"
Becoming the ambassadors of tomorrow, becoming models, better people
" explains Thomas Lombard, general manager of the Parisian club.
And to become better people at the Stade Français Paris, it starts with putting away the chairs.
This Monday evening, a hundred young people from the Parisian club were gathered for the presentation of this new structure.
After two hours listening to the elders, the young shooters of the Stadium must first put away the equipment before leaving the meeting.
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126 young people aged 12 to 21 concerned
The Academy Stadium encompasses the young pink soldiers, from the under 12s to the training center.
An association to find a balance between sporting life, student life and civic life.
This academy concerns 126 young people and brings together 70 training courses.
More than 90% of these teenagers have a level higher than or equivalent to the baccalaureate.
35 players from the academy are already in higher education.
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This structure is now based on four pillars: sports and medical, already present before, to which is added a school and educational pillar as well as a citizen pillar.
An academy to help with orientation, vocational training and retraining.
On the occasion of this presentation, Thomas Lombard had invited former glories of the Stade Français, now more or less far from rugby in order to make the young people of the club aware of the aftermath.
"
When I was young, I
wanted to be a biker in the police
," explains Raphaël Poulain, a club player between 1998 and 2005.
tasted the France team
" delivers without concession the former winger.
Three times champion of France with Paris, he does not participate in any final, the fault of injuries and a poor lifestyle.
“
I only did what I wanted,
” he jokes, seeking the complicity of Thomas Lombard, his former teammate between 1998 and 2004.
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After a last year with the enemy of Racing, Raphaël Poulain ends his career at 28 years old.
“
This sport keeps you one foot in adolescence.
I stayed in adolescence until very late then I became an adult and I burned out.
I ended up in HP (psychiatric hospital, Editor's note)
”.
At 41, he is now a new person.
“
I have no regrets because I love the man I have become.
Today, I am the father of two children and I am doing quite well
, ”concludes the one who is now an actor, speaker and consultant for
Eurosport
.
“When I stopped, I took a nice slap in the face”
Raphaël Poulain salutes Thomas Lombard's initiative in creating this Academy Stadium.
"
At the time, we weren't in it.
It was the beginning of the professional era
, explains the one who signed pro in Paris in 1998.
You have to keep one foot in reality
.
Also present at the launch of this Academy, Pierre Rabadan discusses the importance of post-career.
“
When I stopped, I took a nice slap in the face
” explains the man who spent his entire professional career at Stade Français (1998-2015).
“
My life has changed dramatically.
I went from five hours of training a day to twelve hours behind a desk
, ”says the current sports assistant at the town hall of Paris.
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Lénaïg Corson, still active and player of the SFP since 2018, also welcomes the initiative of this academy.
"
In women's rugby, we are a bit like Wonder Women
", explains the player with 30 selections for the France team.
The former best second line in the world in 2017 started rugby overnight at the age of 20, after a childhood in athletics.
A year later, she left everything to live her dream and her passion.
At 21, the native of Paimpol in Brittany lives in her car and works in a factory to continue playing rugby.
Two years later, the former Stade Rennais Rugby player experienced her first cape with Les Bleues.
"
Something magical
" she explains in front of this hundred young players from the Parisian Academy.
Unlike their elders, young Stadistes will be able to combine rugby and studies.
