Launched in 2011, AJ Auxerre baseball has started a new cycle for three years and the promotion at its head of its ex-player Ismaël Manhes. The neo-president arrived at the controls with a main battle horse: finally having a foothold to play in competition. Before 2020, the club not having land, was thus forced to play all its meetings outside, mainly in Dijon, Fénay or Nevers.
Finding no hoped-for answers from the municipalities of Auxerrois solicited, the manager then turned to private land a little by chance and a lot as a last resort: “I had found a free field in Bassou, I I therefore contacted its owner who agreed to lend it to us. But it is not a permanent solution, another project is underway on it and we can therefore find ourselves without land again overnight”, warns Ismaël Manhes .
On the other hand, training is less problematic, since the City of Auxerre provides them with the synthetic pitch located at the René-Yves Aubin complex on Monday evenings, as well as the Serge-Mésonès gymnasium on Fridays.
premium All about the Lynx Stade Auxerrois who start their D3 season this Saturday February 5
Without great ambitions after the demotion
Regarding the competition, the Covid-19 passing through there for the past two seasons, the Bad Snails have by force of circumstance only been able to play one official meeting in Bassou, two years ago now. The Auxerrois will finally find their “used” ground this Sunday, during the 3rd day of their mixed senior championship (16 years and over) of Regional 2. Demoted from R1, the proteges of coach Mathieu Montels began their exercise in early March , without great ambitions:
“Regional 2 corresponds more to our level. It is clearly a learning season, with no particular objective except to gain as much experience as possible. Above all, we must focus on training launchers and receivers to have a good base. We want to be more competitive next season.”
Mathieu Montels (Bad Snails coach)
Fewer licensees, but still projects
More generally, if AJ Auxerre baseball has, like the vast majority of its sports colleagues, suffered from the pandemic, with a drop in registered licensees (37 in total this season compared to 45 two years ago), its president Ismaël Manhes does not does not want to be downcast: “We were on the upward slope before the Covid, since then there has been a brake but there it is picking up again a little. The project is to continue to train young people in all disciplines (also including softball and the Five) and categories, we tended to leave them a little aside for the competition aspect. The file of finally owning a piece of land is still in progress, there are a few leads but no agreement. because it is essential for our future and visibility.”
In this sense, the Auxerre club has also been entrusted with the organization of the French U9 championships, in June 2023. Three senior licensees will participate in the France women of Valenciennes (North) on Easter weekend, under the colors of the regional selection. The Bad Snails have therefore not finished making people talk about them…
Results. 1st day (6/03): Fénay C 22-7 Auxerre, Dole 14-11 Auxerre; 2nd day (20/03): Montbéliard 13-18 Auxerre, Fénay B 17-0 Auxerre.
Calendar. 3rd day (3/04): Auxerre – Fénay B and Auxerre – Dole; 4th day (01/05): Chalon – Auxerre and Montbéliard – Auxerre; Day 5 (15/05): Auxerre – Chalon and Auxerre – Dole; Matchday 6 (29/05): Fénay C – Auxerre and Montbéliard – Auxerre (friendly); 7th day (12/06): Montbéliard – Auxerre and Dole – Auxerre (friendly); Matchday 8 (26/06): Fénay B – Auxerre and Fénay C – Auxerre; Day 9 (10/07): Chalon – Auxerre and Fénay B – Auxerre (friendly).
Florent Leybros
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