Containment, re-containment, curfew ... With a spreading Covid crisis, the season has been extremely disrupted for sports clubs, with disciplines at a complete standstill for some, severely disrupted for others.
This has resulted in a sharp drop in the number of licensees, some preferring to continue their practice outdoors, rather than paying for a license when competitions were prohibited or very restricted.
In Seine-Saint-Denis, some clubs have lost up to half of their licensees. "Some practices have been more affected than others," observes Philippe Sturm, president of CDOS 93, the departmental Olympic and sports committee. For contact sports - boxing, wrestling, judo… - it has really been a blank year. Those which were able to be practiced outside did a little better. The figures unveiled by the football district of Seine-Saint-Denis are however not famous: it identified 5,500 fewer licensees (from 41,000 to 35,500) over the year.
Many clubs have also found that young people prefer to play with their friends, outside of clubs, to avoid paying the license.
"We took the initiative to reduce it by 15 euros for categories ranging from U10
(Editor's note: under 10)
to U18", explains Matthieu Robert, the president of the Le Bourget club, who has despite this lost a hundred dismissed.
Read alsoIn Ile-de-France, the Covid-19 has put sport on the mat
For several weeks, the leader has been struggling for the coming season. "We want to restore the confidence of parents: we are not dead and football is practiced in a club for all the virtues that it can have," he explains. For months now, we've seen kids playing outside, evenings and weekends. In a club, there is a framework, and we are in the best position to enforce barrier gestures. "But also to pass information back to" contact cases ", in the event of Covid within a team.
"We have seen more people who decide to play sports in the public space, in the open air," also recognizes Philippe Sturm, president for 25 years of the English boxing club in Saint-Denis.
Some combat sports or martial arts training took place in parks or on the banks of the Ourcq canal.
Nationally, boxing has lost 60% of licensees in one year.
“But when you have a license, you are insured and supported by qualified educators.
The room for improvement is not at all the same, ”insists Philippe Sturm.
A return to the club in September?
To win back their licensees, the football district and the clubs are racking their brains.
For example, FC Bourget has entered into a partnership with Urban, these often indoor football centers.
which are very popular with young people.
The club will therefore benefit from slots in Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine) and Porte d'Aubervilliers in Paris (19th century).
“We have to reinvent ourselves to continue to seduce kids”, summarizes Matthieu Robert, who is also working on the creation of an e-sport section
.
In the district, President Nasser Gammoudi is preparing an XXL “beginners day” at La Courneuve Park, on June 19, with 3000 children - 1400 in the morning, 1600 in the afternoon.
“This is the first time we've done this in a park and on such a scale,” he says.
That football has been played so much outside in recent months does not worry him: “In Seine-Saint-Denis, it has always existed.
It may have been stronger this year because there was no longer any offer, so the kids created their own.
"
The president is convinced that the vast majority will return to the club in September.
Philippe Sturm also predicts a craze for the sport in September, “a bit like the reopening of restaurants and bars.
"" Especially since the confinements have created new pathologies, an overweight in some members, he recalls.
In this case, the best medicine is sport.
"
50 euros to help families register their child
50 euros is the amount of aid that will be granted to low-income families to help their children register for a club at the start of the school year.
The Minister of Sports announced it in early May at Le Parisien.
Faced with a dizzying drop in licenses everywhere in France this year (less 34% in judo, less 22% in handball…), the government announced that a social device, the “Pass'Sport”, would be available at the start of the school year, under income conditions.
As for the clubs, they benefit from several assistance plans.
The Ile-de-France region, where a 25% drop in licensees has been observed (i.e. 600,000 out of a total of 2.4 million), for example announced aid of 20 million euros intended for clubs, which will be paid over two years, until 2022.
In Pantin, these college students organize their own competition
4 pm, this Monday afternoon on the heights of Pantin.
The first ball strikes echoed in the small city stadium on rue de Candale, near the city of Apple trees.
At the end of the Lavoisier college, fifteen of them decided to stop off to play football, an hour with friends before going home.
Aged 11 to 15, most of them are registered in a club in Pantin, Les Lilas or Bobigny.
Some, like Hassan, preferred to quit the club this year, saving the license over the season.
“It costs 200 euros when there was almost no match,” recalls the schoolboy.
Here, the young people decided to organize their own competition, “neighborhoods against neighborhoods”.
"But I prefer to be in a club than here," continues Hassan.
It's not the same competition at all.
"
"Here, there are no longer any barrier gestures"
"Here, there is not enough level," smiles also Argan, 12, who plays right side. The club competitions "[him] lack". “This is what I prefer in football: the matches, he insists. You can get spotted and my dream is to become a footballer. Although sometimes there is too much pressure. Here, we have fun. His older brother, Erwann, trained three times a week, in the evening at a club. “Before, I rarely came to the City. Now we are there every day. "
All recognize that here, the Covid-19 pandemic is quickly forgotten. “There are no longer any barrier gestures, also recognizes Argan. While at the club, it's supervised: we no longer change inside the locker rooms, we do that in the stands, outside. "But that suits Adem, 14, who played at the Lilas club and who decided to quit last year:" At City, we are freer. Sometimes, in club, the coaches are relous
(heavy).
Here, we are among friends, we know each other. In a club, it's different and it sometimes creates stories. "
