Yzeure, finalist and smaller budget of D2, relies on the values ​​of amateur football to create the feat against the players of PSG

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In the north of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Yzeure, a town of around 13,000 souls, is about to experience its first Coupe de France final. After a course strewn with pitfalls and three rounds passed at the end of the penalty shootout, the daughters of Ophélie Meilleroux (former captain of the France team with 67 selections), who play in the second division, face the Parisian ogre, Sunday May 15, at the Gaston-Gérard stadium in Dijon.

Surprise guest of this final, the Bourbonnais club is fighting with its means in the big leagues. A 100% female amateur club, the FFYAA (Women’s Football Yzeure Allier Auvergne) has the smallest budget in D2 despite its place on the Group B podium behind Rodez and Nice. Created at the end of the 90s and present in the elite between 2008 and 2014, Yzeure has faced, in recent years, the development of women’s football in professional clubs. “It’s much harder for us to continue to exist”comments Dominique Darnet, president of the club.

At issue: a budget of only 275,000 euros per year, “the annual salary of an average player in Paris”quips Dominique Darnet. “Our difficulty is that we are doing a lot in terms of image and visibility for the territory, but the local authorities do not support us a lot. These are very limited aids which do not allow us to function normally”, he curses towards the town hall of Yzeure, the department of Allier and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The observation is shared by Ophélie Meilleroux, who hopes that the epic in the Coupe de France will move the lines.

Therefore, all players must combine their daily training with a job to obtain a minimum wage. “None of our players lives only from football”, confirms Dominique Darnet. Far from rhinestones and glitter, Seynabou Mbengue, the club’s top scorer and author of the last four Cup goals, works at McDonald’s in the city.

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“The players are in not easy conditions for their individual progress. But they behave like professionals”admire their coach Ophelie Meilleroux. Despite minimalist training infrastructure and a more difficult physical recovery with the combination of work and football, the Yzeuriennes were able to transform a transition season into a real success, battling for a long time for the rise in D1 and playing in a Coupe de France final. .

The players of Yzeure after their qualification for the final of the Coupe de France in front of their public, March 27, 2022. (MAXPPP)

Dominique Darnet explains this success by the values ​​stemming from amateur football. “We cannot offer them a contract, but on the other hand, we ensure their integration into social, professional and local life, which seems very important to me. It also serves as a springboard because we are part of the 15-20 best teams in France for fifteen years”.

These values ​​and the state of mind appeal to the commune. “People come to the stadium in large numbers. In D2, we regularly have the best attendance, and for the semi-final of the Coupe de France against Nantes, there was a real enthusiasm with more than 2,000 people present”rejoices Dominique Darnet. “We see the enthusiasm aroused by this team and it’s a pleasure”adds Ophelie Meilleroux.

More than a thousand supporters are expected in Dijon to support their players in a gala match against the semi-finalists of the Champions League. “It’s their award of the season”slips the former international with an idea in mind.

The first amateur team to qualify for the Coupe de France final since Juvisy in 2005 (at a time when amateurism was the norm), Yzeure is aiming for a feat unimaginable just a few weeks ago. Besides the trophy, a victory would also fill the coffers with 20,000 euros, almost a tenth of the club’s total budget.


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