In the context of a partnership between OGC Nice and the City of Nice, several schools are invited to an immersion in the Training Center of the Nice football players. This week, the students from Saint Exupéry and Les Oliviers took advantage of this open day.
“The aim of this day is to bring schools closer to our great club: OGC Nice, and especially to young trainees. For these children, it’s about explaining that there’s work and sacrifices involved in becoming a high-level athlete,” explains Jean-Marc Giaume, Deputy Mayor of Nice, in charge of education, school catering, extracurricular activities, and the “Cœur de Paillon” Territory.
Training and sacrifices: the keys to success
The CM1-CM2 students had the chance to meet two players from the Training Center and ask them every question they had about a typical day for an OGC Nice footballer. “We train here every day, we go to school here, we live here,” says the young midfielder, Soudeysse Kari. This sparks curiosity among the kids, who had prepared well for their visit. “Isn’t it too hard to be away from your parents?” asks Lisa, 9 years old, already aware of the sacrifices needed to reach the top level. “It touches me because even though I want to become a professional footballer, I will miss my family a lot,” adds the little girl who already dreams of having a ball at her feet.
Communicating the values of sport
“When you lose, do you get upset or do you still congratulate each other?” wonders a classmate. This is an opportunity for the young U19 player, Théo Pionnier, to talk about the concepts of fair play, sharing, and respect that must always prevail in sport and life in general. “I’m thrilled they discussed these questions of sports values; it’s very important for the children’s play, where sometimes you find ego-related difficulties,” rejoices Anaïs Tosel, a schoolteacher at Saint Exupéry. “In our yard, both girls and boys play football equally.”
Jean-Marc Giaume made sure to congratulate the participants in this positive exchange. “We win, we lose, but we shake hands and exchange jerseys at the end of the match; that’s the respect and mindset that OGC Nice cultivates,” he reports, acknowledging the work done by the club.
Immersion in the Eaglets’ nest
After this mini press conference led by the schoolchildren’s questions, the students were able to attend the day’s training session and enjoy an autograph session with their idols. A special moment with the Nice players ended with a tour of the Training and Education Center to understand the workings of a professional football club. Enough to awaken some passions and perhaps inspire some future footballers on the playground.
