50 years of MHSC: Jean-Louis Saez, guardian of the temple of women's football with a sense of family

Jean-Louis Saez, directeur sportif de la section féminine au MHSC : une longue histoire de famille. Midi Libre – RICHARD DE HULLESSEN

The Saez family is closely linked to the Nicollin family. Louis Saez was the first coach of the Nicollin company's corporate team. Jean-Louis has been in charge of the destiny of women's football at the club for ten years, as coach and then sports director.

A special issue of 84 pages

Condensing half a century of history into 84 pages. This is the challenge taken up by the sports editorial team at Midi Libre in this special edition on the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. Available on newsstands on December 11 for just 5 euros, this glossy magazine will allow you to relive the great moments in the history of the Montpellier club through our “50” who made the MHSC.

Players, coaches and builders, of course, starting with this “Nicollin Saga”, told by Laurent and Colette, the wife of the late Loulou. A special issue packed with anecdotes and unpublished photos with an exclusive interview with Olivier Giroud.

A special issue available on newsstands. Midi Libre

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Montpellier is a story of families. Of unbreakable links between the Nicollin family and the Gasset or the Saez. Jean-Louis Saez, the current sports director of the women's team, is the heir of relatives present at the club's early days. His father Louis, a former professional player for Béziers in particular, was the first coach of the Nicollin company's corporate team even before 1974.

Barré by Laurent Blanc at the training center

His mother Jeanine was the first steward of the training center, looking after the prestigious tenants: Blanc, Ferhaoui, Gérald Passi… “The two summer months before the center opened in Grammont, my mother and I lived with the Nicollins. On Saturdays, we played in the pool with Louis so that they could relax before going to the match”, says Jean-Louis Saez. “Louis, who was always one step ahead, had the flair to create the training center and bet on young people.”

Women's Champions League quarter-final

A midfielder, Jean-Louis joined the center for three years (1985-88). He gravitates around the pro group, but comes up against competition from Laurent Blanc, “who had such class”, Bernardet, Lemoult, Laurey…

Also read: 50 years of the MHSC: he unearthed Laurent Blanc and Younès Belhanda… Serge Delmas, the eternal seeker of nuggets

He went into exile near Arles but never lost touch with Montpellier or the Nicollin family. In 2013, Loulou and Laurent encouraged him to take over the women's team. “It's the future” they convinced me. “They supported me for six seasons, where we reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.”

Creator of the women's training center

More recently, in 2023, Jean-Louis Saez inaugurated the new women's training center. “It's like a nod to the creation of the first center,” he smiles, thinking of the paternalistic figures of Louis and Jeanine.

Read also: 50 years of the MHSC: “The president wanted to create something around me, I liked it”, recalls Hoda Lattaf, the first female star from Montpellier

“Lately, we've been talking about inbreeding. But in this club with a strong identity, neither Louis nor Laurent have put friendship before competence” he gets annoyed. As a good heir to this family story.

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