In some cultures, the number 13 is considered unlucky, but we completely disagree! Behind us are 13 years of training filled with a passion for soccer, tournaments, camps, and charity actions, as well as festivals. Exactly on October 10, 2010, the first training sessions of the Reiss Football Academy took place, and this date has permanently inscribed itself in the history of our club. Since then, we have become an orange family for our players and coaches, providing support, encouragement, and motivation. A lot has happened over these years! Read the 13 facts below and discover what you didn’t know about the Reiss Football Academy!
1. Breaking Records
Currently, we are training over 11,000 players between the ages of 3 and 17 in our club. This number also includes 742 girls in our Academy! Young players train in 134 locations throughout Greater Poland.
„For 13 years of our work, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many talented young athletes who, with their passion and determination, motivated not only their peers but also our coaches. We’re delighted that the number of girls training in football is increasing. For years, we have strived to make parents aware that football is a sport not only for boys,” commented Marek Pawłowski, Director of Sports.
2. The Best of the Best
Over the past 13 years, not only the number of players but also the number of coaches and specialists at the Academy has grown. The coaching staff consists of 492 coaches and assistants who continually improve their qualifications to better teach the young apprentices of the Academy football techniques and tactics. For years, coaches have been building positive role models among children and youth, thus promoting a healthy and athletic lifestyle. They have also become the best friends of our players, often entrusted with children’s secrets.
3. Setting New Trends
From the very beginning of the Academy’s existence, we have tried to set directions in many developmental areas to contribute to even greater sports progress among our players. This led to projects such as additional individual training based on the methodology of Individual Fundamentals of Play or additional goalkeeper training based on the methodology of the Wielkopolska Goalkeeper Academy. The first of these projects takes place in 9 locations, and the second in 10. Our Academy also operates the APR Ladies project (training for girls’ teams), which we develop in 7 locations. These are just some of our projects, and we are convinced that there will be many more!
4. The First Facility on Poznań’s Map
When training our charges, we aim to provide them with the best training conditions possible, which will help them develop on many sports levels. Keeping this in mind, on December 20, 2018, we officially opened the first pneumatic hall in Poznań. Over the next 5 years, more modern facilities were built on the map of Greater Poland, including in Kalisz and Leszno.
5. The Biggest Tournaments in Greater Poland
Since 2010, we have been organizing the Reiss Cup Christmas tournaments – the largest sports tournament cycle for children in Poland, which we organize in cooperation with the Piotr Reiss Foundation. Every year, all Academy players are invited to participate. In addition to the Reiss Cup, our players are guaranteed participation in the Greater Poland-Lubusz Football Leagues – the only competitions in Poland that integrate players from the Piotr Reiss Football Academy, the Falubaz Football Academy, and the Stal Gorzów Football Academy. The culmination of these competitions is the grand WLLP finals in Dolsk.
6. Training Champions
With a focus on the dynamic development of our players, we have established a career development path that includes Regional Representatives, Senior teams, and 3 training centers linked to School of Sports Mastery educational institutions. Currently, we train young footballers in SMS schools in Poznań, Ślesin, and Opalenica.
7. Investing in Development
To ensure the professional development of our players, a modern dormitory was built in Opalenica in February 2022, providing professional youth training. The dormitory has 50 places reserved for SMS AP Reissa Opalenica players. The facility is located 100 meters from the young footballers’ school, ensuring easy transportation between the school and training facilities.
8. Promotion to the Central Junior League
It wasn’t a coincidence or stroke of luck, but a long-term goal set by the coaching staff and players. They achieved it through hard work and determination! In June of this year, the AP Reissa team from the 2009 age group advanced to the Central Junior League U15 – the highest level of competition in their age category – thanks to their victory over Arka Gdynia.
9. Small and Big Achievements
Every week, the Academy can boast of smaller or larger successes! This year, it’s worth noting our nearly 400-point lead over other clubs in the Red Box V League, where the competition for points in the Pro Junior System classification has concluded. Another success is that Oskar Czerwiński (2009) – a player from SMS AP Reissa Opalenica – received a call-up for the training consultation of the Polish Men’s U15 National Team. Meanwhile, the AP Reissa Poznań team proved to be the best team in the 2013 age group at the SBG Cup 2023 Tournament.
10. Camps and Day Camps
This year, during the summer camps and day camps of the Academy, we had 1,693 children at the camps and 898 at the day camps, totaling 2,591 participants. Over more than 13 years of organizing summer and winter camps and day camps, we have provided entertainment to as many as 37,867 participants!
11. Young Coach Internship
In the Academy, we offer development opportunities not only to young footballers but also to young coaches. For several years, we have been running the Young Coach program, which allows our graduates and those interested in developing in football coaching to gain valuable experience.
12. The Icing on the Cake
What makes our Academy exceptional? Undoubtedly, our graduates! The Reiss Football Academy can boast numerous transfers of players to top clubs in Poland, including Miłosz Kurzydłowski, who was transferred from our Academy to Zagłębie Lubin (currently Jagiellonia Białystok), Michał Gurgul, who currently plays in the Ekstraklasa for Lech Poznań, and our graduate Allen Rozum, who signed a contract with Śląsk Wrocław this year.
13. What Does the Reiss Football Academy Wish for on Its 13th Birthday?
Above all, we wish for our orange family to grow even larger! In the coming years, we want to focus on the professional and comprehensive development of our Academy to provide even greater opportunities for our players, who will undoubtedly compete at the highest levels of sports. We hope that, together, we will achieve footballing heights!
Celebrate our 13th birthday with us and win Academy products! Interesting prizes can be won on our fan page and Instagram until October
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