It is an understatement to say that the members of the flag team of the Blagnac badminton club were frustrated at the end of the last season: “They only played the first day of their championship, which they won 8 to 0 against Bourges”, regrets Arnold Matet, the new president of the association. He succeeded Julien Racine, following the general meeting of June 30. “We have three departures from the steering committee and three arrivals, three girls, which demonstrates a good example of diversity”, adds – he before displaying the good health of the club, provided that the conditions for exercising discipline persist. “We had 300 members last season, and we haven’t seen a drop despite the gym closing in October and we are currently at 285, with registrations continuing until September”, explains this player for 20 years, ranked 120th in France in singles.
The roadmap for the coming year is simple: “To make the 80 young people progress, with individual sessions. Our club is number one in Occitania, by its structure, and the only one to present the young future label. Then, continue the development of the parabad section, the most important at the national level with 7 members and two expected recruits. It has just obtained very good results at the French championships. Finally, objective already announced before this white season, to bring the team one in national 2, it currently plays in national 3, the highest level in Occitania”. The associated means are not lost sight of: “With the help of the local authorities, we have acquired a mini-bus and a machine to project the shuttlecocks for training. Two major brands are in way to join us as sponsors, thus making us less dependent on subsidies”. The animation of the club goes without saying for its part, with an internal tournament before Christmas, conducive to all the challenges between members.
