Academies : Rennes still on top

For the sixth consecutive year (after 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010), Stade Rennes has been named by the Direction Technique Nationale as the club having the best Academy in France.

Although they keep an advantage of 900 points on their second, the Breton club have lost some of their advantage compared to last year however. In 2010, Rennes had won the award with a 1300 points advantage on Monaco. This time, the improvement of Auxerre and Sochaux reduced the gap.

The standing established by the DTN is based on several criteria, including the number of professional contracts signed, the number of Ligue 1 games played by graduates from the Academy, the number of caps in the French youth categories, the academic success rate and the level of qualification of the coaches.
Having once more brought many youngsters to the professional squad in 2010-2011, it is logically that Stade Rennes received the award once again.

The 2010-2011 standings :

1. Stade rennais FC : 4511,5 points
2. AJ Auxerre : 3616,5 points
3. FC Sochaux-Montbéliard : 3613,5 points
4. AS Monaco : 3333 points
5. RC Lens : 3263 points
6. FC Nantes : 3250 points
7. Montpellier HSC : 3111 points
8. Olympique lyonnais : 2907 points
9. Paris Saint-Germain : 2794 points
10. Girondins de Bordeaux : 2776 points