Congratulated by Prince Albert II, Monaco Basket Association back in Ligue Féminine 2
2025 could well see a new double for the MBA, on the rise in women's basketball © Communication department / Manuel Vitali
The Monaco Basket Association wrote a new chapter in its history this weekend, securing promotion to the Ligue Féminine 2 (LF2), as Prince Albert II and members of the men’s team cheered them on at Gaston Médecin. The victory on 8 March, International Women’s Rights Day, marked a turning point for the Monegasque club.
Playing for the first time in the Salle Gaston Médecin at the Louis-II Stadium, in front of almost 1,400 spectators, including many Roca Team players, Olga Tarasenko’s women clearly outclassed the Ambitions Girondines (77-53).
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Their 16th consecutive league win means they are still unbeaten this season in the Nationale Féminine 1 (NF1) league. The proud Sovereign, who had been watching from the stands, congratulated the players at the end of the match.
With a defeat suffered by S.I. Graffenstaden, the victory means that the Monegasques are headed back up to LF2, with five match days left before the end of the championship. “Playing in this setting, in front of the Sovereign Prince and so many people, on women’s rights day, and earning the promotion on top of that, I’m lost for words,” said an emotional Éric Elena, the club president.
An impressive track record and growing ambitions
Founded 15 years ago, the MBA has established itself as a pillar of women’s basketball, with an impressive track record: winner of the French Cup Trophy (2017, 2022), finalist (2024) and French NF2 champion (2017). This season’s partnership with Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, as main sponsor, as well as support from the Prince’s Government, open up ambitious new prospects for the club.
Clear objectives for the rest of the season
The MBA is now turning its attention to the quarter-and semi-finals of the French Cup Trophy on 15 and 16 March, with the aim of making the final in Paris on 25 April. In the league, the aim is equally clear: to finish the regular season unbeaten before facing group B leaders Champagne on 17 May in Cognac for the NF1 title.
