Le Mans women’s club born from a “why not?”

Founded in April 2025, Association Rugby Féminin 72 has 26 registered members, all of them players. Its president, 25-year-old Mathilde Moccand, is one of them. With no approved pitch in Le Mans, the club plays its home games in La Flèche.

In Le Mans, women’s rugby has started again as a club in its own right. Association Rugby Féminin 72 was founded in April 2025 and approved by the French Rugby Federation in October that year. Its committee is made up of players, and so is its president: 25-year-old Mathilde Moccand, eleven years into her playing career. Without a pitch in Le Mans approved for competition, the club plays its home games in La Flèche, a 45-minute drive away. Interview.

Name, age, qualities?

Mathilde Moccand, 25, qualities, I’ve got loads (laughs), but president of Association Rugby Féminin 72.

When was the club founded?

It was in April 2025 and the FFR approved it in October 2025. So we’re actually about to blow out our first candle. We have 26 registered members to date, all players. We’re still recruiting and almost all our registrations are finalised.

“I was committing too many fouls in basketball”

How did you get into rugby?

Both my parents played rugby, my grandfather too. I started at 14, because my cousins played as well. I was coached by my godfather, who still coaches me today. I said “why not”. I come from a family of rugby men and rugby women. I was playing basketball at the same time, I had to choose, and since I was committing too many fouls in basketball… I chose rugby. I’ve had breaks because of injuries, but I’ve been playing rugby for 11 years.

A 45-minute drive to play at home

Where do things stand with facilities?

The city has given us a pitch with rugby posts to train on, but it isn’t approved for competition. For matches, we have to go and play 45 minutes from Le Mans, in La Flèche. That’s our officially registered competition ground. It really takes willpower, you really have to want to play.

Before this, with the girls I still play with today, we were Grand Ouest champions two years in a row. We’d also played two seasons of 10-a-side unbeaten, champions at the end of the season. Stopping on a high like that frustrated everyone: we spent a season doing nothing. When I floated the idea, we said “why not?” and looked at everything we’d have to do to build this club. And we did it. The members of the association’s committee are players.

Tackle bags in the boot

An open question to finish: do you have a message to get across?

What we want is to get people talking about us, but that will come through our results. What we need today is proper facilities. I drive around with tackle bags in my car, and those big tackle bags take up a fair bit of room! We have no storage space, and we have to drive 45 minutes. Luckily there are people who love us and who are motivated, but we need visibility and we’re still looking for sponsors to back us this season.

We play against Brest, Angers, Saint-Brieuc, Fougères, Caen… What we’re after is having fun with our friends. That’s what makes our group strong today.