After 17 years of absence in the elite of French women's football, VGA Saint-Maur is back in D1 Female after an exceptional season in D2. Hearts of Football offers you a focus on the Ile-de-France club.

A historic club in the French women's football landscape
Founded in 1968, the women's section of Life in the Big Air was one of the 16 teams behind the creation of the D1 in 1974. After having lived a prosperous period in the 80s with six titles of champion of France ( 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990), Saint-Maur slipped slowly in the rankings over the years, until being relegated to D2 in 1998. The club Ile de France then lives for a decade of difficult seasons, even passing close of the end when he is relegated to the Honorary Division in 2010.

The VGA however gets up with the arrival of Regis Mohar at the head of the team the following season. The first team found the Women's D2 with the way in 2013 before skirting the climb in D1 the following season. Already close to reconnecting with its history last year, Saint-Maur finally manages to reach the elite again this year with an unprecedented course of 22 victories in 22 games which marks a little more the club Ile-de-France in the history of the French female football.

A detonating alloy between experience and youth
For this first season in D1 for 17 years, the strength of the VGA will be similar to that of last season, with an alloy between players who have already played in D1, international and youth club. With only the departure of the French international U17 Hélène Fercocq in Reims and the arrival of the experienced Francine Zouga, Régis Mohar and Danilson Da Cruz will be able to count on a solid group which has shown the extent of its capacities in D2 and which could well hope for more than staying in the elite despite the club's low budget.

This close-knit collective, which has been playing together for two seasons and was without mercy last year against opponents like Henin-Beaumont or Vendenheim, will be the main strength of the team. Do not forget the Saint-Maurienne fire attack, which can still count this year on Marlyse Ngo Ndoumbouk and Coralie Lenot, authors respectively of 43 and 20 goals in D2 last year.

The VGA Saint-Maur will receive August 30 for its first game the defending champion, Olympique Lyonnais, with whom she already crossed the line in the Coupe de France last January (0-5).

Danilson Da Cruz, Assistant Coach
"Our ambitions? The Champions League (laughs). No seriously, a comfortable fit, ensured as quickly as possible. Our main strength is to have kept the same strength as last year. Afterwards in terms of our weaknesses, we will see but I think they will be defensive compared to last year.

What they did last year is great, you have to use that to keep the positive spiral in which you are. After that, it will be complicated because at the first meeting, it is Lyon who may end our series if the logic is respected, but we believe. "

Coralie Lenot, Attacking
"We must forget the 22 of 22 last year because if we stay on it, we will fall high and we may have trouble getting up. We did it. Now the season is over, we went to D1. It's another world, another workload. We work for but it's downright forgotten.

The main ambition this year remains the maintenance. As soon as a team goes up to the next level, that's the goal. And here we are in the elite so it will be the maintenance and after it will be notified in January. If there are points to take, we will take all we can. But maintaining is the priority.

I have not really set a target for the number of goals. After, every opportunity I have, I'll take it to a hundred percent.

The preparation is hard. It's a notch really above but we have no choice. Between this year when we flew over the D2 and where we will discover the D1, physically is a world above. You have to be there in D1 so you have to work very very hard but the group assumes, it is solidarity. It's a lot harder than last year, we go up a notch in physical exercises but it's mandatory "

Kelly Gago, Attacking

"The goal is maintenance, progression also at group level. We are not aiming higher for now, we are on the maintenance.

I have just been integrated into the group. I have to prove to educators and girls that I have the capacity to be in this workforce.

It's already a great opportunity to be there knowing that normally I have to be in U19. I was upgraded again, when I arrived in Saint-Maur last year. I will give everything for this team, especially since there is a good atmosphere within the group. "

Photo credit: Nelson Fatagraf, Marceau Carré, Giovanni Pablo, VGA