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Good news for French and Niçoise sports after the various cancellations over the weekend. The professional women’s handball championship will continue during the lockdown period.
The announcement was made official by the National Handball League (LNH) yesterday, that the Butagaz Énergie league, the French women’s championship, will continue during the lockdown. The decision was made at an exceptional board meeting last night that brought together all professional handball clubs.
The only downside is the forced empty stadiums due to the lockdown, which will have a significant economic impact on club revenues. With the second international break coming up due to the euro at the end of next month (November 23), only three matches are affected by this measure. Matches will then resume in 2021, with many postponed games that are expected to congest the schedule!
“We have estimated that it was the least worst solution. Even though, unfortunately, we are all aware that there will be a financial loss for the clubs in terms of ticketing and hospitality as these are essential revenues for the clubs […] We will therefore ensure that women’s handball, even behind closed doors, is accessible to as many people as possible through broadcasts on other types of channels and notably thanks to our broadcaster Sport en France,” stated the president of the LFH, Nodjialem Myaro.
The vice president of the Handball Players’ Association (AJPH), Sabrina Ciavatti, praised, “this collective ability to carry a common vision to allow our activity to sustain and bring a bit of joy and entertainment during this very particular period is a strong sign. Of course, the health of the players is at the center of our priorities. As players, our commitment on the field will be unwavering to continue offering sporting emotions to the supporters who will be far from us, through innovative devices that we need to rethink.”
As a reminder, OGC Nice handball will travel to the capital to face the players of Paris 92, currently second in the championship, on Wednesday, November 4 at 8 p.m.
