From their first year, the girls finished in third place in the under-16 departmental championship. A remarkable performance that allows them to seriously believe in the title for this batch.
Gaรซlle Mauduit is the coach of this emerging team and incidentally a secretary accountant at OGC Nice. She coaches the girls and takes care of the training on Wednesdays and Fridays. After being a player for a long time, Gaรซlle switched to the other side of the barrier: “I injured myself (torn knee ligaments) three years ago. A year followed during which I didn’t touch the ball.” She adds: “When I put my cleats back on, I realized I wasn’t experiencing the same pleasure, so I hung them up.” Once her federal coaching qualifications were in hand, the young woman was appointed head of the under-16 team.
The sessions are conducted seriously and in a good general atmosphere. On the menu: dribbles, controls, ball handling, tackles, and specific training for the goalkeeper or rather the female goalkeeper. The phases of play follow one another, and the girls clearly enjoy playing. Their technique is not far off the boys’ but some aspects of the game differ. Gaรซlle Mauduit confirms: “There are fewer violent contacts between the players than with men. In return, the girls more often use technical moves to make a difference.”
21-0!
Last weekend, there was no championship day, but a tournament between local teams in Mouans-Sartoux. “It allowed the girls to play several matches in a row, without real stakes.” Well ranked in their division, the female players regularly made the opponent’s nets shake. Some scores reflect the effectiveness of the Nice attack: “There are very few draws! On the contrary, the scores sometimes resemble those of ‘baby-foot’. This season, we’ve managed to win 21-0 or 16-2,” she specifies.
Ocรฉane Robin, 13, is a secondary school student. She has been part of the team since September 2005. The young girl explains her choice and describes the few taunts she had to endure at the start: “I love physical sports where contact between players exists. Women’s football seemed like the sport that matched what I was looking for the most.” She continues: “I’ve been playing with the boys in the courtyard of my building since I was little. At first, they had a hard time accepting me on the team. But after some time, they saw I was pretty good, and everything fell into place.” A loyal supporter of OGC, the young girl would like to take inspiration from her idol, Zinedine Zidane, to become a professional in the United States one day.
The democratization of women’s football mainly depends on the club’s willingness. And that willingness, the OGC Nice association has it. As a result, there is a good spirit, fraternity, and friendship in the team. In short, these enthusiasts form a tight-knit group. Most importantly, they do not forget the primary virtue of sport: to have fun. And maybe, in a few years, we will find them at a high level defending the city’s colors.
