The "plagiarism" is fully assumed. "I copied the Normandy model," says Gérard Guilbault, President of the Ligue des Hauts-de-France, before detailing what he calls "a long history". In a nutshell: although he found the Pro League project attractive, last year he found that no club had applied. The "pioneer" from Normandy prompted him to take the plunge under the region's label. "It's a logical follow-up to the opening of the Arena Béthune-Bruay," stresses the first manager of the Hauts-de-France region.

Thanks to the commitment of its technical managers, who have agreed to take charge of detection, training, internships and coaching, a marketing manager was hired in June, tasked with attracting partners. In the meantime, good financial results over the last four years mean that the company can look forward to the future "without any major risks".

"A regional team means that we don't have just one big club recruiting the best hopefuls from the others and making a lot of people unhappy," appreciates Gérard Guilbault, himself a club president. He believes "very strongly" in this model, which avoids uprooting athletes and impoverishing clubs.

As in Normandy, the three Pro League matches will be hosted in three départements: Wasquehal (Nord), Tergnier (Aisne) and Verquin (Pas-de-Calais). "Involving my department presidents, not all of whom were in favor of the project, is a way of convincing them and seeing for themselves," adds the manager, who has clear ideas: "Priority to the region and young people".