Announced as a candidate for promotion to Pro D2 for the past three years, Cavigal Nice Handball is more than ever in the race for first place this year. Just one point behind the leader Grenoble, the team from Nice resumes competition tomorrow with their destiny in their own hands.
With 7 victories, one draw, and one defeat, since competing in National 1, Cavigal’s handball section has never had a better start to the season. A nearly perfect start allows them to remain in control of their destiny in a championship where only the first place team gets a chance to move up to Pro D2.
Currently, the team from Nice is in second place, lurking right behind a Grenoble team that was not expected to be at this level at the beginning of the season.
If the team led by President Tanguy Mouchot wants to shed their runner-up status and avoid the same disappointments as the last two years (Note: the team finished in 2nd place twice in a row), they will need to achieve flawless performances and must defeat the Grenoble team in the return match on March 12.
It’s a difficult but not impossible mission for this team, which seems stronger than in previous years. Indeed, under the guidance of their new coach Eduard Fernández Roura, known as Edu, a former Spanish international, several experienced players have joined the squad. This includes Rubén Montavez and Asier Antonio, Edu’s compatriots, who are seasoned players from Liga ASOBAL (Note: the first division in Spain).
In addition to adopting a Spanish flair, the team has notably gained experience and rigor. These key elements were perhaps what they lacked in the past.
While the team seems ready to finally achieve promotion on the field, behind the scenes things are far from straightforward. Pro D2 means significant financial and administrative hurdles. The leap from the amateur world to the professional world is immense, and the club does not yet know if they will have the means to make it.
With a budget hovering around 560,000 €, the team from Nice is still far from the 830,000 € required to enter Pro D2.
To get closer, President Tanguy Mouchot is clear: they will need the indispensable help of the city of Nice. “If we want to have the necessary means, we will inevitably need the support of the city council, whether through a direct grant or by helping us find sponsors. For years they have promised to support us in case of promotion, but today we are unsure about what will really happen. The only thing we can do is achieve promotion through sports, present them with the fact, and ask ‘now what do we do?’“
The players have been warned, first place may not be enough, but to be sure, they absolutely need to go after it. And it starts tomorrow with a win on the field against Martigues.
by Jordan Perronneau
