Kick-off for the start of the 2012-2013 season, which promises to be exciting in more ways than one. Firstly, playing in the championship’s elite, secondly, a dizzying success that has elevated the former handball section of the ASPTT from D4 to D1 and changed its name and colors to incorporate into the OGCN’s multisport club, the city’s flagship team, allowing it to pursue its ambitions.
In the pleasant setting of a seaside establishment, the president Ange Ferracci (despite his wrestling with an undeniably stubborn microphone), surrounded by the entire management team, presented the season’s objectives, which are ambitious—a placement in the top five teams to qualify for Europe. Not bad for a newly promoted team!
The budget has been revised upwards to 1.1 million euros, with 600,000 coming from municipal subsidies thanks to the unwavering support of the deputy “in charge of handball” (we’re adopting the friendly term used among attendees between a glass of champagne and a piece of pissaladière)) …sorry, sports deputy Gilles Veissière, the very active recruitment with no less than nine new players (all from clubs in a higher category than the Nice club last year) and a new coach, Sébastien Gardillou, whose previous club, Metz, is among the most competitive in the championship.
In short, the sporting and economic aspects, which are the two axes of a sports club, as Ange Ferracci wanted to remind us, are aligned with the club’s program.
To top it all off, the mayor of Nice confirmed that the club will not only change its championship level but also its venue: the Charles Erhmann Stadium Hall (2,000 seats) will replace the outdated Eucalyptus hall and be ready for the first home match on September 21 when OGCN will host Besançon.
The words of the new Nice coach Sébastien Gardillou: “No one is obligated to do the impossible. But I am confident in this team that I have been coaching with great pleasure for a few weeks. I believe we can hope for a great season despite competition that we know to be tough. The girls are motivated and I know they won’t disappoint you.”
Now, let the game begin and good luck to the Nice handball players in this new adventure.
