Several famous football players visited Samara as part of the Football to School project. A Samara Gazeta correspondent talked to them and found out what they think about our city and how sport makes people better.
Boris Nikonorov: “I always liked the Golden Sands of Samara tournament”
World champion in beach soccer Boris Nikonorov told SG why the Football at School project can provide an incentive for the development of this sport.
— The Russian Football Union invited me to this interesting project, and I have never regretted it. I am proud to be an ambassador along with the legends of Russian football, from whom I myself took inspiration as a teenager. I watched them play and was inspired by that. Now we travel together around the cities of Russia, popularizing football. During the days of the business trip, we manage to communicate with hundreds of guys. We see their emotions, burning eyes and the fire that once was in us.
I always say that if such legends of Russian football had come to visit me as a child, I would not have slept for a month. Seeing kids train, take pictures, and get autographs from celebrities creates memories that will last a lifetime. I will note that we receive feedback – mothers and fathers of boys and girls write words of gratitude to us on social networks. They start playing football themselves, going out onto the field with their children. Sport makes people better and develops the right values.
All my life, as long as I can remember, I have been playing football. I started in kindergarten. At one point I had to choose between beach and futsal. I made a choice in favor of the beach one and was not disappointed. In it I achieved my goals. For example, he won the World Championship, took gold in the Intercontinental Cup and was recognized as the best player of the tournament. He also played for practically the best beach soccer team in Russia, Moscow “Lokomotiv”. As part of it, he came to Samara more than once for the championship and cup stages. It was great playing on your embankment. A lot of fans always came, not only to the games of their native Krylya Sovetov, but also to other teams. I would also like to note that when we played, the weather in the city was gorgeous and beautiful, happy people were sunbathing on the beaches. Unfortunately, this summer I was not able to watch the Samara games of the Russian Championship. Was busy. I have been working as deputy general director of Yaroslavl Shinnik for three years now.
I have always liked your beach sports tournament “Golden Sands of Samara”. Thanks to him, many began their journey in football. One of them is Honored Master of Sports Dmitry Shishin. This is the best scorer in the history of Russian beach soccer. It was in Samara that he was noticed.
I tell the guys that beach soccer can also be considered as an addition to the big game. Sand gives you incredible endurance, excellent coordination of movements, and the ability to control the ball.
I know that in Samara they started building mini-football fields in kindergartens. This is truly great, because it is at this age that the love for football begins. The child begins to understand how to play it, that he needs to score a goal. I remember myself in kindergarten, when we were divided into two teams and played with a rubber ball, making a goal about a meter wide out of sticks. Moreover, even then both boys and girls took part in the game. I always liked scoring goals and I think this allowed me to later become the top scorer in prestigious tournaments.
As a child, I liked the Brazilian Ronaldo, nicknamed “Nibbler,” who worked wonders with the ball. And already in my youth I saw the Portuguese Ronaldo. I was always amazed at how he controlled the ball and dribbled. I always wanted to be like him in the game. I tried to learn a lot from him, and this helped me solve my problems. I’m even sometimes called the beach Cristiano Ronaldo.
Diniyar Bilyaletdinov: “Many guys really light up in our lessons”
The former midfielder of Everton, Lokomotiv and the Russian national team told SG that he always takes part in football lessons with great pleasure and approaches it with all seriousness.
“Children almost always ask why I decided to take up football. I say that I had no choice. Dad is a professional football player and coach. Even when we lived in a one-room apartment, we found a place to play our favorite game. And now for the fourth season I’m trying to pass on the knowledge to boys and girls from all over Russia. I really like it. We have already visited many cities. Moreover, they came to places where they had never been before. So, thanks to football, I am expanding my geography.
I went onto the field at Samara stadiums more than once, but when you are an active football player, you only see the city from the bus. Therefore, I really took a walk around Samara only on this visit. The city has many beautiful places that are beautifully landscaped. And I’m sure the trigger for the development of Samara was the World Cup.
I think such festivals for children are a step in football development. Both for those who have been playing football for a long time, and for those who have only recently begun to master the game. Many children in our lessons really light up. They develop a winning spirit, a desire to score a goal. And our task is to make sure that they do not give up the sport. Maybe someone can be attracted to professional football. I saw several guys during the game who will be able to grow to a certain level, if, of course, they work hard and are able to ignore external factors. In some cases, some people, even with average data, become Premier League players. If you don’t set goals, you won’t achieve anything.
But I will say again that in this case you need to work hard and, perhaps, overcome yourself. The colossal hard work has not been canceled. Also, thanks to football, children become more disciplined and even take school lessons more seriously. They are charged with a team philosophy, which will be very useful to them in life.
I advise parents whose children have already started playing football in kindergarten not to be afraid for them in class. Even if someone steps on a foot or the ball hits the wrong place. But don’t forget about safety precautions. And in kindergarten the main thing is play. You just need to captivate the child so that the little football player constantly moves. Football is movement. If someone is standing, you can immediately see that he is not interested. And there are children who don’t stop for a second. I see their red cheeks and wet T-shirt.
I would like to note that nowadays more girls are coming to football. They want to play sports professionally. Women’s sections have already appeared in many football academies, and interest in the Russian Women’s Championship has increased.
Artem Polshakov: “Samara is an absolutely football city”
Russian football blogger Artem Polshakov, better known as “ArtPo,” notes that the goal of the “Football to School” project is to give every child the opportunity to try themselves in the most accessible and popular sport.
— I began to develop in media, gained a certain audience, the RFU became interested in me, and they integrated me into their project. After all, my blog is read not only by adults, but also by children. I try to popularize football among them and strive to ensure that as many children as possible start playing it. I hope I’m doing everything right. Parents come up to me and say that thanks to me, the child became interested in football. Therefore, I understand my responsibility both to children and adults.
I myself have played football all my life and simply adore it. He graduated from a football school in the Stavropol Territory. Therefore, I am interested in keeping a blog and filling it not with trash content, but by presenting some events from an unusual side.
I build communication with children and thanks to the “Football to School” project, the children not only improve their skills, but also meet famous football players who can become idols for them. Children need to look up to the masters and be inspired. Many parents are also interested in talking with famous football players, and such moments force the legends themselves to open up.
It’s right that football came to kindergartens. After all, from an early age he develops the main quality of a football player – communication with the team and flexibility of the body. A person begins to move more mobile and becomes more dexterous.
I liked Samara. Modern trams are running around the city, and a metro is being built. A modern stadium has been built, and life is in full swing in the old arena. And the arena where the festival took place was of very good quality. You have an absolutely football city. The children tell me with delight about Krylya Sovetov and Akron. They are in love with football. I won’t be original if I say that you have a very good embankment where you can actively engage in sports.
