of history and geography at the Édouard Branly high school. They miss classes from time to time for competitions, but their seriousness is also measured by this to the extent that very often when they return to class afterwards, they have caught up with their classes, sometimes without anyone being behind them. They know that they are in an academic process which is as important as the sporting level.“

Once classes are over, head to the gym with four workouts per week, Monday to Thursday. In a very tactical and technical discipline, players quickly see their progress. Whether in the gym, or in classic football. “This brought me an improvement in concentration, in the mind because before, I was a player who was very dissipated, quite nonchalant“, confides Christevie Ndelo, first grade student at the Amateur Football Center of Excellence.

PEFA Amiens distinguished itself last season by reaching the final of its French championship on the football side. Futsal players also want to dribble their way to victory.

Edited by Éline Erzilbengoa / FTV