Freya's Football Journey in France

Background

As part of my degree, I always knew that I would have to spend a year abroad in France. One of my priorities upon being assigned a 4 month study placement at the university of Angers was finding a French football team that I could join. In the UK, playing football had been one of the most important parts of my university experience and I was determined to continue playing abroad.

What followed was a crazy 7 month process, 3 months of which involved actually finding and signing for a team whilst the other 4 months was my actual playing time. Playing abroad in France was an incredible experience and whilst it felt a little (a lot) crazy at times, it taught me so much about myself as both a player and a person (if that isn’t too cliché to say).

Hunt for a team

Unlike in the UK where I would know exactly how to go about finding a team, I didn’t even know where to begin in France. Not only did I not know anything about local teams in Angers, I didn’t know how the French system worked and was unsure about what level to look for teams at. Slightly terrified I was going to accidentally arrange a trial for some professional team miles out of my league but otherwise undeterred, I began messaging local clubs around Angers

After finding one team that seemed suitable, I was shocked to find out that not only had they played against PSG the previous season but also that the players were currently on strike (very stereotypically French!). While I had wanted to find an authentic French football experience, the idea of joining a team on strike did not really appeal to me so I decided to put my efforts to find a team on hold for a bit.

By now, word must have spread a little about this British ginger girl who was contacting every team in a 40 mile radius and the president from a club called Foyer Esperance Trélazé (located in a town 20 mins east of Angers) got in touch. After a few email exchanges and calls with the president, I decided that this was the club I wanted to sign for. Even if it was going to mean around a 2 hour 45 minute round trip on public transport to get to training and matches, it instantly sounded like a welcoming club with strong ties to the local community.

Context

Trélazé was a club which had been formed in the 1950s and was now made up of over 600 players including 2 women’s teams. Until the women’s football pyramid in England which is made up of 7 tiers, football in France is split into Departmental, Regional and National Levels. The National level consists of 3 leagues with the top national league counting teams like PSG women amongst their sides.

The Regional and Departmental levels then consist of 3 different leagues with every region and department running their respective leagues. Trélazé had recently been promoted to the highest regional level ‘R1 feminin’ (a league standard similar to high Tier 5/low Tier 4 football) making them one promotion off reaching a national level

Highlights/struggles

Before my first session with my new team, I was terrified about how my French learnt at university would translate onto the football pitch. Despite everyone being very welcoming at the start and making an effort to ensure that I felt comfortable, I found the first few weeks extremely tough.

Although I did speak French before arriving, it felt incredibly disorientating to be shouted at in French on the football pitch with people using niche football terms that I had never had cause to use before. Unlike in England where I felt very comfortable speaking on the pitch, I was pretty much mute on the pitch in those early few weeks.

As well as the language, it took some weeks to adapt to the style of play in France which seemed different from what I was used to in the UK. Especially compared with BUCS university football, the level felt incredibly physically demanding, especially in those early weeks.

Without a doubt, the highlight of my experience was a 3-2 victory against local rivals Angers Croix Blanche. Not only did plenty of people turn up to come and support the match, it was also our first league victory of the season, my first (and only!) goal for the club which made the victory even more sweet.

Main differences from England

Although some of these differences might be interpreted more as culture shocks as a Brit playing in France, there is no denying that there are some intrinsic differences between the French and English system.

Before playing any matches or training I had to be signed off by a doctor ensuring that I was fit to play. Trying to get this French paperwork signed by a British doctor before heading out to France was a struggle and definitely complicated the process.

Another huge difference was the food served before or after games. Every game, two players were assigned with bring food for the team at half time. As you can imagine, I felt like I had been a little upstaged when it was my time and I brought cereal bars and bananas and my partner brought 50 homemade macarons! Seeing oysters served as post game food was also a new experience that I am yet to see in England!

One of my favourite differences compared with England is ‘le cri de guerre’ that every team does after winning a game. Literally translated as the war cry, it is a 90 second song, which involves lots of table banging and usually results in water being chucked absolutely everywhere. As well as singing about the team you’ve just beaten, you also personalise the names of people that have scored that game - something I think should definitely be brought back to the UK. While some teams in the UK might have songs, this song really is universal - incredibly annoying to hear when you have lost but makes the victory even more satisfying when you win!

Sense of Community

Just like many National League clubs in the UK, there was an incredible sense of community at the club. With over 600 players signed up, Trélazé has good relationships both in the local community, with the clubhouse often being used to host local events, and between its teams with players from different clubs often showing up to support each other.

With 2 female teams, Trelaze was also a club where I felt like they truly were invested and committed in providing opportunities for women to play in the local area. Both the Women’s and Men’s first teams were afforded equal media coverage, training slots and equipment - something that might sound like the bare minimum but equally something that is not present in all clubs.

Key takeaways

Despite having only spent 4 months at the club, I still hold very fond memories of my time there - both of the football that I played and the people that I got to meet and play with. For someone who has always loved football, it was an incredible experience to step out of my comfort zone and play football in an entirely new environment.

If any Brits are ever looking for a team to play for in France, I couldn’t recommend Foyer Ésperance Trélazé highly enough!

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