IRISH INTERNATIONAL STEPHANIE Roche has agreed to join French Division 1 ASPTT Albi on a one-year deal.
The 25-year-old striker departs Peamount United after three successful seasons in which she won the Women’s National League and featured as part of the first Irish side to qualify for the Champions League proper in 2011.
Roche, who became an internet sensation last October when she scored an outrageous volley for the Peas which went viral, was close to switching to another French side when a journalist got in touch around the time that Peamount were facing Paris Saint-Germain.
The lure of European football was enough to keep her in Ireland back then but, as she explains, now seems to be the right time in her career for a new challenge.
“It’s always something that I wanted to do,” Roche told TheScore.ie. “I always thought I had the ability to do it, I just needed a push in the right direction. I’m 25 now so I thought I might as well go and try it while I can instead of resenting the fact that I never did in a few years time.”
After the Albi manager David Welferinger made contact, Roche travelled over to the south of France to check out the facilities. She was instantly sold on the idea and the club were obviously just as impressed as they offered her a contract after one training session.
“It’s a really nice place and I really enjoyed the training sessions. As soon as I trained I knew I wanted to go, but I just had to talk to people over there first.
A French player who was with Peamount for awhile, Solene Barbance, is there now and has been helping to translate things for me and stuff. I did French in school but it’s not very good so I’ll have to brush up. The club has organised French lessons too so that will help.”
Having agreed an initial one-year deal with last season’s Division 2 champions, who promotion and the title by a massive 15 points, Roche is relishing the chance to train as a full-time footballer and test herself against the top sides in France.
“We’ll be training four nights-a-week and there will be individual training around that then matches on Sunday.
“There are definitely a few girls at Peamount who would be well up for it but overall it is a better standard. I’m not saying that the WNL isn’t good but I hope that going over and playing against better teams week-in week-out will improve me as a player. It’s definitely going to be a challenge.
“Lyon and PSG will be big games and the girls are already looking forward to those. The manager seems to know what he’s talking about and seems to play the way I think I would like to play so I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully it goes well and works out for the best.”
Pre-season training begins at the end of the month and Roche will live in a hotel while she view apartments, which will be provided by the club as part of the deal. It’s cetainly exciting times but she admits saying goodbye to her family, friends, team-mates and boyfriend, Bray Wanderer midfielder Dean Zambra, will be the hardest part.
It’s going to be tough leaving everybody — especially Dean and my family. My dad comes to matches every week so I think he’s going to be flying over every weekend to watch me play!
It was a tough decision but they’re all behind me and are full of encouragement. It’s only across the water and I’ll be back and forth every chance I get so it shouldn’t be too bad.
“I had three great seasons with Eileen and the girls so it’s going to be difficult not playing with them every week. I’ve made really good friends in the team and I know that things have kind of gone down a bit in the team at the minute with Eileen and a lot of the girls gone to UCD Waves.
“I don’t know what way it would have worked out if I had stayed but I’ve decided to go abroad. I will miss them but you never know I might be able to play with them again in the next few years.”
Having regained her place in Sue Ronan’s Ireland squad over the past year, Roche has been competing for the striker’s role and believes a productive first season in France will help her cause.
“I’m trying to establish myself in the Irish team at the moment and I think I’ve done that over the last few games by playing well. I’m hoping that going over here to play full-time will improve me as a player and maybe stand to me at international level too.”
