We have North Harbour Club member Jaz Myles playing a season over in France. Hear from her about her time there and how it is different to playing here in NZ.

Training and playing in France was a bit of an adjustment for me when I first arrived. Coming from the off-season in New Zealand, I knew I was in for a bit of a shock. Here in Bordeaux we train twice a day everyday, even on Saturdays if we don't have a match. Majority of the team attend these sessions as it works around their school/work commitments, which is really cool and great motivation to have most of the girls there. We swim A LOT. The French national team has always been known for their speed and I can now see why as it's a big part of the game over here. We're also in the gym as a team 3 times a week, lifting weights, working on mobility and core strength with our trainer.

Life in France has been a little different but not too much of a culture shock. I'm lucky enough that the other imports from the club live in the same apartment building as me, so with all of us being in the same boat coming from other countries and not speaking the mother tongue, we quickly became friends. In the first month or so of being here my French was absolutely rubbish, however I've found since then that I've picked up a lot of words and phrases thanks to my team-mates. I'm very lucky that a lot of them speak a little bit of english, but my French is improving and I've been told my accent 'est formidable'! As the stereotypes would suggest we eat a lot of cheese and bread, and consume the odd bottle of wine...it would be rude not to considering this is the 'World's major wine industry capital'.   

The French women's Pro A League, much like New Zealand's National League, is only made up of 5 teams. For the regular season we play each team 4 times, 2 at home and 2 away which has been a nice way to see a few of the different cities in France. We had a bit of a slow start to our season, losing 9-2 to Lille, who were foreseen as our biggest rival. Shortly after this we got into a really good groove and that was the only match we have lost so far. With only 1 regular season match remaining, against Saint-Jean-d'angély, we are finishing top of the table and heading into the playoffs at that crucial number 1 position. Semi-finals are comprised of 3 matches across 2 weekends, where we'll play the 4th ranked team, Nancy. Then the final play-offs are best-of 5 matches across 3 weekends, with the higher ranked team gaining home advantage for 3 of the 5 matches. 

Bordeaux have never won the national league here so if we can pull this off and come away with the gold medal that would be really cool to be a part of history for the club. Hopefully next time I update you I can tell you what a nice wine from Bordeaux tastes like consumed from a trophy!