Professionalizing the women’s section within a “historical” professional soccer club: FC Metz’s women’s team (2014–2019)

When A.S. Algrange’s women’s team was promoted to the first division in 2014, it had no choice but to merge with FC Metz, the neighboring professional soccer club. This new cohabitation generated various difficulties for both sides, in terms of both organization and human resource management: not everyone within FC Metz was happy with this new arrival. The comparison of semi-structured interviews conducted with women soccer players and club officials brings to light an uneasy cohabitation, or at least the persistence of difficulties concerning the women soccer players’ inclusion in a men’s world. But the interviews also point to some improvements in terms of playing and training conditions, as well as a more positive perception on the part of other club employees regarding their soccer abilities and their right to play soccer. However, even within a professional soccer club like FC Metz, the status of women soccer players remains fragile, and progress cannot be taken for granted.