A SUPERB POSTER

PO PARIS 2007 - Didier Pers Trophy
Saturday-Sunday 16-17 June 2007 – International Tournament
Number 21 – MAY 2007
A SUPERB POSTER
The poster PO Paris 2007, conceived by Karin Froger, mother of a PO player
Jerseys for all
At the last Christmas party, the children
thought of their friends from the last
Didier Pers tournaments who are less
fortunate. They decided to send them,
as a sign of friendship, football jerseys.
The club gathered 60 jerseys and sent
14 each to the clubs Kampala Kids
(Uganda), Cantolao (Peru), and Escuela
de Futbol Bernardo O’Higgins (Chili). An
initiative that shows well the spirit of the
tournament, that aims to strengthen the
ties, in a spirit of openness and
solidarity, between the teams and the
children of the world.
Editorial
Standing by
As we like to repeat, the Didier Pers Trophy
aims to be more than just a football event. In this
spirit, the PO has been associated for the past 2
years with « Sport Sans Frontières » (SSF, Sport
without borders), an international solidarity
association that aims to make the practice of
sports accessible to all through education
programs and development through sport. SSF
operates in a number of defavorized countries
(Afghanistan, Bolivia, Kosovo, India, Sri
Lanka…), but also in France. Every year, it permits millions of children throughout
the world to blossom through sports.
Everyone of us recalls what sport has given us : self-confidence, the taste of
effort, and an interaction with others, but also the respect of rules, the acceptance of
failure, and humility in winning… As much a learning experience, which at a young
age contributed to our blooming, as a preparation for the future.
Because we believe in the values of this association, the
PO has put in place an operation « all in orange » : we
propose to each participant of the Didier Pers Trophy 2007 to
buy a pair of orange shoe laces « Sport Sans Frontières » for
3 euros. This money will be given to the intervention fund of
the association. And the day of the tournament, we hope that
the color orange will take over the PO stadium, sending a
magnificent message of solidarity. We will explain by e-mail
shortly the details of this operation. This solidarity seems
essential to us. We hope it will be for you too.
Contact : [email protected]
Close up
« Keeping a family feeling »
François Gil, responsible for the youths of the PSG :
The PSG, the sponsor club of the PO, is one of the most loyal participants of the PO Paris
tournament, Didier Pers Trophy. Let’s meet François Gil, responsible of the youths, who explains to us
the inner workings and the ambience of this mythic club.
L’ÉPIQUE : « First of all, a big bravo : your benjamin team just took the regional
finals of the National Benjamin Cup ! »
François Gil : «Thank you ! It was a very good result, that was even better since
we played on our own ground. By the way, it was the players who were in the Didier
Pers Trophy in 2006. »
L’ÉPIQUE : « What characterizes the youth teams of the PSG ? »
François Gil : « In contrast to other professional clubs, who often have only 2
teams per category of youths, we try to conserve a familial ambience. We have an
elite teams, of course, but also groups where everyone can find their place, no
matter their level. »
L’ÉPIQUE : «Do you take part in a lot of tournaments ? »
François Gil : « We receive about 1500 invitations per year, all categories
included. We take into account primarily the conditions in which we will be received
and the ambience of a tournament. I also give priority to the Paris region the last
few years, because it is important to create friendships between the Paris region
clubs. These are the real breeding grounds of talent. »
L’ÉPIQUE : « Thank you for accepting us among the 1500 invitations ! »
François Gil : « We are very happy to come to Chatenay ! It is important for the
kids to rub shoulders with this kind of ambience of a familial club, where everyone
rolls up their sleeves et makes this event a large very well organized international
tournament. »
L’ÉPIQUE : « Are the tournaments the chance to scout tomorrow’s talent ? »
François Gil : « Effectively, when we notice a child with a large potential, we can
tell our recruting group. The latter follows
The best in “Ile-de-France” young talent and centralizes the notes that
A look at the ranking of the regional each trainer sends. But nothing is done in
final of the National Benjamins Cup haste. We wouldn’t talk about our training
gives an idea of the very high level center to a 12 year old child… It is better to
of the teams of the PO Paris 2007 wait for them to bloom, to advance and they
tournament…In fact, among the 13 will then integrate into a high level structure. »
best teams, 6 will take part in the L’ÉPIQUE : « Finally, a word on your
Didier Pers Trophy, including the sporting plans : your goal ? Your
three top teams (PSG, FC predictions ? »
Montrouge 92, CFFP) ! If the PSG François Gil : « I don’t put pressure on
won for the first time this season, the players. Of course, we want to be the
that will increase ten-fold the envy best ranked possible, but in a tournament,
of its rivals, who will want to beat there is a lot of luck. The most important
them at all cost to take their thing is to project a good image of the club.
revenge. Supremacy in play the 16 As far as my prediction, I would say CFFP
and 17 of June…
against Créteil in the finals. »
Live
At less than 4 weeks from the tournament, discover live the last news concerning the state of
the participants :
The team SA Mérignac is finishing its championship and should finish 3rd in
its pool. It’s a good season that they are finishing quite well since they just beat the
Girondins of Bordeaux ! This team played the district final last month.
