A lot of things have happened in the last few seasons for Neptunes Nantes goalkeeper Floriane André. Still only 23, it has been three years since she won the first ever trophy for her club at the EHF Finals Women 2021 and made her first appearances with the France national team a few months later. All of that culminated in her debut in a major event at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022.
“Things have definitely been a high-speed learning. A lot of things have happened, things that players my age will maybe live through over the course of a career, happened to me in three years,” the goalkeeper says.
To escape living in the fast line every now and then, André has committed to a rather unusual leisure activity: pastry. André likes it so much, she is currently taking courses to better her art.
“I used to bake a lot of cakes when I was younger and I visited my grandmother, but it felt a little bit by the wayside,” she says. “Now it is just a way for me to get some time off from handball as well.”
On the court, though, things have not slowed down for Floriane André, who remains a regular fixture in the national team. And while she was not even a professional player when Nantes won the EHF European League in 2021, she has meanwhile grown into a stalwart.
Her changed status reflects the status of Nantes on the international scene.
“When we reached the EHF Finals in 2021, everyone was a little bit surprised, we were king of the underdogs,” she remembers. “Things are completely different this season, as we were seen as one of the favourites even before the competition started. That tells you how the club has grown in the past few years.”
The way outsiders look at Neptunes Nantes might have changed, the motivation to feature among the best clubs of the EHF European League has remained the same.
“When you win a European trophy, you want to live those emotions again. I still can’t put words on what I felt when we did it in 2021. So, of course, I want to try and win the EHF Finals again.”
When we reached the EHF Finals in 2021, everyone was a little bit surprised, we were king of the underdogs. Things are completely different this season, as we were seen as one of the favourites even before the competition started. That tells you how the club has grown in the past few years.
