And this story begins in 1994. Year in which USAM decides to dissolve its third senior amateur team. Pushed towards the exit, Samuel DUFES and other “ejected” from the Green Team refuse to accept the fate. They all want to continue playing handball at home, in Nîmes. In real life, Samuel is a train driver. It was quite natural for him to contact the Nîmes railway workers’ multi-sports section. In a few weeks, the deal was done, it was the birth certificate of the CSC Nimes Handball. Samuel DUFES became its first president.
The second club of Gard
Gradually, in the first half of the 2010s, the CSCN became the second club in the Gard in terms of the number of members: 294 in 2013. From a sporting point of view, the flagship team of the Nîmes railway workers managed to rise to the National 3the equivalent of the fifth division. But the euphoria is short-lived, the time of two seasons in N3. From 2015, the club goes through a difficult period: Many departures and very few arrivals. A new project is established in 2018. It is slowed down by the Covid-19 pandemic and its various confinements. The club must be patient despite the arrival of emblematic figures: Gregory DETREZamong others, European champion with the Blues in 2010.
Five-year plan
By the end of September 2024, the CSCN is expected to reach the 180 licenseesaccording to its president Florent ROGEL. A roadmap has been drawn up for the next five years. The objectives are clear: A first team in National 3, a reserve team in Regional Excellence. The Nîmes railway club also wants to create, in the long term, a third team of senior players who would play in a less competitive, more relaxed environment. For the youngsters, on the other hand, there is no relaxation. The CSCN wants to keep its under-18s at the highest regional level. The highest regional level, also, for the U15s. The future, as we all know, lies with youth.
A complement to USAM
Young people, the main axis of development of the CSCN. Florent ROGEL believes in it because a city like Nîmes must be able to offer handball to everyone: ” Like any professional club, USAM has a pyramidal operation, it must skim to take its talents to the highest level. Selection takes place from adolescence. It is quite logical. In this perspective, CSCN can become an alternative for all those who want to marry competition with pleasure and relaxation. We are talking here, of complementarity between us and our big neighbor. » A complementarity which banishes any spirit of competition.
Collector’s jersey
For its 30th anniversary, CSCN will market a limited edition jersey. A presentation video will be posted in the coming days on the social networks of the club. Keep an eye on the news! It will be busy throughout the season. The railway workers plan to honor the glorious elders and notable personalities during the matches of the flagship team at the complex Pablo Neruda. It’s not Le Parnasse but the trains there are, apparently, always on time!
Find Alex Monfort’s sports reports on France Bleu Gard-Lozère, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
