Volleyball: Saint-Nazaire hosts the very first match in its history on a European scale

He counts the hours. Antoine of SetAcésthe club of supporters of Saint-Nazaire Volley Ball Atlantique, stamp your feet. “We can’t wait to experience this, it’s a bit like the big night.” The young man admits that in two years, everything has gone so quickly. The rise to League A, the title of champion of France, the small European cup and now the Champions League. “Little Saint-Nazaire is on all the channels, we are talked about in Turkey, the Czech Republic and Italy, and not to talk about boats! It’s completely crazy”.

This Tuesday evening, at 8 p.m., the SNVBA welcomes the leaders of the prestigious Italian championship of Perugia. “The club is undefeated, it operates with a gaggle of internationals and weighs ten times our operating budget”. Don’t think it scares you though. Gilles Gosselin, the manager. Quite the contrary. “We’re going to look them in the eyes, and then they have two legs, two arms like us, we’re going to give everything”.

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2,500 spectators, the Cauldron Saucer

With a surprise victory in Ankara Wednesday November 13the Volleyball players attack this match unprecedented and already historic with the desire to do battle, especially in front of a home audience which will never have been so numerous.

So the decision was made to play these European matches at the Saucer, where the French volleyball team had already come to train before the Olympics. THE 2.500 places were all sold. “A sold-out match but with the public coming from elsewhere, from Rennes, from Vannes. We will also give everything so that they follow us in the songs and the slogans”. Antoine the supporter has every intention of maintaining the club’s reputation. “The public here is the cauldron”. Coubertin or the Saucer, same fight. La Pérouse has been warned!

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The traditional Coubertin stadium, despite recent work, can only accommodate 1,500 spectators. The cauldron as it is nicknamed was no match for the Champions League. “It must be said that this is also a great first for the city” reminds the manager.

Despite everything, it was necessary to do some renovations and adapt the room to the challenge. The town hall has changed the lights, the club did the rest. It was necessary arrange the groundarrange the changing rooms, give the stairs a facelift or even install reception areas for the media, the teams and also for anti-doping controls.

The volunteers pitched in. “The costume is a little big, the room is huge. There will be at least 100 volunteers this Tuesday evening, but after all, we managed to win in the huge room in Ankara and we have nothing to lose” smiles Pierre, volunteer for 30 years.The president of the SNVBA club, François Hamon, opine : “we are the new kids in a competition of giants, no one is waiting for us, we play uninhibited, liberated”.

8 p.m. at La Soucoupe, sold out

Supporters, volunteers, managers or presidents, everyone can’t wait to experience this moment which will be “intense”. No stress or anxiety. Rather a lot “enthusiasm, pleasure and emotion”.

The match between Saint-Nazaire and the Italian giants of La Pérouse, this evening at 8 p.m. at La Saucoupe.