Accustomed to the Picardy associative world, Bruno Jurkiewicz was elected president of the US Lieuvillers club and surrounding areas before the summer holidays.
It’s our little local transfer window. “Until In the year 2000, I loved pro football. But for several years, for me, it’s just a matter of big money”says Bruno Jurkiewicz. However, this disenchantment did not prevent him from taking the reins, at the end of June, of US Lieuvillers and surrounding areas. “Even though I no longer follow national football like I used to, I still love the small clubs.”
We can therefore say that with this small Picardy club which plays in D2, the sixty-year-old has found crampons for his feet. Present in the office for several years, Bruno Jurkiewicz was elected president of the club on June 29, 2024, replacing Pascal Devisscher. “No one wants to do that anymore. The role of a president is thankless. We receive more criticism than encouragement.”
It must be said that the retiree is not his first attempt at football. At the dawn of the 70s, as a young teenager, he was already filling out the scoresheets as a leader… And on the associative side, Bruno Jurkiewicz is also well established since he is also the president of the Juin-1918 association, memory tanks. “I have been at the head of associations and clubs for 45 years. I am experienced.”
At US Lieuvillers, everyone has their own position as for a match
What fascinates Bruno Jurkiewicz is the organizational side. “Preparing for games, contacting the district, attending meetings, looking for sponsors, that’s what I love.” Thus, the new president detaches himself from the sporting part, which he reserves for coaches. “I don’t know much about football, I can’t even tell when there’s a foul. It's rather my wife who lets me know because she knows about it, she was French champion in 1985 with the Boran Le Neubourg club. By beating PSG!”
A former player and football enthusiast, Bruno Jurkiewicz's wife is also part of the club office. “In total, there are 7 of us in the office, including 5 who know how to play football. They help me a lot and fortunately because without them, all this would not be possible to manage. I have a lot of support and all decisions are made together.”
US Lieuvillers is looking for players
On the staff side, that’s where the downside hurts. After “the best season the club has ever had”, 29 senior players and two educators have left, bringing the number now to 110 licensees. “We have 7 teams and 47 young people, aged 4 to 18, but we are looking for more. Recently, among the seniors, we also welcomed 9 players who come from the North of Oise. It’s thanks to them that we were able to maintain the B team. Today, what I hope for is a new dynamic.”
Unfortunately, it is difficult today to get back on track and the current ranking is far from the excellence of last season. “Last year, team A was better 3e from D2, we even almost moved up to D1. But there, with departures, it's very hard. What I hope is to stay in D2 for the senior A team and the middle of the table for B. The club is now in the process of rebuilding.”
In addition to maintaining, among Bruno Jurkiewicz's aspirations, there is the hope of creating a women's team. “It’s my dream. I love watching women's football on TV, I never miss a French team match. I find that there is less cinema on the ground.”
Today, he hopes that his experience within various associations can help the club to continue. “I do this above all for the village, so that the club remains. I remember, in the 60s, the tournaments between La Neuville-Roy, Ravenel, Lieuvillers and Léglantiers. Everyone came to attend. It’s also this spirit of communion that made me come back to football even if deep down, it doesn’t really exist anymore”concludes with nostalgia the new president of US Lieuvillers.
Emeline Bertel