AS Chaigny advances in the departmental championship of Loiret, level 2.
The group , which includes a majority of first years, practices nonetheless quality
football, which allowed them to reach the departmental finals.
Sainte Adresse But, currently third in the championship (with in second
phase : 3 victories, 1 tie and 1 defeat), finished 5th in the departmental final, missing
by a place qualification for the regional final.
Zoom
FC Colombier is the first Swiss team to participate in the Didier Pers Trophy. Let’s meet this
club, situated some 100 km to the south-east of Besançon.
Colombier is a village of 5000 inhabitants situated in the canton of Neuchâtel, at the
foot of the Juras. The first team plays in the 4th division and the club includes 12
junior teams. The children who will participate in the tournament were born in
1996/1997 (the categories
are not the same as in
France). Their championship
takes place with teams of 7
players,
but
for
the
tournament, they will adapt !
They are ranked in the 4-5
best teams in the canton.
If they participate each year
in several tournaments in
Switzerland, it is the first
time that the players have
the possibility to take part in
a foreign tournament. Since
they learned that they are coming to Paris, they can’t sit still, they are thrilled to
discover the eternal city…
As concerns the style of playing, the players of Colombier concentrate first on the
collectivity, while trying to be as offensive as possible. They can’t wait to confront
other countries, other styles, even if they are a bit afraid of the Latin teams, who
always have a natural and unpredictable side that is hard to beat. Finally, a last
word from their trainer, Angelo Manini : « We respect all our adversaries. We are
going to try to place in the first half of the ranking. As far as the final victory, I see a
confrontation between a South American team and a northern European team. »
We also have the pleasure of discovering ASPTT Nice this year.
« Hard, hard, this season ! » Jean-Paul Stefano, the Benjamin’s trainer doesn’t hide
it : he has known easier years… The team were just relegated (barely) to the
category pre-Excellence. It was by a hair’s breadth… they were just missing a tiny
victory. Nonetheless, neither bitterness nor discouragement. They regroup and the
spirit is still intact. The group has given itself high aspirations for this end of year,
to finish on a positive note. A point of pride : the Didier Pers Trophy !
For the majority of the children, this voyage to the capital will be their first trip out of
their department of Alpes-Maritimes. That is why they are leaving nothing to
chance, and are seriously preparing, playing in multiple tournaments : in total
counting the 3 Benjamin teams, they will have participated in 14 tournaments before
arriving in Paris… And they shined, since they took the tournament of the Trinity,
showing their large potential, despite their clouded season.
The principal objective at the PO tournament is first to live up to the label « FFF »,
that they received at the beginning of the year. The club was the first in the
department to receive this distinction, a recognition by the French Football
Federation based on three criteria : reception and player loyalty, training and
education.
For
the
ASPPT Nice, as for the
PO, football is more than
just a sport. Every year
they
organize
a
tournament in partnership
with an association, to
mobilize
the
football
players for a cause
supported
by
the
association. Thus, this
year they helped « the
Little Angels of Life » that
fights against late bone
dysplasia.
Bookmakers
The prognostics contest on line came to life this month ! To your mouses to quickly make up
for lost time : vote and check the ranking live at www.le-po.com ! You can also send a mail to
[email protected].
Well wishers
The biggest names in football support the Didier Pers Trophy !
It is with open pleasure that we received the encouragement of two stars of the
English Premier League. Didier Drogba, on the one hand, the emblematic striker of
Chelsea who also brought happiness to the Olympique de Marseille (and who
started his football career in Levallois !). Arsène Wenger, on the other hand, trainer
of Arsenal for more than 10 years. No doubt that with all these well wishers, the
tournament will be a success ! And who knows, maybe on a corner of the pitch we
will see some celebrated personality from the world of football…
Head shots, parting shots,
favorite shots: send your
articles and reactions to :
[email protected]
The sentence of the
month
« This tournament goes well above
sport. It is firstly a way of reuniting
children of different origins, cultures
and social circumstances around a
common passion. For me, it is first
that that is the magic of football »
Armelle Porpoil (mother of a player
and member of the organizing
committee).