One win in three rounds, against Orléans, and a 28-5 defeat at Carcassonne last Friday: Rouen host Mont-de-Marsan on Friday 11 September in Nationale. Their president, Delphine Bunel, also runs the Valkyries, who play in Élite 2 Féminine, and sits on the French Rugby Federation board. Interview.

From the 800 metres to Élite 1

Our running gag: surname, first name, age, occupation?

Delphine Bunel, I’m 48. My occupation is my job: I run a company called Figure de Skills, a consultancy advising training organisations on their development strategy.

In Rouen, on top of your job, what do you do?

I’m president of the Valkyries, I’m president of RNR, and I’m acting vice-president in charge of elite women’s rugby at the French Rugby Federation.

How did rugby come into your life?

Completely by chance. After my two pregnancies, I was looking for a sport that was less draining than athletics, which is where I came from, and where I’d reached a pretty good level over 800 and 1500 metres. After the pregnancies, I knew I wouldn’t be able to run the times I’d run before. So I looked for a sport where I’d be a beginner and that I wanted to do for fun. And in the end, I landed in a club that was a bit “competitive”. That suited me fine, because deep down I’m a bit of a competitor. We went all the way up to Élite 1 before coming back down. But anyway, we had three years in Élite 1.

President in 2016, and still playing for three years

Explain to us how you go from the 800 and 1500 metres to running a club.

I discover rugby after my two pregnancies, I become a club official, I take over as club president, then a vice-presidency at the Federation. It’s crazy. I came to rugby late, I must have been about thirty. First I was a player. In 2016, the president, Karl Janik (a Stade Toulousain legend, editor’s note), left and someone had to replace him. We wanted a president for the men and a president for the women. As I was the oldest, I was offered the job. That’s how I started, I was learning on the job.

Can we name the person who convinced you?

Yes, it was Christophe Gérin.

From 25,000 to 125,000 euros of private sponsorship in a year

What happened next?

For three years, I sort of kept playing while being president. Then at some point it started to get a bit tense, choices had to be made, it was time for me to stop. And when Covid arrived, we were in difficulty like everyone else and we had to reinvent ourselves. We took a different approach to the club. That’s when we started setting up all our CSR projects. I think that setting all that up, managing to keep a women-only club on track when everyone was struggling, and going from 25,000 euros of private sponsorship to 125,000 in the space of a year, caught people’s attention. That’s how I got closer to the Normandy Rugby League. And then after that came the Federation.

People were talking a lot about the Valkyries for their CSR projects. In the citizenship category of the Federation’s “committed club” label, out of 2,000 French clubs, the Valkyries were the best in France. I’m incredibly proud of that. Having heard about it, Florian Grill’s group contacted me in May 2024. They asked me to join their team. I took a while to answer, because I’m not very political and I don’t want to belong to one group more than another. The first few times I met Florian, we didn’t necessarily agree. I think he found me a bit strong-willed, demanding, let’s say. That could have put him off, thinking I wasn’t easy to deal with. And it was me he turned to. I found it so smart of him to surround himself with people who work hard, not just his friends. I thought that was great. So in the end I accepted. And I don’t regret it, because honestly, I really like him as a man and as a person. Being at the heart of the issues, I see how things resonate, I see how people think.

Two co-presidents, two vice-presidents, a CEO on each side

With two presidencies and a vice-presidency, you’re not doing it alone, are you?

There’s a lot to manage. But I have good people around me: there are vice-presidents and co-presidents here and there. I’ve also strengthened the Valkyries group a bit, I couldn’t manage it all on my own. I have two co-presidents at the Valkyries, two vice-presidents at RNR. There’s a CEO on each side, and quite a lot of staff. They’re teams that work well, that I trust completely, all loyal. I’m very well supported, and by people who care.

Does the appetite grow with eating?

Not at all. Well, when you say that, do you mean what comes next? Do I want something else after this? No. Everything that has happened to me, I didn’t go looking for it, it was offered to me and I said yes. But I’m not trying to get anything else after this. People often ask me that, whether I’m after something. No, not at all. And if it stops tomorrow, it stops. I’ll do something else. Or not, for that matter! Maybe I’ll calm down too. I don’t know.

“They didn’t come looking for me because I’m a woman”

Last question, an observation: across the Top 14, Pro D2, Nationale and Nationale 2, you are the only woman president.

Obviously, it’s a fact. I’m thinking about how to answer this now, nearly six months on. Naturally, at the start it was really intense, the requests, people talked to me about it every day. Now I see it with a bit of distance, and I’m starting to show what I’ve done since. What I find a shame is that there aren’t a few more. Showing that it’s possible is cool. Because I tell myself there are women who maybe don’t dare yet, or who think “she’s completely crazy, that one!”. And maybe I am a bit “crazy”, I have no idea. I find it hard to answer that question. There’s a feminist side of me that says it’s really cool, I’m proud. But they didn’t come looking for me because I’m a woman.