ANIMATION. On April 17 and 18, the League of Stars stops in Saint-Dizier. This is a U13 soccer tournament that combines sport, culture, and citizenship. SMC Marnaval and Saint-Dizier Women’s Soccer are partnering for this unprecedented event.
After Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône) and before Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine), Saint-Dizier will host a unique soccer tournament on April 17 and 18. These are the only three cities in France to host the very first League of Stars, a competition reserved for U13 players that mixes soccer, culture, and citizenship.
SMC Marnaval and Saint-Dizier Women’s Soccer are collaborating to create a mixed team. The focus here is not on the competition itself, as the second club mentioned will provide players for some of the other cities participating in this North-Eastern quarter stage: FC Neuvillette-Jamin, Grand Nancy Métropole Football, AS Montigny-lès-Metz, FC Saint-Memmie, Renaissance sportive Magny, Is-Selongey Football, and Cercle sportif Stiring-Wendel.
THEATER, CINEMA, AND BA 113 BEFORE SOCCER
On Monday, March 23, at the town hall of Saint-Dizier, the clubs, the city, the national organization, and the event ambassador, Kadour Ziani, presented the event. “It’s about culture and heritage through football,” summarized Janvier Hongla, project manager of the League of Stars.
Before the eight soccer matches, played in mixed teams, in two fifteen-minute halves on April 18, the day before will offer a multi-activity day to the 160 children in Saint-Dizier. Planned activities include a visit to the theater, a visit to the Air Base 113, and finally, a screening of the film “Dunk or die,” by Kadour Ziani, at the Ciné-quai.
Only the performance the next day will determine if they can hope to play in the national final on June 20 and 21, at the Emile-Anthoine sports complex at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Nicolas Frise
n.frise@jhm.fr
THE GENESIS OF THE NATIONAL EVENT
“The League of Stars is an initiative led by General Pierre de Villiers, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and François Morinière, former director of the L’Équipe group,” indicated the city. On Monday, March 23, Deputy Mayor for Sports Mokhtar Kahlal specified that municipal projects publicized alongside the 2024 Olympics – such as “la Grande boucle, le design actif” – have been noticed from Paris, that’s how the city stood out. The official also mentioned “Beauty will save the world,” as the national U13 soccer tournament has the particularity of “associating sport with the fields of culture, heritage, and beauty.” Canal +, Agache Sport, the Football Foundation, and the Center for National Monuments are also partners in this operation involving 24 clubs, totaling 550 players across France.
