The Assises of Breton rugby on Saturday 8 November were a success. In the symbolic setting of Saint-Cyr-Coëtquidan, the 160 participants representing Brittany’s 66 clubs spoke up about responsible civic action full of hope, with no denial whatsoever about any form of violence.
General Charpy’s address set the tone: the divisional commanding general who runs the military academy delivered a welcome speech that immediately lifted the debate to exactly where the president of the Ligue de Bretagne, Fabrice Quénéhervé, would have dared to hope: “We used the word Assises to really underline that this was an extraordinary gathering. We had high-quality speakers, and our initial aim came from an initiative led by Grégory Pérétou, the Ligue vice-president in charge of social cohesion. So it was rather geared towards ‘deviant behaviour, child protection, under-18s’ and so on. And then, given federal policy, the emphasis was put on preventing antisocial behaviour and fighting violence, so we decided to take that on as well. And so it was Emmanuel Grimaud, the Ligue’s deputy general secretary, who handles the legal and institutional side, who also contributed so that we could put together a full day’s programme. So it really was the whole day covering as many themes as possible.”
An extremely rich programme, with the risk of it being almost too much, because these are potentially heavy subjects when it comes to the responsibility that falls on a volunteer administrator, and to what taking on those responsibilities can entail. But on the whole, the feeling, or at least the general mood at the end of the day, was extremely positive.
The second theme was led by the Colosse aux pieds d’argile association and its representative, and was geared more towards responsibility with regard to under-18s. Colosse aux pieds d’argile stressed the prevention of sexual violence but also harassment and hazing, which is banned.
Quénéhervé picks up the thread: “Our second session dealt with an essential subject, which is the presence of alcohol on club premises. There was a very interesting case, a very interesting piece of feedback that I had heard about in Normandy concerning alcohol being drunk at a birthday. A player had brought along something to buy his team-mates a drink at the end of a training session. They had a drink, then went out for the evening, and so on. Well, it turns out there was later an encounter with the police, and in the account of the evening he was asked to give, he mentioned that the first drink had been consumed on club premises. And so the club’s president was summoned to the gendarmerie…”.
Quénéhervé: “We are here to serve our clubs and our members. So, with continuing education in mind, we first tried to open up the debate on plenty of subjects where a coach’s or an administrator’s liability could be engaged. And then to allow them to be made aware, to prepare themselves better for certain situations, and even to avoid trouble.”
Protecting administrators and coaches, raising their awareness, making sure they are as well prepared as possible for any kind of situation. “Responsible but not guilty”… The president goes on: “I am a volunteer, someone in love with my sport. I played it. I stopped because working life forced me to limit the risk of injury. I came back to it indirectly as a dad. And with the passion still there, of course, you lend a hand. And as I like to say, in the volunteering world we are all willing victims! And then gradually, you lend a hand. And then the following year you take your coaching qualification…”
Brittany is fortunate enough to have a retention rate of close to 85% among its volunteer administrators. All of that rests on how you keep the flame alive, how you keep supporting, training, building skills, valuing people. The work is being rewarded with a strong growth rate – which also means the region started from a long way back – but there is now a legacy to live up to. A 50% growth in numbers in less than 5 years, and over 10 years, is phenomenal.
The president, modest but proud: “The very all-encompassing slogan we chose for our Assises was « let’s take care of our rugby ». We are not here to lecture anyone. It really is a watchword more than a cry of alarm. We are genuinely on that twin track, education and support, and then a general mobilisation in this welcoming world, talking about courage. And courage sometimes also means speaking up when you hear the silence in the stands at the Rabine as a conversion is being kicked, including by the opposition.”
See you for the first menhirs of Breton rugby on 13 December, the first gala evening of this thoroughly endearing regional game. In full responsibility. Seated.
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