He has booked his first national trip as president, to Roanne. On December 20, Jean-Pierre Huckler, newly elected head of the French Basketball Federation, was in the stands of the Halle André-Vacheresse to attend the match between La Chorale and Orléans. “I was elected on the 14th, on the 19th I was in Geneva at Fiba* and the next day I was in Roanne for the Pro B match.” A way of proving his attachment to the territory where he was born .
It all started in Roannais
Jean-Pierre-Huckler was born in Le Coteau on September 14, 1959. He lived in Roanne before leaving for Lyon at the age of 17. The president began his career as a basketball player in the Loire sub-prefecture. He took his first license from the Cheminots Roannais. “My main club was the Patronage Athlétique Club de Roanne (PACR),” assures the man who also played at Étoile de Charlieu. In his time he played up to National 4 level.
In addition to being a player, Jean-Pierre Huckler takes the whistle at PACR de Roanne “to help the club”, he explains. He officiates in Roannais and Loire. When he left for Lyon, he refereed at the regional level. Arbitration took him to the elite where he operated for 15 years. At the same time, he still plays in a club in the Lyon suburbs, Vaulx-en-Velin.
Today, his mother still lives in the Roanne region, as do his in-laws. “I come back three to four times a year,” he says.
From business leader to president of the French Federation
After the first years of his life in Roanne, the manager settled in Lyon. The native of Coteau joined the SNCF school and also took courses at a business school. In 1994, he left the railway to create his company which he will manage until 2022. During his time in Lyon, Jean-Pierre Huckler chaired the regional referees commission for two terms. After a break from basketball, he took charge of the Ligue du Lyonnais from 2000 to 2008. It was in 2008 that he moved to Paris, for professional reasons after having bought one of his competitors, based in Créteil . In 2010, he became first vice-president of Jean-Pierre Siutat, his predecessor at the head of the FFBB. He is also general treasurer.
In 2022, Jean-Pierre Siutat is aiming for a mandate at Fiba Europe. In the event of election (in May 2023), he would like Jean-Pierre Huckler to finish his mandate at the FFBB in his place, since it is impossible to combine the two functions. Also a way to prepare for what comes next. The original Roannais thought about it, stopped his professional activities and accepted. “We shared the work during the first half of 2023,” says the new president. He followed high performance, notably the French teams for Olympic preparation. I took care of the territories. »
But now, Jean-Pierre Siutat is not elected. “He wanted to continue working in this way,” explains Jean-Pierre Huckler. A year and a half later, he became president. “It seemed important to me for French basketball to have a certain continuity of what had been initiated. I decided to run for president. »
A local man
“Jean-Pierre has real values and is very close to people. He will get closer to small clubs. He will listen and be attentive to many things,” thinks Pierre Vacher, co-president of Roannais Basket Féminin who has known Jean-Pierre Huckler since childhood. Personality traits that echo the new president's desire to focus on clubs and departmental committees during his mandate. Jean-Pierre Huckler presented his 2024-2028 project to committees, leagues and a certain number of clubs. Who were visibly convinced.** “I didn’t go in with my hands in my pockets, we have to prepare for the future. »
A few years ago, Jean-Pierre Huckler worked a lot on building strong and stable regional leagues. “Some have become big liners,” he compares.
Today, the leader wants to concentrate on departmental committees and clubs. “My priority, in terms of development, is to help the departmental committees and clubs. »
Several axes for his mandate
The new president has defined several axes for his mandate. There is high performance with the objective of always making the French teams perform in 5×5, 3×3 in all categories. “We have already started preparing for Los Angeles 2028,” he assures.
The second axis is territorial development. “Rounding up, we are at 766,600 licensees and, in 10 years, we have lost 300 clubs. There will be a lot of work to do to regain that part. »
The other important point is in the social part of basketball. “Sociability, diversity, we are already very committed at the Federation level. We are going to accelerate this with an important point, sport in business. » A “Basketball company” commission is created. For Jean-Pierre Huckler, 2025 represents the start of his new mission.
International Basketball Federation.
(**) This year, the clubs voted directly unlike other elections, where there was a system of electors. Now it's 50-50. Bio Born September 14, 1959 in Coteau (Loire). Married, one child.
Federal functions
-First vice-president of the French basketball federation (ffBB) since 2010. – Treasurer of the ffBB. – Vice-president in charge of the Brand division of the French federation.
Federal experiences
– High-level referee in the first division between 1980 and 1995.
-president of the Ligue du Lyonnais between 2000 and 2008.
– president of the Organizing Committee of the Women's Euro 2013 in France.
-president of the Organizing Committee for Euro 2015 in France.
Federal honors
– Silver Rooster of the ffBB 2011.
– Gold medal for Youth and Sports 2018. – Golden Rooster of the FFBB 2020.
Professional experience
– Manager of the Comelit France company from 1994 to 2022.
France
Basketball
