Created in 2016 after the administrative and financial closure of Saint-Nazaire Rugby, the SNO is slowly making its way back up the slope.
It has been eight years since Saint-Nazaire Rugby, then in Federal 1, was forced to close its doors. The shock was violent, the collapse brutal, but rugby in Saint-Nazaire did not disappear. “The club had to close in October 2016remembers Romain Gressier-Monard, the current president. A month later, we left with our rugby school and our Belascain team, which had been finalist in the French championship. This foundation was the basis for getting the club back on track.”
Three employees and one CEL
The SNO has learned lessons from this sad episode. At the heart of a rich economic area, where Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Airbus play a considerable role, the club wants to structure itself and return to the top. But not at any cost. “We would like to aim for growth in the next three or four years, but only if the financial aspect allows us to do so. We have already been burned once with this administrative and financial closure. We do not want to relive this unpleasant experience”continues the manager. On a daily basis, Saint-Nazaire Ovalie employs three employees, two of whom take care of the Labeled Training Center. “It was obvious to keep the Cel when we left in 2016. We have this desire to be trainers and to feed our first team with our young people”slips Gressier-Monard. Moreover, it happens that the best elements of the SNO try their luck in La Rochelle or Vannes. “We are between the two big clubs in the West and we are trying to do well, he continues. In the Pays de la Loire, we are one of four clubs with a Cel. That’s really our strength.” Beyond its training, the Saint-Nazaire Ovalie also stands out for the great activity it offers off the field. The club is engaged on several fronts. It intervenes in neighborhoods or schools and fulfills its societal role. “We’re not bored, it’s true, smiled his president. Every month, we organize an event with our partners.”
The next one? For the tournament, the SNO proposed a trip to England to support the Blues. It’s already tomorrow.
