Volleyball: "The story of Cannes begins now," the grand ambitions of owner Craig Carracher

It's a sleeping beauty that needs to choose its prince charming. After the dismissal of its coach Constant Tchouassi in mid-February, at the helm of an inconsistent team, AS Cannes is about to choose a new coach for next season. And the goal is to recruit a top-level player "capable of leading our volleyball players to a European championship title," stated Australian owner Craig Carracher after lengthy exchanges with RMC Sport via messaging. While the path is straightforward, the challenge is significant, considering that only three French clubs have won the Champions League volleyball title: Cannes in 2002 and 2003 for the women, and Paris in 2001 and Tours in 2005 for the men. The challenge is difficult when you also see that seven French clubs have made their mark in other European cups, the latest being Narbonne, winner of the Challenge Cup in 2022.

To regain its former glory, the Cannes club, which includes both the women's (RC Cannes) and men's (AS Cannes Dragons) teams, wants to implement a new structure for its coaches: "We want to create a coaching group within our single structure, since the men's and women's teams belong to the same group, Cannes Volleyball," continues the Australian boss. "We will share the infrastructure, the venue and support resources to offer the best training and development opportunities in France. That is our ambition for Cannes."

On paper, the idea is innovative, like the Performance Hub created in Nantes by the Neptunes at the beginning of the decade for the women's volleyball and handball teams: the staff can use the same physical trainer, the same medical team "and the savings are not absurd given the actual time spent," insists a coach who has trained both genders. "From a technical standpoint, everything depends on the teams' strengths and weaknesses, but the differences between boys and girls aren't insurmountable because the fundamentals of volleyball performance are identical. Don't believe those who tell you it's too complex to implement," concludes this coach. To find the perfect candidate, the Cannes management held numerous meetings with French and Brazilian coaches to succeed Constant Tchouassi, who left the Dragons' bench in mid-February. Pierre Pujol, who has been confirmed in his role as Director of Cannes volleyball, and Amaury Delbart, the president, have Carracher's full confidence: "We will choose together, based on their recommendation. I am rarely the final decision-maker; it's a team effort. We want to raise Cannes to a higher level in France and Europe to challenge the best in the LNV, Tours. We want to create the best French team in Europe. The history of Cannes begins now," the Australian businessman continued. Just as Marcelo Fronckowiak is expected to return to France, to Chaumont if CVB 52 avoids relegation, and Alexis Gonzalez is slated to succeed Le Marrec on the Montpellier bench, AS Cannes is reportedly targeting a Brazilian coach, currently in Turkey, who trained under a well-known Canadian coach in France. "Our goal is to make Cannes the most attractive city to play volleyball in France." The image of Cannes and its quality of life are key factors that the president of the Australian Volleyball Federation wants to leverage to attract the best players and coaches: "The style of the French Riviera perfectly aligns with the image of our club and the city of Cannes, combining the glamour of the Riviera, Mediterranean elegance, and the Belle Époque charm that permeates our city."

And AS Cannes was on the verge of pulling off its first major coup: the Dragons had matched Tours' offer to recruit Earvin Ngapeth, who ultimately chose TVB for the next two seasons. "Earvin's return to Tours is an important step for the National Volleyball League (LNV), but it's not enough. The LNV must fully commit to attracting the best players in the world, including those from the French national team, the reigning two-time Olympic champions. We must capitalize on these opportunities, without forgetting the emergence of the French women's national team."

The problem is that the returns of Kévin Tillie to Tours in 2021 and Ngapeth to Poitiers last season only succeeded in filling the arenas (which is already good for the clubs' finances) without the LNV and the teams managing to capitalize on these opportunities in the long term. For the moment, the French professional leagues "are only stepping stones for players who return to France at the end of their careers or to establish themselves and secure a much more lucrative contract in the major leagues (Italy, Turkey, Poland)," as explained by Arnaud Josserand, assistant coach of the 2021 Olympic champion French team, in a previous interview with RMC Sport. "A large-scale campaign is needed to revitalize the League and French volleyball," insists Josserand, who is also president of the Australian Volleyball Federation. In the current context of declining attendance at arenas and the withdrawal of some local sponsors, which Cannes is currently experiencing, the gamble is risky, but Carrachery believes: "We are going to develop a strategy to beat Ngapeth's Tours and the best French clubs. Tours is clearly the team to beat, the flagship of French volleyball. AS Cannes will now focus on this priority. Our goal is to make Cannes the most attractive city to play volleyball in France. Cannes? Tours? I know where I want to be!" concludes the man who also wants to take the Australian men's team to the Los Angeles Olympics. Bring on next season!