A Wonderful Generation
Qays Zeroual, France
Qays Zeroual is a sports consultant in Lyon, working with brands, clubs, and media organisations such as COPA90, Nike, and Wieden+Kennedy. Football has always been central to his life, playing at FC Lyon 1893 as a child, and spending 5 years at Clermont Foot 63 Academy from 14 to 19. Qays told us about documenting the 2018/19 season of FC Lyon 1893, in particular the U17 side who emerged as unlikely league champions.
Who is in the photos? Where were the photos taken?
The photos were taken during three key times of the FC Lyon 1893 season. Two games of the U17 team season, the derby against Olympique Lyonnais and the quarter final against Montrouge FC 92. Some of the photos are during the main tournament organized by the club, one of the biggest of the region, Le Top Gones 2019, with teams aged from U11 to U17.
Are there any good stories connected with the people or teams you photographed?
FC Lyon 1893 is a pioneer club in France with FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Le Havre AC. They played the first final of the Coupe de France in 1918 against the ancestor of Red Star FC. The U17 team this season won their league ahead of Olympique Lyonnais and AS Saint Etienne. They started with the objective to avoid relegation. The quarterfinal they played against Montrouge FC 92 was the first time in history that two amateur clubs met during the finals. They are a wonderful generation of kids, on and off the pitch.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
The moments I spend with the group take me back ten years. It reminded me of those long hours pre-game, to feel the pressure coming, you think about what you have to do, what you can do better, until the referee whistles for everyone to join the pitch. From there, time seems much faster! What I wanted to focus on is those moments, the preparation before a game. Match day is not just about what happens on the pitch but also building the foundations as a group for a good performance.
What is your favourite photo?
The guys are in the stand. They are bored, they are looking forward to at least start the warm up and to touch the ball. I liked the crew shot. At this moment of the season half of the team already knew they would be recruited by pro team academies. They wanted to enjoy the last few games they had all together before the end of the season.
Why is football so important for France and its people?
France has always been an important place in football history. FIFA was created in Paris; its first President was French, Robert Guérin. A French guy created the FIFA World Cup, Jules Rimet. That happened because football was already popular and their influence helped the explosion of football, visibility and development of facilities.
In our football history, we were for a long time considered as beautiful losers, with golden generations with beautiful football values but never winners. More recently the national team made the people vibrant with their performances in International competitions. What can bring 300,000 people on to the Champs Élysées to celebrate together except a victory in a World Cup? Usually, people meet en masse for strikes or les Gilets Jaunes movement.
What role does football play in French society?
For a lot of people, the Football Club is the third place they spend the most of time after home and work/school. Amateur football clubs have a massive social impact on their environment. I talk a lot about amateur because it represents 99% of football.
On the other side, French Professional Football is historically the 5th best league in the world, we suffer comparisons with our neighbors, we are eternal outsiders, and that creates expectancy and hope. With these ingredients, you can write great stories season after season.
The dream of social climbing through football still exists. It is more common than in other sports or artistic disciplines because we watch these women and men almost everyday and everywhere. I think it’s impossible not to see something that refers to football in a normal day.
What does football mean to you?
Football always been a way to meet new people, discover new places, and share values. I have played games in every country I visited. Before I knew how to read I knew all the countries flags and their players. I moved out from my parents’ house at 14 for football and I have no regrets because I don’t know where else I could learn so many things that make me who I am today.
What is the future for French football?
I’ll talk about the amateur side of football in France. We are living during a mutation for sports associations. The local institutions that were the main financial contributors changed their policy. To survive, clubs will need more sponsorship revenue and cannot only increase the price of the membership. The clubs will need to run with a more professional structure, develop their visibility, audience, and branding. Luckily, thanks to social media and the digital ecosystem, they have the opportunity to use these tools to grow and create new visibility and sponsorship solutions in addition to the classic ones (jersey sponsor and signboard around the pitch for example). Club funding is an important issue - thousands of clubs have already gone bankrupt in the last five years.
