The Haute-Marne District received the Deputy National Technical Director of the French Federation, Patrick Pion, Friday May 31. He held a conference on the theme of “District of tomorrow” and was full of praise for the actions in the department.
daily jhm: At the end of this conference, what do you remember from your visit to Haute-Marne?
Patrick Pion (Deputy DTN of the FFF): “What I would like to note first of all is that Haute-Marne is a remarkable District, given its resources. Here, there are not what I call “high-level locomotives”, but important and serious work is done by all the clubs, well helped by the District. The Haut-Marne training courses are ambitious, to the extent that they have real projects for their members. They put the societal before any sporting dimension, which bodes well for local football. »
daily jhm: You referred to the high level, at which Chaumont and Saint-Dizier evolved a few decades ago. How can we help Regional clubs aspire to national divisions?
PP: “We must already take into account that football has experienced an overall evolution in its level, especially in recent years. To realistically aim higher again, Haut-Marne clubs will have to continue their work on training young people and women, which is breaking all records in the Grand Est. We are talking about the future: training a pool of young people and women very early, everywhere, will make it possible to raise the level of the District. It is a long-term club project that must be carried out. And if the current dynamic continues, then this could create a positive spiral. I actually think that the department will need a reference. »
daily jhm: What details would be missing from the department’s current references, Chaumont FC and Marnaval, to go higher?
PP: “It is difficult for me to make a precise analysis of these two teams, as I know them little. But given their current level, I can already imagine that these two clubs have significant human resources. If they want, for example, to integrate Nationale 3 in the years to come, there will also be work to be done with local authorities. In Chaumont, the sporting reference remains volleyball, which certainly influences the development of other sports in such a small town. »
The importance of youth
daily jhm: For the smallest clubs in the department, which play for example in the District, what can they do to also aim several divisions further?
PP: “This is obviously something that requires patience for these training courses. Even when we are at the bottom of the ladder, we can have ambitions for the future. But you really have to take the time to build your project, whether it is societal or sporting. This must be consistent and over several years: hoping to move up a level every year means sacrificing part of the work that must be done on the rest of the club. Impatience is never a good friend. »
daily jhm: Ultimately, the deputy DTN that you are has a leitmotif, which is focused on the training of young people.
PP: “For me, this is an absolutely essential aspect for the adaptation of football, as a whole, to the evolution of society. This is what we must capitalize on, because youth represent no less than 65% of French football. It’s not nothing ! If we take good care of them and the supervision is good, we will make good people out of them. Providing good training will give clubs material to evolve in the right direction and over time. »
Collected by BD
