“Me, I think it will be for the end of February.
"" No, I mean March.
"A few meters from the touchline, Leevan and Ali escape a few minutes of training.
In the small game of assumptions, the two teenagers arrive at the same conclusion: nobody really knows when they will be able to play again a match under the jersey of Marly-la-Ville.
Like all amateur football clubs, plunged into uncertainty by the health crisis.
"We no longer even mention the subject of recovery, the idea is above all that they benefit from being able to train together", underlines Alexandre Delforge, the coach of these U14s from Val-d'Oise who could only play a handful of matches before the reconfinement at the end of October.
Since then, the Covid-19 protocol has allowed them to train, but without contact.
And especially without any prospects for the moment of meeting an opposing team.
"It's difficult, but we don't want to make false promises to them," describes the technical manager, Stéphane Viargues.
We are like them, waiting.
"
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“It made us lose young people on the way, those who were a little less motivated.
Without competition, some people lose the desire to come ”, continues the educator.
At the resumption, this summer, they were already much less numerous.
The coronavirus crisis brought the Etoile Sportive de Marly-la-Ville down from 438 to 378 licensees.
“We lost contact with some young players during the first confinement.
We had trouble relaunching the U16 and U18 categories, ”blows the club president, Paulin Kazumba.
The budget of the club led by Paulin Kazumba has fallen.LP / Arnaud Dumontier
The Val-d'Oise club, whose pennant team saw its Regional 3 championship stop, is particularly affected by the consequences of the pandemic.
At the national level, the French Football Federation recorded an 8.5% drop in licensees between December 2019 and December 2020. Less than other sports which have sometimes seen a quarter of their practitioners evaporate, but consequently for the first federation in France.
In Marly-la-Ville, the decline in licensees has helped to seal the accounts, with a budget increased from more than 110,000 to 80,000 euros.
Families negotiate the price of the license
"With the health constraints, we could not organize the flea market which brings in between 4000 and 6000 euros, the lottery which brings 3000, lists Paulin Kazumba.
The economic context is also playing against us.
The local mechanic, one of our regular partners, tells us that he can no longer sponsor us for the moment.
You have to understand, he has his business to run and his own constraints.
"
In a few months, the contributions of the club's partners fell from 11,000 to 6,500 euros.
Sign of the economic difficulties of the time, some negotiated the price of the license, from 160 to 220 euros per year depending on the category.
“We couldn't see each other saying:
You pay, and that's it
,” says the manager.
For now, we are holding on with the help of the town hall, the Federation, the League and the district.
But we must see in the longer term.
"
Young players must wash their hands with hydroalcoholic gel before entering the lawn.LP / Arnaud Dumontier
While waiting for a possible resumption this season, the club is struggling between training adapted to the curfew at 8 p.m., sessions during school holidays and activities on social networks.
“This crisis does not bring us only negative, estimates Stéphane Viargues.
We focus much more on associations than the athlete, but we create strong links.
"
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The technical manager looks up.
Before his eyes, the U14s go through the workshops, without opposition, in the cold of the beginning of January.
How many will they be in a month?
In college, Ali and Leevan have a boyfriend who no longer wants to come to football: “His parents are afraid he will bring the Covid-19 home.
"
"Without even talking about the epidemic, are all families going to want to continue paying for licenses for children to come and do passes? Asks their president.
And will we get everyone who's gone?
Outside the compound, Perrine and Anna warm up.
“It is true that the license is expensive for what we can do, slip the two players of the senior team of Marly-la-Ville.
Several girls no longer come too much.
In fact, football was a habit.
And with the confinement, we lost it a bit.
"