An Exclusive Interview with Laura Georges – French Women’s Football Icon and FFF Secretary General

Exclusive meeting with a great figure in French women’s football. Third most selected player in the history of Les Bleues, Laura Georges is now secretary general of the French Football Federation (FFF). She tells us about her career and her missions. COMMENTS COLLECTED BY MERLIN DEMANGEL. Excerpt from WOMEN SPORTS N°27.

WOMEN SPORTS: HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR FOOTBALL DEVELOP?

LAURA GEORGES: I discovered football through my father, who played as an amateur for a company. It was he who introduced me to football by making me discover his passion. But I really started playing with my friends. Having grown up near the Parc de Versailles, as soon as we finished school, I met them to hit the ball.

DID YOU HAVE A MODEL WHEN YOU STARTED?

When I joined the world of professional football, I discovered the personality of Lilian Thuram, who particularly touched me. Her personality, her professionalism and her calm inspired the player I became, then the woman I am today.

WITH 17 YEARS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, WHAT ARE THE GREATEST MEMORIES OF YOUR CAREER?

What comes to me is first of all qualification for the first Champions League final in the history of Olympique Lyonnais. After a home win (3-2) against big favorites Umea IK, we had to travel to Sweden. To qualify, all we needed was a draw and we managed to draw 0-0. It was a first in history for a French club. It is one of the strongest memories. Otherwise, there are also goals. I think first of the one I scored, when Olympique Lyonnais were 0-0 and the club was on a series of several years without defeat at home. This goal was quite special for me, already because I rarely scored, but also because at that time, I was pushed towards the exit. The fact that I scored here at home and allowed to keep this invincibility was really important. With the selection, there is also my goal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London against Sweden which remains engraved in my memory. I scored to open the scoring in the 29th minute. Behind us we won the match 2-1 and continued the adventure until the semi-finals.

WHAT WOULD YOU ADVICE FOR A FOOTBALL-LOVING GIRL WHO DREAMS OF BECOME A PROFESSIONAL?

Be passionate, interested in your sport, understand your position and understand other positions. Do not think about career, money, before starting. Above all, you have to focus on your performance and be aware of everything that surrounds football. There are training, rigor but also nutrition for example. The real danger is to forget the passion.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT MISSIONS WITHIN THE FFF?

My first term was centered around the development plan for women’s refereeing, with research, understanding, to find out what motivated girls to referee. It was very enriching and it allowed me to understand how the different actions of the federation worked. Thanks to this plan, we went from 860 to 1,200 female referees. Today I’m on international relations. We work with different federations to help the expansion of women’s football in places where it is still developing.

WHERE DO YOU SEE WOMEN’S FOOTBALL AT THE PRESENT TIME?

At the end of the 2019 World Cup organized in France, women’s football experienced a new boom. We were on a structuring of the clubs and we had given ourselves the objective of helping the clubs which train women footballers, and thus to encourage the creation of new training centers for women. At the highest level, there was a bias of the clubs to take this training center aspect, which we also seek to encourage with the federation. At the amateur level, the goal would also be to have more leaders. With the federation, we work in particular with the association “Toutes Foot”, which accompanies in staffing the women leaders so that they launch out in the direction of club.

TV RIGHTS FOR THE NEXT WOMEN’S WORLD CUP ARE 100 TIMES LESS THAN THOSE FOR THE MEN’S WORLD CUP. WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE THIS GAP?

I know that this is a problem raised by FIFA, despite audience records. There is no miracle solution. It’s a process. In France, our “All Foot” program aims to show the place of women, leaders and referees in the world of football. It is through these kinds of initiatives that we “reduce the gap” with men’s football. We are conducting calls for projects, with a ceremony at Clairefontaine to promote the best projects for women’s football. All clubs are rewarded with prizes.

HOW TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE MORE WOMEN LEADERS WITHIN FOOTBALL BODIES?

On the place of women in bodies, I think there is a message of encouragement to pass on. Indeed, these are positions of responsibility but it is important for women not to doubt their legitimacy. You don’t have to be an expert to be a club leader. Many incumbents aren’t necessarily terrific experts either. I can only encourage women who want to get involved. The brake of self-confidence is problematic for those who want to become leaders. There is also the time brake: managing your schedule can be a real problem, especially when you are a young mother. You have to realize that when you’re a club leader, it’s completely possible to delegate, you don’t have to spend 100% of your time dealing with club business.

WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT MAJOR PROJECTS?

One of the big projects that is close to my heart is to help internationally. Football is not just a business, it must help peace and education. For example, we collaborated with “Plan International”, Fifa and the AFB in a “champion” program, which trained young girls in Benin. I am very proud to take part in it and very motivated to pursue this project.

Why was taking part in the Sportel Awards important to you?

“I was invited to the Sportel Awards as a former sportswoman. I was able to discover the nominees of the various projects (documentaries, advertising) and thus make very enriching encounters. My speech focused on the place of freedom in the media and the diversity of personalities present in the media. My experience as a TV consultant led me to express myself on this important subject, which was really close to my heart. The starting point of my thinking is representativeness. It is important not to speak with only one type of person by addressing only one type of person. It is indeed necessary that everyone can feel represented in the media. »

2 QUESTIONS PRONO

Which players are you dreaming about right now?
Today, in France, we have the privilege of having high quality players. There are players that I like to watch a lot, like Lyonnaise Selma Bacha. We also have French women who perform very well internationally, like Wendie Renard. In addition, I have the chance to comment as a TV consultant and to see these extraordinary players, a lot of technique, speed. The French are very talented. I will also mention the young German Oberdorf, 20, very solid in the midfield of Wolfsburg. I’m also delighted to see my former teammates playing at the top level too; for example Fridolina Rolfo, who was my partner and who is today particularly successful at FC Barcelona.

When do you think the French will win a World Cup? What is certain is that it is very complicated to predict. But why not next summer! We would have hoped that this would happen in 2019 at home. We continue to progress and work. I know we have players who have the level, who have the ability to meet these expectations, now it’s not over and the goal is to be ready on D-Day. I hope very much, now that we had the draw, that our Blues will perform well in Australia, and why not bring us a World Cup.

Laura’s sporting journey

Born on August 20, 1984 in Le Chesnay and of Guadeloupe descent, with her well-stocked track record, footballer Laura Georges is one of the pillars of women’s football in France.

She started playing football at the age of 12, after being recruited by Paris Saint-Germain. But she took her first steps with the PSG A team in the 2003-2004 season, at the age of 19. Finally, a year later, for school and professional reasons, she went to the United States to the Boston College Eagles where she continued her football career while obtaining a bachelor’s degree in communication.

In 2007, the very promising player returned to France in the ranks of Olympique Lyonnais and experienced her greatest successes. With 160 games played with Les Gones between 2007 and 2013, it was here that she won 6 Championships, 2 French Cups and 2 Women’s Champions Leagues. She will then go to Paris Saint-Germain, where she will play 104 matches between 2013 and 2018, and will be a great actress in the beautiful careers of Parisiennes in the Champions League, with finals in 2015 and 2017.