Olympic gold and the end of the health crisis, the winning cocktail of French clubs

“The Olympic coronation of French volleyball players in August and the gradual lifting of health constraints have boosted club registrations, with 10% more members compared to September 2020, according to the French Volleyball Federation (FFVB) . In two years of the health crisis, the number of licensees had fallen significantly everywhere in France: the FFVB recorded 111,837 registered in July 2021, or 18% less than in July 2020 and 22% less than in July 2019. But l The historic Olympic coronation of Earvin Ngapeth and his teammates in Tokyo was a game-changer.

«Right now, I get 15, 20, sometimes 25 calls a day! And my mailbox is full of inquiries», Is astonished to AFP Guillaume Recurt, trainer of the training center of Tourcoing Lille Métropole Volley-Ball. For the leaders, the link with the Olympic gold medal is indisputable. “The appeals arrived in August and gained prominence from the second half of the year.», Says François Lemaire, president of the volleyball section of the Lille University Club, where requests for information have almost tripled compared to 2019.

The Olympic title shines the spotlight on volleyball

«The Olympic title shines the spotlight on sport», Explains Lionel Marmo, president of the Marseille club Massalia Volley. “The broadcast (of the Olympic tournament) on public channels allowed many young people to discover volleyball», Adds Guillaume Recurt. Among adults, it is more the alleviation of health constraints that explains the wave of registrations. “For them, we rather feel a desire to meet again. Everyone is motivated to resume and brings with them knowledge», Explains Coralie Larnack, sports manager of Strasbourg Volley-Ball. “Watching the Olympics and being locked up, not being able to practice, it created a craze among everyone”Sums up Lionel Marmo.

This restart with fanfare allows clubs to look to the future under the best auspices and return to pre-crisis levels, or even better. “We will exceed 100 registered, a total that we had not exceeded for a few years», Congratulates François Lemaire. “We will reach 330 licensees, that will be our record!»Rejoices Christian Chebassier, president of Tours Volley-Ball.

The bar of 50,000 licensees crossed

This increase is forcing some clubs to adapt. At Strasbourg Volley-Ball, three new educators arrived in September and the young people of the club are called upon to supervise the children’s teams. “The question of hiring is on the agenda», Says the Northerner Guillaume Recurt. With 54,853 licensees on October 1, 2021, against 49,977 a year ago, the FFVB hopes to pass the 100,000 member mark as of February and is counting on beach volleyball registrations (which open in the spring) to reach its levels again. ‘before the health crisis.

Handball and basketball, which each brought home two medals from Tokyo (ladies’ and men’s gold for the hand, men’s silver and women’s bronze for basketball) are still well ahead (more than 330,000 licensees each), but do not observe any significant increase since the Olympics. “Between Tokyo gold and the Paris Games (in 2024), we have a window that may never reopen. If the authorities do not let the wave pass, the practice of volleyball in France can explode“Enthuses Tourcoing player Daryl Bultor, member of the sacred France team in Tokyo. “It may be now or never.»

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