A year long (or 5 months) Michel Hidalgo international football academy

Overview of the football academy

The Michel Hidalgo pro football academy welcomes players from all over the world, aged 14 to 22, who wish to experience a one-year cultural, linguistic and football immersion in France.

The goal is to prepare the young football players to enter professional football and to make football trials in the pro clubs. The Academy is a perfect showcase for young talents.

The Academy offers a limited number of places in order to ensure a very personal approach to players' development and subsequent career.

It is located in Cannes on the French Riviera, 25 km from Nice.

In partnership with AS Cannes, USCBO Cannes, ES Cannet-Rocheville, and other selected football clubs, this soccer academy is the gateway to high-level football. Its ambition is to have every passionate player realize his dream: to become a professional football player and substantially improve their athletic performance.

Thanks to a highly qualified staff, trained and accustomed to detect young talents, and to a personalized performance monitoring, the players can learn, explore each and every skill, improve their abilities and get a better game. 

The soccer academy's sport and cultural program is focused on human behavior in terms of body and mind harmonious development in everyday practice. Pro football training and physical preparation in the morning, French classes or school curriculum, soccer training with the club in the evenings, and matches at the weekends. Close to Ligue 1 teams OGC Nice, AS Monaco and Olympique Marseille, the Academy offers to meet the professional players of those famous clubs, as well as FIFA agents and scouts. Visits of training centers are also part of the program.

For this 2019-2020 year, our academicians proceed from Algeria, Bahrein, Denmark, Gabon, Guinea Conakry, Ireland, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, New Caledonia, South Africa, Switzerland, USA, and France.

Football training with the club

Every student is getting a player‘s license at AS Cannes, or at one of the other partner clubs like USCBO or ES Cannet Rocheville. Choosing the club depends on the player’s experience, his skills, his level of play, and his scope for progress.
A club usually schedules 3 to 4 training sessions per week, lasting 1:30 to 2:00 hours. Football training is between 5 and 9 pm, from Monday to Friday, on the club main fields

Individual pro training sessions

On top of te collective training, the Academy coaches manage 2 to 3 additional football training every week on AS Cannes pitches. They are conducted in small groups of a maximum of 6 players. Based on modern methods and with specific tactical or technical advice, the drills will reinforce the strong points of every player and help him get rid of bad habits developed in his original country.

Physical and mental work

Our technical director, nicknamed “Iron man” takes up 2 to 3 training workshops every week, which usually takes place at the gym. He proposes specific and personal exercises, cardio, muscle reinforcement, adapted to each player.
Some sessions may be dedicated to physical condition improvement through tests and evaluations. While giving advice and following progress, he pays large attention to the psychological and mental condition of the player and to the possible risks of injury. Every player receives a member card from a gym that offers 7/7 free access during the whole year. He is encouraged to repeat the exercise of a former session conducted by our trainer.

Official games

Games are played on Saturdays for U15 and U17, and on Sundays for U19 and senior teams. All our players get the chance to participate in the French championships, whether at local, district, or national level depending on their status and position in the team. Matches are played away and at home.

Trials

Being registered at the Academy is the best means for a player to showcase his talent and skills. He will be observed and evaluated by the academy coaches and the club coaches. Together with him, the director and manager of the Academy will decide which club he will belong to and what team he will play with. All along the year, he will participate in friendlies with clubs like OGC Nice, Olympique Marseille and local teams as Antibes, Mougins, St Raphael … Around the end of the year, more trials are organized with the highest level clubs that the players can expect to play with. Last June, one of our players was scouted by AS Monaco.

Lectures

Our academicians regularly attend lectures given by experimented coaches and discuss topics like nutrition, behavior on and outside the field, tactical options in a game, salaries for pro players... They may as well analyze the video of a game of a Pro team as well as one of their own past matches. 

Refereeing course

It is of utmost importance that all our players should have proper knowledge of the rules of the game. From October 2019, all academicians will follow a course of refereeing at district level on Monday or Tuesday evenings. In December, practical exercises in match situation will enable them to become level 1 official referees

Accommodation & meals

• The campus has 110 rooms, and our academicians can choose to stay in a single or a twin room. By default, participants are placed in twin rooms, but a student may be accommodated in a single room for an additional fee.

Our players are under the supervision of the director in charge of any issue related to accommodation, catering, schedules and behavior inside the Campus.

All 3 meals are served at the campus restaurant as buffets of starters and sweets, and a hot dish served at the table. Brunch on weekends. A special arrangement (from 8 pm to 10.30 pm) for dinner in the foyer in the case of late training.

• Shower and toilets on each floor, every room is equipped with a washbasin and all necessary furniture (desk, chairs, cupboard…)

Facilities on-site

22 classrooms equipped with audio/visual material, 220 seats dining-hall, meeting rooms, fitness and recreation room, cyber room (email and internet access), theatre (cinema and conference hall), TV-room, library, outdoor volleyball/basketball court, washing machines and dryers, medical room, housekeeping, and a 24 hours reception

Education

These education options are provided to students for an additional payment (quotes on request as it differs depending on the age of the participant)

For all our academicians who cannot speak French, they will have a French class straight from arrival and until the month of March, every morning from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 am. At the end of the year, they will receive an international certificate.

All year-round, the campus offers French tuitions, from beginner, intermediate to the upper level. The French staff is made of 20 teachers qualified to teach French as a foreign language.

For French speakers, the Academy proposes 3 forms of education:

First, they can learn English or improve their level in English with classes two hours 3 times a week. Late evenings are partly dedicated to school work, oral and written.

We now have the experience of having some of our academicians follow a normal school curriculum at Stanislas College (10 minutes walk from campus) or Lycée Bristol (located in Cannes city center). It proves that it is possible to focus on a football career and be successful with a 25 to 30 hours school programme.

Last but not least, we highly recommend the e-school method proposed by Cours Pi as it enables our academicians to have a measure-made program adapted to high-level football practice. All subjects are open (maths, English, geography, history, sciences, French...) and are studied on campus every afternoon with the assistance of a teacher. Cours Pi is acknowledged by the French Ministry of Education.

Medical Care

The on-site nurse administers routine medical treatment for minor accidents or illnesses. When a prescription is needed, at the student's request, the nurse calls a doctor who works regularly with the campus. The doctor's visit is at the student's expense. It is good advice to take up an insurance policy, April, which covers 100% medical, hospital and surgery expenses.

Transportation

On arrival, the student is welcomed at Nice International Airport and driven to Cannes by our local coordinator or manager. All transports that are made necessary (airport transfers, training, friendly games, Christmas holidays) are organised and covered by the Academy.

Football Academy Dates and Costs

Year-long program (10 months)

Dates:  From 02 August 2022 to 27 May 2023

The deadline for registration is the end of May for those athletes that need visas.

(if a student wishes to be placed in a single room - an additional fee of 4000 € shall be paid)

The terms of payment are 50% at registration, the balance before 10 October.

As soon as the Academy receives the deposit, the letter of invitation is sent to the family and to the French Embassy. If the visa is not granted, 10% of the deposit is not returned.