They are indispensable: 3,000,000 of them in sport in France, of whom 50,000 to 60,000 in rugby alone. “They”, men and women alike, of course: the volunteers, the willing hands. And Véronique, committed to RC Vannes, tells her story.
Véronique Faudry is one of those helping hands that amateur, individual, professional and team sports could not exist without. “I am 61, I was born in Poitiers, I was there for 22 years and I arrived in Brittany 34 years ago,” Véronique explains. Her way into rugby? Other sports, and in particular the “Auray – Vannes”, “the Ultra marin”, the half-marathon run by close to 1500 volunteers.
“As volunteers are very often spread across several clubs, you get your finger caught in the machine…”, Véronique goes on. Yes, but why rugby? “I always liked rugby when I was younger, I said to myself why not RCV, I sent in my application a little over two years ago now. I came in a little by chance because I enjoy volunteering in general.”
Meeting people, the sociability, but also the supervision, the well-drilled organisation, the club coordinators. There are 250 volunteers at RCV on match days, the recognisable blue jackets and the coordinators in red jackets, smiles but seriousness.
“I had the advantage of working several roles, so that when someone is missing from a post, you can be versatile. I did the “cashless”, where you top up the cards for purchases since there is no cash, and I have also been a steward.”
No intervention, just prevention; if there is a problem, you call the person in charge, the coordinator.
These days, Véronique looks after the left-luggage desk, with a very pleasant team: “With this year’s layout, we have to be careful and take in anything like helmets and umbrellas, the big ones, not the folding ones.” And you get all sorts, such as perfumes and deodorants!
“The left-luggage service is free, which sometimes surprises spectators, and we also get scooters, pushchairs…” Véronique continues. They know they will come back for them afterwards. They have up to an hour after the match.”
The club is aware of how important these blue ants are, and a lovely gesture rewarded them for the last round of Top 14 against UBB: ““We went to Bordeaux to see the last away match by coach, we just brought our picnic, all expenses paid by the club. It was brilliant.”
No expenses paid, but the kit (parka, hooded sweatshirt, a packed meal on match days) and real regard from the committee and the coordinators: “For the stewards, there is a briefing at the start, we know the instructions and how things work, you have to sweep all the stands to check nothing has been left lying around. People have already brought us back bank cards…”
Any bad memories of a slightly heated post-match? Véronique’s answer: “Since I have been doing it, no. Even when the opposition fans are wound up, it stays friendly, that is rugby. There is no animosity. Well, I do not see any at all.”
Doing things seriously without making a fuss, doing good and making the event run smoothly: that is Véronique’s reward and her motivation, the Breton representative of the 60,000 volunteers French rugby cannot do without. All the rugbys.
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