The Institut National du Football de Vichy, more commonly known as INF Vichy, was a football academy based in Vichy, France. Founded in 1972 by the

French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...

, it was dissolved in 1990. The academy had a team that competed in the

Division 3 In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football * Belgian Th ...

History

The Institut National du Football de Vichy opened its doors on 6 November 1972. It was an initiative made by the

, in cooperation with the ''Groupement du Football Professionnel'' and the

Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionels The Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionels (UNFP; English: National Union of Professional Footballers) is the main trade union for professional football players in France. It was founded on 16 November 1961 by Eugène N'Jo Léa and Just ...

. It functioned in conjunction with the of Vichy, which opened at the same time as the academy. INF Vichy would include 40 players over the age of 16 in its first year. The first director of the CREPS housing and of INF Vichy was Jean Forestier. The technical management fell to

Pierre Pibarot Pierre Pibarot (23 July 1916 – 26 November 1981) was a French football player and football manager. Playing career Born in Alès, France, Pibarot is a product of the Olympique Alès youth programme. He left the club briefly in 1932 to play fo ...

, supported by the coaches , Francisco Filho,

Gérard Banide Gérard Banide (born 12 July 1936) is a French former football coach. He is the father of Laurent Banide. External links and references Profile 1936 births Living people Sportspeople from Paris French football managers AS Monaco ...

, and Philippe Troussier. INF Vichy was included in the national championships of France at both youth and senior level. Initially, INF Vichy's team played only friendly matches. However, from the 1973–74 season onwards, the team played in the

, with two reserve sides participating in the Division 4 and Division d'Honneur. In 1990, INF Vichy closed its doors. Over the course of its 18-year history, the academy helped several dozen players make it professional.

Academy

Each year, INF Vichy received 200 to 300 players, but only 30 or so were selected to join the academy in July. However, there would only be around 15 players that would leave the academy for a professional club three years later. The players were aged 16 to 18. The normal duration of studies were three years, and on the side of learning to become footballers, players received accounting, commerce, or mathematics classes. The best players would go play with the team in the Division 3. Each coach was ''responsable'' (manager) of one generation of players, and would follow them during their three years of study. Although the primary goal of INF Vichy was to train players to help them become professional, the academy also had the goal of preparing its players should they fail to make it professionally, and for their post-retirement careers.

Team

Starting in 1973, INF Vichy had a team that participated in the Division 3, the third tier of French football. The team consisted of the academy's best young players, and gave them an experience in competitive football. The results were not of great importance, as the team could neither be relegated or promoted. Since the team was an academy team with minors in it, it could not become professional, and therefore promotion to the Division 2 was not handed to INF Vichy despite winning the Division 3 on two occasions (in the 1978–79 and 1982–83 seasons). The furthest round that the team reached in the Coupe de France was the round of 64, which they reached on four occasions.

Honours

Notable people

Notable instructors

* 1972–1976:

(instructor and coach) * 1986–1990: Christian Damiano (coach) * 1972–????:

(technical director) * 1973–1976:

Pierre Barlaguet Pierre Barlaguet (18 October 1931 – 16 October 2018) was a French football manager and player, known for his association with Nîmes. He also managed Mazamet, Châtellerault, Vichy and Bourges. Honours Orders *Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur ...

* Francisco Filho * 1976–1981:

Pierre Mosca Pierre Mosca (born Pietro Mosca on 24 July 1949) is French former football player and coach who played as a defender for Montpellier and Monaco. After his playing career, he became a coach with Sochaux, Rennes, Montpellier, Toulouse, Toulon, N ...

* 1983–1984: Philippe Troussier * 1986–1990: Christian Damiano * Pierre Michelin (footballer), Pierre Michelin *

Notable players

* Frédéric Dobraje * Paul Marchioni * Erick Mombaerts * Guy Dussaud * Jean-Luc Ettori * * Jean-Pierre Truqui * * Christian Borel * * Dominique Chevalier * Didier Christophe * Guy Genet * Robert Jacques (footballer, born 1957), Robert Jacques * * Simeï Ihily * Bruno Mignot * * Alain Couriol * * Patrick Rey * Albert Cartier * Dragan Cvetković * Jean-Luc Le Magueresse * Pascal Mariini * Jean-Michel Raymond * * Pierre Bianconi * * Didier Danio * Pascal Malbeaux * Pascal Olmeta * Frédéric Antonetti * Alain Casanova * Jean-Michel Simonella * Noël Vidot * * * Jacques Philip * Philippe Sence * * * * * * Jean-Pierre Papin * Didier Tholot * * * David Marraud * Yves Mangione * Éric Assadourian * Claude Barrabé * Nicolas Dehon * * * Hubert Fournier * * Bruno Valencony * Emmanuel Hutteau * Patrice Marseillou * François Fontaine * Olivier Pickeu * Guillaume Warmuz * * Fabrice Grange * Fabrice Asencio * Benoît Beaumet * Antoine Cervetti * Christian Bracconi * Marc Culetto * Victor Da Silva (footballer, born 1962), Victor Da Silva * Grégory Delgado * Christian Skubiszewski * Pierre-Yves Thomas * Franck Vallade * Daniel Wilczynski * Franck Dumas * Alain Durand * * Philippe Gallas * Alain Grumelon * Sylver Hoffer * Didier Knayer * Patrice Loiseau * Giuseppe Montibeller * Dominique Ottato * Patrick Payre * Patrick Périon * Jean-Marc Philippon * Olivier Potet * David Robert * Michel Sanchez (footballer), Michel Sanchez * Éric Martin (footballer, born 1959), Éric Martin

References

External links

INF Vichy
on FootballDatabase.eu
INF Vichy
on WorldFootball.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Vichy, INF INF Vichy 1972 establishments in France Association football clubs established in 1972 Football academies in France, Association football training grounds in France National football academies Association football clubs disestablished in 1990 1990 disestablishments in France Football clubs in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes