21 July 2023
Football camps have become a real tradition in Crans-Montana. While the destination regularly welcomes Swiss and international professional teams for their training camps, Crans-Montana has also for many years been offering youngsters the chance to improve their skills at high-calibre camps.
Crans-Montana is delighted to host Foot Lab, one of Europe's top football camps for boys and girls between 8 and 15 years old. By perfecting their technical expertise using a cutting-edge method developed by founder Patrick La Spina, these youngsters can make spectacular progress in their technical skills, while enjoying exceptional surroundings in the Swiss Alps.
An international training course for coaches is also being held in Crans-Montana in July, organised by Patrick La Spina. The guest of honour for the 2023 event, Joan Vila, is widely recognised worldwide for his key role in training Barcelona players such as Xavi Hernandez.
Patrick La Spina is a technical coach and consultant for a number of clubs and national federations in Europe, and the creator of the Zidane Five Club method, alongside Zinedine Zidane. He offers a unique approach to teaching football, focusing on players’ individual development. Zinedine Zidane’s visit to Crans-Montana will be remembered. When he appeared on the Haut-Plateau pitch, the world champion footballer and three-time winner of the Champions League as a coach brought a sparkle to the eyes of children taking part in the training camps organised by Foot Lab, as well as being a great surprise for the Zidane Five Club coaches.
As for the professionals, no fewer than 10 teams have already taken advantage of the Haut-Plateau this year. Among them are Super League clubs Servette FC and Grasshopper Club, as well as FC Sion, now playing in the Challenge League. The three teams have joined forces with Crans-Montana to benefit from the best training conditions in exchange for visibility for the destination. Women's national teams from Haiti and Malta have also come to train in Crans-Montana this year.
With two FIFA-standard pitches, top-quality hotel facilities, the altitude and the wide range of activities on offer, Crans-Montana is the ideal destination for camps that combine physical and technical training with team-building activities.
Crans-Montana Football Camps Association is the intermediary that attracts these teams to the region every year. "It's a real mark of quality for a destination to see professional sports teams choose Crans-Montana for their training camps. We try to make all of the organisation as easy as possible, both on and off the pitch. To date, all teams have gone away having achieved their sporting objectives and after exploring and appreciating the very best the region has to offer," explains Walter Loser, CEO of the Crans-Montana Football Camps Association.
