Soccer: the amazing and historic season of the USSA Vertou U17s in the National

The U17 group from USSA Vertou (near Nantes) plays in the national championship for 9 consecutive seasons, proof of the quality of the club’s training centre.

At the head of this section for 7 years, Lionel Chabaud is completely satisfied with the season achieved by his players, currently 6^e of the championship, behind the big clubs in the West as FC Nantes (already champion), Brest, Rennes (his future and last opponent), Guingamp and Angers SCO:

“We had a very nice, invested and hard-working group. Our primary goal is always to maintain and help the boys to develop.”

“We are taken seriously”

A group from U16 for the majority, accompanied by five recruits: “We always select players with a good state of mind”, the hallmark of Sainte-Anne.

It’s a group full of confidence that begins the season on August 26, 2023 by beating Stade Rennais 2-0 at home:

Among young people, the state of mind changes very quickly, self-confidence gives an incredible added value and they can move mountains, and vice versa, when it comes to difficulties, it quickly disappears.

After this good start, the boys conceded three defeats before achieving an 8 game unbeaten streak. “We put out matches of a quality that I had never seen in 7 years. We hung out at Brest, Guingamp, Rennes…”

A first part of the season so successful that the group began to be scrutinized: “Some professional clubs have made video analyzes of our game, it is gratifying, we are taken seriously”.

Best season in U17 history

Statistically, this is the best season for the U17 group, who have only been under 6 4 times^e place in the ranking.

This is the first time we have won 10 games in this championship and we will remain under 10 losses no matter what happens against Rennes.

Real satisfaction for Lionel Chabaud lies in the players’ ability to play football, and not just defend.

Another satisfaction, the positive state of mind of the players and those around them: “The parents followed us everywhere, were always available, and the players always played together without thinking too much about their individual cards”.

Ensure maintenance and training of young people

“In our group, of the 14 teams, apart from Saintes and Carquefou, the others are in N3 or N2 and there are 7 professional clubs,” recalls the manager.

USSA Vertou is fighting against clubs with greater resources, with more managers on the bench and more financial resources.

The goal therefore remains realistic for subsequent generations, i.e. always ensure maintenance and prioritize the training of young people. “We would like to expand our staff, but the way we work works well, we have to try to reproduce it every year.”

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