Building on its promotion to Fédérale 2 (4th national division), Stade Niçois is already aiming for a qualification in the final stages. To meet its ambitions, the club is relying on the arrival of a trio of experienced coaches and around fifteen new players.
On June 12th, Stade Niçois signed a prestigious partnership with the global insurance group, Allianz. This new sponsorship is part of a political project led by the Nice city hall and Christian Estrosi. The medium-term goal is to regain professional level, namely Pro D2.
May 25, 2014, will remain a memorable date for Stade Niçois. At the end of regulation time in the second leg against Martigues, the promotion to Fédérale 2 was finally confirmed. “We struggled every Sunday,” laments the president of Stade Niçois, Tony Catoni. “We lacked teamwork and eventually sneaked through by the skin of our teeth with that try in the last seconds.”
Movements
Stade Niçois will step into another dimension at the beginning of September. Fédérale 2 is a completely different level than the lower division, which is why the club focuses on quality recruitment. The “Red and Black” will be under the guidance of a new trio of coaches. Gilbert Doucet, who has been through Toulon and Bayonne (Top 14), arrives alongside Ludovic Chambriard, former coach of Brive (Top 14) and Colomiers (Pro D2). They will form the staff with Jean-François Despreles, who previously managed the youth and female teams at Stade Niçois.
In terms of players, 17 arrivals are recorded for 6 departures. The club has sought to add depth in the forwards, a sector that was lacking last season. “We tried to compensate for our weak points. All positions are doubled, we should be ready for this new season. The only question mark concerns team spirit, as the squad has changed a lot,” explains the president.
What’s new?
The signing of the partnership with Allianz breathes new life into Stade Niçois, which sees its resources increase. In the medium term, Stade des Arboras will be modernized, as well as the training center and the fields available to the twenty teams that the Niçois club comprises.
“We truly have a great opportunity to see a political project for rugby in Nice. The arrival of Allianz demonstrates the ambition of the club and the city, as well as the quality of the project,” smiles Tony Catoni.
Goal 2014-2015
With the arrival of experienced coaches and a renewed squad, Stade Niçois wants to stabilize in Fédérale 2 and grow gradually. Nevertheless, the leaders aim for the Top 4 of Pool 3, meaning a qualification for the final stages of Fédérale 2.
“We have a quality group, a project, now it’s crucial that everything comes together. We might lack reference points at the beginning of the season. It’s up to us to work well during the preparation starting this Friday,” analyzes the club’s management.
