“Lord, I am here to entrust you with my day, to entrust you with my workout. I will never stop saying thank you Lord. Thank you for your grace, thank you for all you do for me. my session is going well. In your holy name I have prayed. Amen”, said Flora-Ange before starting her day.
It is in Abobo, in the Sogéphia district, that we find Flora-Ange Asté. The young lady is tall and has a rather masculine style. She decided to be a football coach. This morning, she has training with her internship club.
“Today we are blue. So I wear the shoes that go with it. Like every Monday, eh, at Sol FC we are given training outfits and every day has its outfit. So today it’s the color blue. There you go!!! Eeeehhh!! I forgot my whistle. I’m wearing my watch. 7:14. It’s okay”, explains Flora-Ange.
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Flora-Ange shares her passion with her family. Every day before leaving home, the young trainee asks for the blessing of her mother who is her first support.
“You bring a child into the world, once he chooses what he wants to do, you have to be able to support him so that he can move forward.”
A professional career
After a coaching license D obtained at the National Institute of Youth and Sports in Abidjan, Flora-Ange first practiced taekwondo before becoming a footballer.
“I didn’t start as a footballer. I was first in taekwondo. I have a black belt. And I was even in the national taekwondo team, vice-champion of Africa. So that’s how one day, I was running with my brothers at the Sogéphia field and an uncle approached me and said to me: ah my daughter, you play well huh. Wouldn’t like to try a little somewhere? I said yes to him daddy. That’s how he took me by the hand at Mr. Kouassi François, the former president of Juventus FC in Yopougon. sir sent me to his club. And in the first match at the same time they liked me. That’s how I stayed at Juventus FC until this day,” Explain Flora-Ange.
For some time, Flora-Ange has been on an internship at Sol FC d’Abobo, an Ivorian league club in order to validate her master’s degree in sports, football option.
For its training sessions, the Flora-Ange team meets almost every day at the sports complex of the town located a few minutes from her home.
Flora-Ange is the only woman in the group but despite the criticism she goes straight for her goals.
“Where the men should be if the women are there, I think there is always controversy. And it wasn’t easy until I was in the selection and they saw me on television, they started to understand and believe that it was serious. But there is always bad language somewhere. Not everyone can love you. There are always critics. Good style. You can play football and then dress as a woman. Why do we dress like boys? That’s good!!! In sport you have to be mental. So as I know what I want, I know my goals so I don’t think these criticisms affect me. ….Hummm there we arrived at the sports complex of Abobo.“
A coach for a men’s team
The formation to which Flora-Ange belongs does not have a women’s team for the moment. This is why the trainee directs men with whom she feels good.
“Last year, I did my internship at Juventus but I wanted to learn more and see how things are going with the men. Is it the same thing, to be able to try to make a difference. It is in this sense that I came. But it must be said that with men, it goes faster, it’s more dynamic, it’s faster, it’s instantaneous.
For the moment Flora-Ange is the only female trainee football coach in Côte d’Ivoire.
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Firmin Koffi is Flora-Ange’s supervisor and coach of Sol FC d’Abobo. He is proud to welcome the young intern to his staff.
“I found someone who is nice. Someone automatically who wants to learn, to really know the environment. Someone who likes the thing. Here I discover her, she is diligent. She listens. When she doesn’t I don’t understand something she’s asking. Here! I don’t mind that she’s with me. Often it’s the men we welcome here. Today it’s a lady who’s with me, it’s quite an honor for me to welcome him.”
Flora-Ange tells us how she arrived in this club and the atmosphere that prevails between her and the boys of the team.
“All the coaches, all the players have adopted me. And when I’m not here, people will call me. Hello coach, where are you? Honestly, it goes straight to my heart.'”
The dream of this trainee coach is to win trophies for her country as a team coach. Flora-Ange follows in the footsteps of Clémentine Touré, the current coach of the Ivory Coast women’s football team. Her determination will undoubtedly lead her to success.
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