the daughter of Agathe Sochat in Marcoussis, a historic step forward to support players who have become mothers

Bleues player Agathe Sochat was able to be accompanied by her daughter Nina in Marcoussis during the Six Nations Tournament, a first.

It was a new resident who discovered Marcoussis in February. Since the start of preparation for the Six Nations Tournament, French XV hooker Agathe Sochat has been able to be accompanied by her granddaughter, Nina, two years old, where the Blues are gathered during the competition.

The experiment came from a request from Agathe Sochat. “It’s something that I formulated because the training courses are longer and longer. The Six Nations is six weeks, the WXV is four, five weeks, the World Cup is even longer , and it’s been a long time for me without seeing her.”explains the player.

“We had seen in the media that this was being done for English and New Zealanders, so we had inquired a little”continues Safi N’Diaye, former international and elected to Provale, the rugby players’ union. “We discussed it together with Marjorie Mayans, who is also in Provale, and with Agathe. We had the support of Mathieu Giudicelli [le directeur général] and Robins Tchale Watchou [le président] to be able to put this in place.”

A few days over a long period

After discussions between players, union and federation, the test competition should have been the first edition of the WXV, in New Zealand, last November, but the Bordeaux player had to withdraw due to injury. Finally, it was at the Six Nations Tournament that young Nina was able to support the preparation of the Tricolores.

The arrangement provided that Agathe Sochat’s daughter could come to Marcoussis for three or four days on the first block of the Tournament, which lasted three weeks. “She had a room with my wife who looked after her in the residence. It allowed me to see her outside of training and meetings, when we had a little free time”says the player. Everything being framed and organized, with individual times and collective times.

The experiment was experienced by Agathe Sochat as a “true happiness” : “The first block passed extremely quickly, I didn’t say to myself, ‘I miss her’, ‘she’s not well’, I was able to see her.” The hooker notably spent time with her daughter in the living room, in the company of the other players. “It was cool, the girls took advantage of it, some of them did coloring with her. For us it’s also super cool to see her flourish in the group”appreciates the hooker.

The presence of the little girl brought joy to the whole group. “There were a bit of luxury nannies because Nina is used to seeing certain faces in clubs. It was just a joy to have her, it breaks the routine a little. It brings a plus, freshness. It’s so cute, it’s so small.”declared the third line Charlotte Escudero to The Team at the start of the Tournament.

A first step to pave the way

The experiment at the start of the year is intended to be a first step in a broader framework for “support players who become mothers”assures Safi N’Diaye. “The objective is to say that motherhood is not a barrier for a high-level athlete […] Not having to say to yourself, ‘I have to wait until the end of my career to be a mother’, if you want to do both, if you have this need, that you can do it in the best conditions. “ According to the old international,The discussions also addressed the questions of players who want to breastfeed, the return to competition for players who carried the baby, the period of maternity leave, having a specialized physical trainer and gynecologist, etc.

This first step was also welcomed by the players. “Today, the young people who have just joined the fifteen of France will perhaps not close this door but say to themselves, ‘I can afford to have a child without it penalizing my personal life and my sporting life’. It’s awesome”declared Marine Ménager to The Team end of March.

After the Tournament, an assessment of this experiment will be made to see what adjustments are possible. “It’s important to me to continue to discuss with the federation so that things are a little institutionalized”says Agathe Sochat. “The experiment went very well in this Tournament, it is quite encouraging and I hope that it will be repeated in the future.”