International Women’s Day: RC Lens women’s team visits Nexans Lens factory
07 March 2025
5 min
RC Lens visits Nexans factory

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Nexans group took advantage of its partnership with RC Lens to invite the players of the women’s team to visit the factory and meet the female workforce of Nexans Lens. It was an unique opportunity to discuss the similarities between high-level sports and the industrial world.

On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the players of RC Lens Féminin, leaders of the second-division standings, visited the casting and wire-drawing sections of the Nexans Lens factory. It was a first for these young women, who had only a vague knowledge of the working and industrial world. After a presentation of Nexans’ activities in Lens, the players and their coach, former French international Sarah M’Barek, were able to exchange views with the female staff of the factory.

Women visiting Nexans factory

Women are still underrepresented in both industry and football

In the 2024-2025 season, the French Football Federation recorded 247,000 female licensees, representing 10% of all football players in France. At the Nexans Lens factory, women make up 13% of the total workforce, highlighting the ongoing challenge of increasing female representation in the industrial sector.

Marjorie Dessainte, Supply Chain Manager at the factory, acknowledges this reality: “It’s not always easy to assert oneself and find one’s place, especially since women are mainly in support roles. But we are making progress every day.”

This observation is echoed by RC Lens Féminin’s coach, Sarah M’Barek: “We always have to prove ourselves a little more than men.”

  • 10% of football players in France are women (source: FFF).
  • 13% of the workforce at Nexans Lens factory is female.

We love the same sport, we play it, and alongside the male RC Lens players, we defend the same colors. That’s the unity we want to highlight.

Sarah M’Barek

Coach, RC Lens Féminin

Women visiting Nexans factory

The key word is team spirit

This exchange primarily helped to build bridges between the industrial world and high-level team sports. Blandine Joly, an RC Lens player, noted: “Before coming here, I didn’t realize everything that happens in a factory—the variety of roles, career paths, and the importance of teamwork. Just like us on the field.”

Stéphanie Cresson, QHSE Manager, agreed: Good communication is crucial to maintaining team dynamics. We share the need for coordination and anticipation. The key word is team spirit.”

The visit also allowed the players to learn more about electrification, the process of manufacturing electrical cables, and copper recycling—an essential activity at the Nexans Lens factory.

At the end of the two-hour visit and discussions, the RC Lens Féminin team, thanked by the factory director Maxime Debay, returned to training with one goal in mind: promotion to the first division.

Nexans remains a proud supporter of the Sang et Or and all RC Lens teams!

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