“I always wanted to study in Spain because of their passion for football and their huge culture in this sport”, says Valentin Caudron, Athletic Trainer for Le Havre Athletic Club and Alumni of the Master in Football Management at Real Madrid Graduate School–Universidad Europea.
“My initial plan was to continue studying in the area of Sports Science, but all of a sudden a Master’s degree captured my interest”. It was then that Caudron took his first steps at the School. “I totally changed my plans to study the Master in Football Management which had very attractive opportunities including a trip to the Netherlands. From that moment I wanted to be part of this institution, the name “Real Madrid” is something that attracts lots of dreamers and I knew that I would find other highly competent students and professionals with the motivation and desire to grow”.
The energy of my classmates, speakers and teaching staff, especially “David Viejo Romero, director of the postgraduate course, Carlos Drechsler and Stephanie Rodríguez Besteiro”, as well as the “human knowledge of internationally recognised professionals in the field of football” are some of the most valuable aspects highlighted by the coach. “All of them shared their experiences with us, their way of working on the field. At every step I felt like I was growing on both a professional and personal level, in the tenth year of the Master’s programme.
I recommend this Master’s to everyone who has the same passion as I do for learning about and exploring football professions, because it covers not only academy management, but all the different professions that this industry has to offer”. In short, for Caudron it meant “finding a career path in this great sport”.
Universidad Europea became his second home: “It’s a really attractive place where the conditions are the best for making you feel comfortable while studying. Its sports facilities, the student sports opportunities, its library and its location are huge advantages”. A home where the sharing an experience with international students “is thrilling and gives you a way into different cultures. Being able to network with classmates from other countries and the trip to the Netherlands will always be incredible memories”.
“The internship on the Master’s gave me the chance to be where I am now. I started at the performance centre of the French football federation in the Occitanie region ‘Pôle Espoir Castelmaurou’. First training U14 and U15 and later on, thanks to the director of the master’s, I worked as a physical trainer for Juvenil C of GETAFE C.F.”. Later, in this season, the club Le Havre AC was looking for a physical trainer for its youth academy and Caudron didn’t think twice, “after two interviews we shared a clear vision of players’ physical development in line with the club’s project and the game model of the youth teams”, he says.
“If I could give any advice it would be to make the most of the campus and all its resources, because I think they’re at the same level of the best international universities. I would also say to get in touch with Alumni from the Master’s because they will always be open to sharing their vision of this ever-changing field of sports”.
“I don’t have anything else to say, except thank you so much to all the employees of the University, the academic management at the School and David Viejo, director of the Master in Football Management”, who he says is someone who has helped make his dream come true.