Ania'lysis

Fact is that I like to prove, that women in men sport world are great women and not just the shadow of their man. 

And I like to prove that they can actually really like each other and become great friends. 

I consider that in every club I was, there was a bunch of great, inspiring women and I still after some years past, keep in touch with them. 

At the moment we are located in Rennes (Cesson), where we spent the last two years and where I enjoy the company of great women. They are so special to me that I wanted you to meet them, and read how they see this our lifestyle and how they feel about friendship between wives of the players. 

Solenn: 

"Dates with the other girls from the club became important for me. 

When we were back in Dijon, I didn't really hang out with the other wives of players because I had my own life and I thought handball was Jeremy's business... But when we arrived in Cesson, things changed, I had to find new friends, at my job or at the club. 

I had a bad picture of athlete's wives like "groupies". 

At the beginning I was proud, I though I could lose my identity and my independence... But finally, I learned that we have difficult life's conditions, so it was a good idea to support each other. And like this - I met great girls! I try to talk English again with a Slovenian girl, I learn to be a mum with other mummies, I learn how to be pretty with another one, and so on... but the most important I met girls who understand my way of life, life of "wife of...", so yes, our dates became important for me. 

Aurelie:

 "When I first met Mathieu, I didn't know he is a player. 

I didn't knew this world and I didn't knew what to expect. 

Now, after two years, I could say that I like this way of living even if there can be some stress, especially when there is the end of the contract with the club. 

 I could talk a lot about this lifestyle but in a few words, I would say that there are good and bad sides and that you just have to adapt to it, you adapt to the fact that being a professional athlete is a part of the person you love."

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Celine: 

"For me the biggest advantage of being a wife of a professional athlete is actually the advantage that my children have, they love to see their daddy on the court. 

That's something that makes them really proud."

Colyne:

"Even thought I am the youngest (yes, girls you are old) and the smallest one, I don't think like that is changing anything in our relations. I really feel good with this girls and I feel like they help me to 'grow up' and at the very moment that I have a problem, I know who is gonna help me.

We are not just the wives of the players, we are also real friends. Example, there isn't a day passing by, that we don't send each other messages on our group chat on Facebook. I am glad that I know them because every time we see each other we smile and have a lot of fun."

Aurelie:

"For me there is no difference in friendship between my old friends and friends from the club. Like in every friendship, also between the wives of the players, relations grow and become stronger. This year we are good example of that. At the same time each one of us is conscious that at any moment everything can change and each one of us may have to move. Even if you stay in contact it's just not the same. Sometime I wish that our guys would never again change club and that things would forever stay this way.. but that's just impossible.

That's why we should try to enjoy every moment of our friendship. Friendship with the people from handball is at the end a very special one."

Solenn: 

"The biggest disadvantage of being professional athlete's partner is that when you have to move because of changing club, it's not the moving part that you choose so when you arrive, you are just "the wife of..." And I don't like to be just "the wife of..." Because back in Dijon, the first club of Jeremy which was also my home town, I was Solenn: I had my own friends, my own job, my family..." 

Delphine:

 "Wife of a player has to know how to adapt to a new life, new club, new rhythm. She has to be independent, to manage everyday life with the children when 'heros' are not at home. She has to be wife, mother, working girl, nurse, adviser, manager, fan, journalist, ... 

She has to understand him, criticize, being realistic, pragmatic. 

Handball is everyday sport. If we want or not our personal life is very closely connected to their success, decisions, ambitions. For sure wife of a player is an important factor for his stability and for his success. 

Than, she alone has to know how to make it work for her best too. To feel good despite moving, lost friends and family far away from her."

Nolwen:

 "Life of an athlete is life full of wishes, full of effort and full of work. But also life where everyone, the athlete and the closest ones have to adapt a lot. They made their job from their passion.

For us, wives, first of all what we feel once they achieve a professional level is for sure pride."

Ines: 

"The most important is that girls are prepared to accept the new girl. We changed four countries, which each of them was cultural very different (Maribor/Slovenia, Sarajevo/Bosnia, Doha/Qatar and Dubai/United Arab Emirates). Our longest stay was in Slovenia, where girls of players were very close to each other, we hanged out a lot and today we are still in contact. 

With moving in France we were also lucky, because we came to the place, where we were very nice accepted."

Delphine: 

"I was in lots of different clubs but here in Cesson, girls for me are not just "the wives of..." but also true friends. In few words: support, happiness, restaurants, girly talks."

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Nolwen: 

"Personally, I think that wives have a big influence on a psyche of the player - if he is good with the family, happy in his relationship, then everything is better and easier for him. Wives of players, we have to be a support and motivation for them but at the same time not forgetting our own professional life.

That's a lifestyle where there is a lot of adaption but in the other way we can enjoy more time together because of their schedule."

Lucille:

"When Maxim told me that we are leaving for Rennes, I was delighted for him because he already knew some of the players and considered them as his friends, but at the same time I was sad to leave my family and friends.

Furthermore, I was worried to end my pregnancy all alone.

But when I arrived, I was introduced to the fabulous wives of the players, which helped me to feel good in this new life.

Every day, they put a smile on my face, sometimes with a simple message on our group chat on Facebook or a date in the restaurant, with a joke or on the match.

 It's a simple friendship without any fuss. All these women are different but I quite like very much each one of them. I could not hope for better ones. 

My girls are beautiful, kind, funny, they are brilliant women and extra moms, in fact they are perfect. 

It's not just relations between "women of the players", where we would only talk about our men and handball, well of course we talk also about that but we speak about this topics also with our friends from everyday life.

When we see each other we always spend a great moment together, I get a full amount of this good energy and when coming back home to my man I am re-energized. 

These girls are my sun of Bretagne what is important for me, the girl from South." 

Celine:

 "Friendships between wives of players are important. It's not always easy for us, so having somebody who understands and supports you means a lot. 

The biggest plus are different experience and characters that makes us complete. 

Players are the team but we are also the team - the best one!"

 Ines:
 "Good company, positive thinking, sense of humor, being prepared to help is something that means a lot to me. 

Us, girls, connects a lot of things: similar lifestyle, similar problems and thinking. Somehow I feel, like our personalities are connected in an interesting whole.

 It seems sometimes like there is each one of us assigned for different tasks: some of them are good mums, the other ones good athletes, the third ones great students, humorists, ..."

This was a little bit different post that you are used to, but I must admit I enjoyed every second working on it. It's such a pleasure and I hoped you liked it too.

Let me know what do you think about this kind of insight in the world of wives of the players.