Why did you want to make changes within the sector?
Maitena Alsuguren : What we wanted to do was change the management of the French women’s team because our results, over the last 5 years, were not up to the Federation’s ambitions. We carry out a joint reflection on the women’s sector in order to define a medium and long-term strategy and stimulate a new dynamic.
The main specificity of the female sector is that the border between girls and women is narrower than for men. Rarely do we have boys who can pretend to play with gentlemen, while with girls and ladies it is more possible. This was the case with Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Lucie Malchirand or even Agathe Laisné.
Specifically, the high sports level of girls is obtained earlier in the world hierarchy. In addition, it is often relevant to integrate young players to train them for future championships. Therefore, a global management of the national teams seems preferable to a competition that can weaken the two groups. In order to adequately support this, it is necessary to understand the sector as a whole.
What’s new to come?
ME : We are going to entrust the responsibility of the women’s sector to Gwladys Nocera together with the technical department. We need to support the life cycles of the teams while respecting the life cycle of the players. Gwladys did a great job with her personal in 2021, which will finish with the girls until the 2022 European Championships before switching to the World Championships in 2022.
We allons également reinforce la filière féminine avec le recrutement de Marine Monnet-Melocco (Entraîneur) et l’arrivée d’Amélie Fourel (Capitaine) pour 2022. Marine es une personne que une connaissance très fine du golf féminin et qui a connu le high level. She is for us the most suitable person for the situation. Amélie also knows the amateur sector very well through her career as a player and her involvement as a volunteer. They will form a very complementary and very effective couple.
We want the girls to maintain the same supervision throughout their journey within the French teams, so Gwladys Nocera and Véronique Smondack (Captain) will move from Girls to Ladies in 2022. The purpose of all this is to create a unit of discourse. That everyone is going in the same direction and that both the Girls and Ladies groups have the same intentions and work in total synergy. This is also the reason why the first training courses will be held together, as well as the training sessions at the beginning of the season.
So, does the year 2022 promise to be a year of transition?
ME : Yes, that’s exactly it. All this is based on the desire to prepare for the future. We’re leaving with a squad perhaps a little less competitive than we could have had (some players have gone pro). Therefore, we will take the opportunity to enroll in a training logic. Of course, on the girls’ side, the goal is a gold medal for the European Championships 2022 and we will do our best at the World Championships as well to achieve the best possible result. It will also be a very good preparation for the 2023 World Cup.
In fact, in 2021, the Federation supported three very promising players (Pauline, Lucie and Agathe) with great ambitions among the professionals. They have already obtained very convincing results. The latter have brought a lot to the French team and we will continue this support in 2022 to help them achieve their goals.
Our strategy will be developed over time pursuing both training and performance goals. The newly formed team is very enthusiastic, passionate and above all ready to take on the challenge!
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