The PAOK Academy at ECA seminar
The acquisition of knowledge, the exchange of experiences, and even the revision of some methods in the context of training, is a perpetual process for the coaches and executives of PAOK. The co-ordinator of the younger ages of the PAOK Academy, Giorgos Gourtsas, had the opportunity to attend a three-day ECA (European Club Association) seminar, hosted by Benfica.
At the Benfica training center, but also at the Da Luz Stadium, representatives of 30 teams, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Ajax, and Villarreal, were in attendance to take in some extremely interesting presentations. The co-ordinators of the academy’s departments, from Under-7 to Under-19 level, discussed the organizational and technical issues related to the operation of an academy.
The Benfica staff, led by president and former playing legend Rui Costa, presented their methodology for the individual improvement of players, which leads to the maximization of their performance and the way it leads to the overall objective, which is of course none other than the promotion of players from the youth systems to the first team squad.
