Rugby (Federal 3). Arnaud Dupouy (President of the Appaméen Sporting Club): “The descent into Federal 3 changes absolutely nothing to our collective project”

What sports assessment can you draw after the season?

The senior team was there and in what was expected. They had a huge heart all season. The group has given enormously. It’s very positive. It is a very good group, which lives very well. The coaches were all there, they took up an extraordinary challenge, the work is remarkable. It is logically that they will be there next season. We trust them. We only get out of a point, a small point. Not to mention the vagaries that there have been all season and which probably cost us this little point. Despite the descent, the state of mind is very positive. Given where we left, that is to say, it is beautiful to get there. The descent is not a disaster, not at all. We must not forget that a year ago, the FFR had put us in federal 3. We had built a group around this objective and, two months later, we were told that we were going to play in Federal 2, we had to reorganize us accordingly and very quickly switch to the Federal 2. The descent in Federal 3 is nothing dramatic. It is a division in which we wanted to be to relaunch and restart the club. We tried the blow in Federal 2, we saw that we did not go for funny. We were in the race until the last match, until the last second. The players and the staff did the work, widely done the job. Afterwards, that’s how it is. There are other elements that we do not master. Next year, we will keep 90 % of our workforce.

So this relegation is not a stop?

There are two analyzes of the situation. Either we say to ourselves “Yeah, there is a descent, it’s terrible. », Either we analyze the descent with height. I analyze the descent. I repeat it, over a whole season, we go down for a point. We held our rank, we did not go down with 15 points apart. We will continue to work as we have worked this year, remaining very humble. The staff has all my confidence, I believe in them and in their projects. I know they are going to do something interesting. Next year will be very interesting. The group of players is a healthy group and gets along very well. I saw a lot of smiles this season. The whole club will still have it next season.

“We managed to unite around a project”

What did you learn after this full season?

We learned that without a united club and without a united city, it’s complicated. We managed to unite around a project, even if everything is not perfect. Today there is an administrative team that is strong, which remains united. There is a club in general which is united. It was not necessarily won in advance. The club works well, it is structured. The SCA will enter its third phase of structuring, this is the third phase I imagined when I took over the club a year and a half ago. The first phase was the club resumption by doing the audit, which was done. Then it was to structure an extensive steering committee. Today, it is to go even further in the foundations of the club by establishing an even stronger framework and bases so that each category can evolve at its level and that each category can have the proper functioning and good educational practices.

Have all doubts been dissipated?

No, they cannot be completely dissipated given where the club was when I took it back. day after day, we progress and it goes in the right direction. What does a lot of good is to see that the season went very well, that the problems were treated. There are still, of course, things to do, a lot of work. Above all, there was serenity, a full season. This is what is super important. A season without a hitch. There are the vagaries of the life of a club, there is nothing abnormal to that. But, everyone has their place, managed what they had to manage. Restarting a club is still something that is long to set up. A general package is getting worse on a certain period of time. Today, the biggest files are processed.

Where is the debt?

Everything that was to be paid in this sports season was, without any difficulty, without a hitch. There is still a big year and a half of the current moratorium. This is very important to know it. That is to say that today, we did half of the work at this level. To be clear, it is not yet 100 %earned. There are still 50 % of the path to be made. But, with the season we have just experienced, with the unwavering support of our partners, the support of the municipality of Pamiers, the support also of our volunteers, the support of the players/Euses … Nothing would be possible, there is no reason why it is not going well.

“Debts are widely controlled”

How do you plan next season in Federal 3?

With a lot of humility and seriousness, that characterizes us. We will have a budget identical to that of this year. I say, we will be competitive. There is a lot of passion in Pamiers. Let’s stay calm and welded, let us make one to achieve our objectives.

Arnaud Dupouy will always be there in the future. Does he remain the president of the SCA?

Why, you have info (laughter). Of course I’m here. The club structuring project is not over. Today, we are in very good track. It happens very, very well from an administrative, financial point of view. Our relations with the Federation, the League are very good. The debts are widely controlled. We are continuing our background work to restore solid bases to the SCA. And they are. Now you have to consolidate them, make them evolve. Thanks to our faithful partners, the municipality, we will manage to achieve the club’s recovery objectives. In June 2026, there will be almost nothing in terms of debt. It is still twelve big months of effort for the club. Then the SCA can breathe.