Besançon eye the knockout stages once more
Twenty years after their Cup Winners’ Cup victory, Besançon are back on track in the EHF European League. After defeating Bera Bera in the second qualification round, the club from the east of France will try to emulate last season’s run to the quarter-finals.
To do so, coach Sébastien Mizoule will be able to work with a team that has not changed much since last season. This collective experience should be one of the ways to make up for Besançon’s youth, as only six players are aged 25 and above. But their performances in the previous campaign proved that quality does not always come with age.
Main facts
- this season will be their second in the European League, after reaching the quarter-finals in 2021/22
- last year, Besançon were eliminated by Bietigheim, the future winners of the competition, in the quarter-finals (59:43 on aggregate)
- on the domestic front, Besançon played the final of the French cup that they lost against Metz while finishing fourth in the league
- coach Sébastien Mizoule took over the team in July 2020
- the best European result for the club dates back to 2003, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup with players such as Raphaëlle Tervel and Valérie Nicolas
Most important question: Can Besançon really dream of the Finals?
Last season, the French club reached the quarter-finals of the European League for the first time ever. It had been 12 years since the club had reached that level in any European competition and it already felt an achievement. Especially since the roster is mainly composed of young developing players. This season again, only six players are 25 and older, while only two are aged above 30.
“The goal is to match last year’s performance and to reach the quarter-finals,” says coach Sébastien Mizoule, hopeful that players like Audrey Dembélé, Lucie Granier and Clarisse Mairot will lift the club up.
How they rate themselves
Keeping a low profile and not thinking you are someone else has always been a mantra in Besançon, and this is season is no different.
“For us to be playing the group phase for the second straight year is a sign that the club is gaining consistency at the European level,” says Mizoule. Stability is the key for the club to keep on developing its young players at a higher level. And Pauline Robert does not want to dream of anything but making baby step after baby step: “We just want to focus on ourselves and take one game at a time.”
Under the spotlight: Clarisse Mairot
Born into a handball family, Clarisse Mairot is clearly the leader of the Besançon team this season. While she will turn 22 in January, she has spent all her career in the club. She was even coached by current trainer Sébastien Mizoule in her younger years, and the two have been growing up together.
Her performances did not go unnoticed as she was called by France national team coach Olivier Krumbholz lately, giving her the opportunity to follow the steps of her aunt, Sandrine Delerce. Her 12 goals in the qualifying rounds against Bera Bera are proof that, without her, Besançon would clearly be a less efficient team.
What the numbers say
Two players over 30 years old feature among the Besançon roster: left-winger Camille Aoustin and goalkeeper Sakura Hauge. That is to prove how young this team, even though young does not mean inexperienced. Lucie Granier and Audrey Dembélé have already played a major competition with France while centre back Alizée Frécon, who just came back from injury, offers some much-needed stability.
Did you know?
It will be 20 years in May since Besançon won their first, and only, European trophy: the Cup Winners’ Cup. The club has always had a tradition of bringing new players up. Back then, Valérie Nicolas, Sandrine Delerce and Raphaël Tervel won their first European trophy before moving on to greater things. The pattern repeats itself as former Besançon players, such as Chloé Valentini, now wear the national team jersey.
Arrivals and departures
Newcomers: Tonje Lerstad (Sola), Nada Corovic (Jagodina), Ivana Dezic (Lokomotiva Zagreb), Clémentine Chardaire, Laury Sidicina, Léa Pobelle
Left the club: Roxanne Frank (Paris 92), Aleksandra Rosiak (RK Krim Mercator), Line Uno Jensen (Herning-Ikast), Juliette Mairot (Palente Besançon)
Past achievements
EHF European League Women participations (including 2022/23 season): 2
Quarter-finals (1) : 2021/22
EHF Champions League: Quarter-finals (1): 1998/99; Group Matches (1): 2001/02
EHF Cup: Quarter-finals (1): 1999-2000; Last 16 (1): 2003/04; Group Phase (1): 2018/19
EHF Challenge Cup: Quarter-finals (1): 2009/10
Cup Winners’ Cup: Winners (1): 2002/03; Semi-finals (1): 2000/01; Quarter-final (1): 2005/06
French league: 4 titles (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003)
French cup: 4 titles (2001-03, 2005)
