Methodology
History
At this moment, the JMG Academy is the only professional organisation in the world that offers a
complete education to young footballers.
The adventure began in 1994, when the Academy was founded in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Since then six other Academies have been started up:
In Central Africa: Madagascar (2000), Mali (2006), Ghana (2008)
In North Africa: Egypt (2007), Algeria (2007)
In Asia: Thailand (2005), Vietnam (2007)
The Academy in Lier will be the eighth Academy, and the first in Europe.
The principle of the JMG Academy is to create the best possible environment for young talent, in order to stimulate the blooming of the player through tuition.
Philosophy - To shape young players into men and footballers of high quality
- Development of technique
- To show that it’s possible to combine performance and spectacle
- To respect sporting ethics
Methodology - To stimulate the blossoming of the young talented player thanks to dedicated work, led by an expert
- Development of technique
- Development of intelligence
- Stimulation of magnanimity, modesty and ambition
- Talent is the only criterium for recruitment (game intelligence, individual technique, talent
- Sufficient time dedicated to each other
- Expertise of the consultant of the JMG Academy
- Respect for the work planning and the training and educational methods of the JMG Academy
Working
The working and the management of the Academy will be fully ensured by the local consultant who will be appointed by the JMG Academy.
The tutition of the children will be fully taken on by the Academy:
- Football via training
- Theoretical courses
- Video lessons
- Promotional trips
- Following of the compulsory educational programme in Belgium
- Learning of two foreign languages
- Acquiring IT knowledge
- Housing accommodation
- Food
Everything takes place in and around the Academy, in boarding school format.
The young players sign a contract (via parents or custodian) of 6 years, renewable once for 3 years.
Recruitment
The players will be recruited when they are 11-13 years old. They will have to go through 4 different selection phases before gaining access to the Academy.
From the experience of the Academy it seems that about 1,000 players will have to be tested before 1 can be recruited. Theoretically an initial players’ group of 8 players will be formed, that will be completed in the following 15 to 18 months with another 4 to 8 extra players.
Approximately every 2 years we’ll begin with a new batch (promotion). Altogether there can be a maximum of 3 drafts in an Academy, ie up to 50-odd players in the fourth year.
Organisation of the discovery of talent
1. Organisation: The consultant makes contact with different people in different locations.
2. Pre-recruiting phase 1: Without reservations we will test a group of players, from which we’ll make an initial selection of the best, which we’ll then watch for a second time on the same day.
3. Pre-recruiting phase 2: Afterwards we’ll gather the players from the various selection days at various locations, who we’ve kept on after phase 1, to test them and to evaluate
4. Final stage: We’ll gather together the players we’ve selected after stage 2, to run an internship of 3 to 5 days. In various groups they will have to undergo a number of technical and physical tests.