ASPTT Nice Handball was created in 1965 by Alain Rodriguez. Handball is part of the ASPTT Nice multisport club, of which the general secretary Jean-Paul Gouedj has appointed Claude Israรซl as president of the handball section since 2004. Of all the clubs in Nice, ASPTT Nice Handball is the most talked about this summer, and the arrival of the French national team goalkeeper, Valรฉrie Nicolas (best goalkeeper in the world in 2003 and 2007 and best world player in 2007) is no stranger to this sudden media attention. However, it should be noted that handball in Nice has not yet reached the highest national level. During the 2007-08 season, the club was promoted to national level 2 (4th division). Claude Israรซl is delighted: “I am very satisfied with the past season. We accomplished something extraordinary in the last two years by achieving two consecutive promotions. But we are left with a sense of incompleteness; after securing our promotion to national level 2, the girls became demotivated when we could have gone for the French champion title…” A regret for Claude Israรซl.
Handball does not yet play a leading role at the national level, but its president envisions the professionalization of handball in Nice: “For now, we cannot say we are professional, but the train is on the right tracks. Our objective next season is another promotion, this time to national level 1 with the obligation to win the title, but it is only a step. Our major ambition is to reach the first division in the next three years and to hold our ground at the highest level…” ASPTT Nice Handball still has 4th division structures and does not yet have the necessary means for a real training policy, which is mandatory for any club aiming for the top: “Currently, our youth teams are not performing well, which is why we chose to partner with Cavigal boys’ handball so that our best hopes can play at a higher level. And for the girls, starting in September, a partnership will be established with US Cagnes-sur-Mer where we will recruit their best players under 18 and for the senior team, and we will send them our young players under 14 and under 16…”
Between attempts to adjust to the professional world and the desire to maintain a family and friendly spirit, the club is at a turning point in its history. The arrival of Valรฉrie Nicolas, a French international, and Fatou Seye, a Senegalese international, demonstrates the club’s desire for progress. A major figure in this new momentum is Gilles Veissiรจre, of whom Claude Israรซl speaks: “Gilles was a long-time deputy director of the club, less now given his responsibilities at the city council. Without him and the work he carried out at the club, we would never have had Valรฉrie with us. That being said, we feel very strongly that the city is concerned with our project. But not only handball, the entire sports sector interests the municipal team where the will is to see everyone at the highest level, the city council instills us with the desire to want…”
