“We are here, we exist and we deserve to be supported”, the heartfelt cry of Nîmes player Béatrice Kaboré

Béatrice Kaboré débute sa troisième saison à Nîmes. Midi Libre – LF

Striker and ambassador for Nîmes Football Féminin, which plays in the third national division, Béatrice Kaboré is sounding the alarm about the situation of the Nîmes club at the same time as she is fighting to find partners and a stadium where the daily life of the association could finally be organized.

As we begin this 2024-2025 season, are you worried about the future of the club ?

I am not worried, provided that the traders and businesses of Nîmes get involved, that they realize that we are a 100% female club with around 180 members. You have to understand that we are an association, that partners can make tax-deductible donations. Ultimately, it is easy to get involved with the club.

What message do you want to convey ?

Whether we like women's football or not, we deserve to be respected. It's absurd to see that at our level, in the French third division, few people support us. Some may not know that there is a women's football team in the city, others surely think that the level is not high enough. We are here, we exist and we deserve to be supported.

What actions are you taking in this direction ?

I approached the Gard department, which I feel is very receptive. We are trying to unlock civic service positions for our players, organize events or even visit schools and colleges. At the same time, I took over the club's social networks, I asked personalities to send us videos of encouragement. We want to give the club visibility.

Does the city of Nîmes support you ?

She gives us a subsidy. The elected sports representative Nicolas Rainville helps us with the city's resources. Before, it was the Nîmes Metropolis that gave us the main subsidy but it no longer does so as it does for other clubs. The other problem is that we don't have a place to live, so we can't develop a network of partners. We need a field but the city tells us that there is no room. I think it could do more on this subject. There is no excuse.

How are you doing right now for your training and your matches ?

We don't have all our teams in the same place. Some youth categories use the annex field of the Costières stadium, others the Courbiers stadium. The first team trains on a grass field owned by the SNCF in agreement with the city. At our level, we need a better field even if we are very well received there. We play our matches at the Jean-Bouin stadium or the Marcel-Rouvière stadium, two synthetic fields. This is our daily life and it's not normal.

Last season, you managed to stay in the women's D3. What are your goals for this new season ?

We are aiming to stay up, we are starting from scratch again. The goal is for our players to be able to flourish on the pitch. We are aware that this team is the club's showcase and that it absolutely must remain at this national level. We have responsibilities. Despite the difficult conditions, the girls deserve a lot of credit.

After a first defeat (5-0 against Chassieu Décines), you are traveling to Montpellier on Sunday to face the MHSC reserve team…

It's a real derby against a promoted and high-performing team. When you play football, you necessarily like this kind of match.

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