The hustle and bustle on the training ground has subsided. Reason enough to take a moment to look back. With the support of BVB Evonik Football Academy coach Benjamin Galant, who travelled from Dortmund especially for the event, an exciting week of football took place on the pitches of the Panattoni Arena. Over a period of five days, starting in the morning hours and ending in the late afternoon, the young players involved were able to hone their footballing skills.

The course didn't just focus on footballing skills; the importance of healthy eating was also discussed in a nutrition workshop on the first day of the course. In cooperation with Netto Poland, the coaches taught the young footballers how important healthy eating is for athletes. After all, if you eat a sensible and balanced diet, you can shine on the pitch with good performances! It was remarkable how much the young players already knew about healthy eating and how quickly they were able to distinguish unhealthy foods from healthy ones.

When the second day of the course kicked off, the next challenge was already awaiting the young players. They had the opportunity to take part in a goalkeeper training session led by Mateusz Potoczne. This season, goalkeeper training will become an integral part of the programme. In future, the academy will present this new component as part of its systematic work. On the third day of the course, all the ambitious young football players were able to enjoy a special celebrity visit.

Former Germany national team player Jörg Heinrich, who has a place on the Heroes' Wall placed in the entrance area of the BVB Evonik Football Academy, led the course unit together with the team of coaches. The former footballer masterfully guided the kids on the pitch and was also available for a short question and answer session. Another highlight of this exciting week was the Life Kinetik® training. Benjamin Galant and Michal Ziolo presented this training method, which provides a perfect combination of fun, movement drills and coordination and cognitive exercises. Life Kinetik® Training is a German concept based on the latest studies in brain research, psychometry and brainflow methodology. Seemingly simple tasks, which the players had to combine with additional elements, proved to be a great challenge.

On the last day of this varied course, there was still time for what the children no doubt love most: playing football! During the afternoon training session, a tournament was held which pitted all the teams at the Akademia against one another. But there were no winners or losers, because all that counted was the joy of playing together on the pitch! When the time came to say goodbye to the aspiring young footballers, the coaches were full of praise. Each and every participant had shown, both on and off the pitch, that football is their greatest passion, and they'd all worked hard to improve their playing ability. Just like the pros! The dedicated team of coaches got together after the course was finished for various workshops in order to gather new knowledge about how best to work with ambitious young players. 

The topics of the workshops, which were led by certified coaches Benjamin Galant and Michał Zioło, included Life Kinetik® and the Heidelberg Ball School concept. Thank you for five fantastic days of football, excitement and lots of fun!

Further information on the BVB Akademia in Łukasza Piszczka.