Saturday at 9 p.m., Paris FC hosts PSG at Stade Charléty for a superb derby. The opportunity to appeal to the Parisian public so that this (free) meeting is a great celebration, but also to take stock of the performances of the women's section of the club with its president Marie-Christine Terroni.
Can you give an overall update on the first part of the season for the Paris FC women's section?
Overall, we have very good results in the youth categories. There is a very good pool of young people in all categories, whether 15 year olds, 16 year olds or 18 year olds. It's very positive. We are engaged in training work which remains constant. Then there is the R1 which, apart from against Issy-les-Moulineaux, is having a good first part of the season, they are at the top of the table in the championship. I hope this continues for them. If they moved up to D3, it would be magnificent. There is follow-up with coach Stéphane Colombel, who really works with a complete staff, even on the R1. This allows young people who do not play in U19 or who are no longer in these categories to have a competition, because we know that the competition in the Paris region is very strong. These young players are promising, this first part of the season is very good. On the U19s with Romuald Hamon and the training center, there too we are qualified in the elite phase. This is the second year for our training center. Last season, we only had 23 players, and this year, the FFF having gone into pre-training, we brought back 10 players. So, on the youth side, we have very good results. There are 3 or 4 players who make the switch with Sandrine Soubeyrand in D1, as she knows how to do well. I am thinking of players like Marie Mulot or Kenza Roche Dufour, who participate in training, or even matches. We have this continuity of young players who progress until they reach the elite.
The first team is also having a very good start to the season in the Arkema Premier League…
We are on a path of victory. There have been more difficult matches before (defeat at Saint-Étienne, 3rd day, draw at Nantes, 6th day), but, being at the top of the table in this Arkema Premier League, the other teams still want to beat Paris FC. We had a very good result against Lyon (0-0, 5th day), which allowed us to confirm that we are one of the good teams in this championship. We have not had a positive result against this team since 2012. Sandrine Soubeyrand and all her staff are rewarded for their work with very good results. We were eliminated in the European Cup by a very strong Manchester City team, but we say to ourselves that we must continue to aim for the podium in the championship to be able to participate in this Champions League for a 4th consecutive year. To do this, we must start by having a good match on Saturday, with the reception of PSG. There is something to be done against this PSG team. Girls will return from the French team, hoping that there are no “boos”. Sandrine Soubeyrand and her staff will prepare well for this meeting to obtain a positive result on Saturday. We can come back to within 1 point of PSG before ending the year in Dijon.
Beyond the sporting aspect, you want to make this derby a great celebration at the Stade Charléty…
This is what we want to do. With the club and the players, we continue to solicit all Parisian clubs and all people who wish to come. The club has once again implemented free admission for our matches this season. With our president Pierre Ferracci, the idea is to fill the stadium as much as possible. Saturday is a crucial match, it goes without saying. I hope it will be a very good match: firstly, by filling the stadium, and secondly, by winning.
