It is undoubtedly the end of year event in Roannais. On Tuesday, December 17, Loire Nord Table Tennis welcomes the Montpellier-Nîmes Alliance where the two world stars of the discipline, Alexis and Félix Lebrun, play.
It’s more than a table tennis match. And all the indicators prove it. Firstly, the extraordinary enthusiasm aroused by the event. More than 1,000 tickets were sold during the first two hours the ticket office was open. This quickly had to be stopped by the LNTT in order to anticipate all the problems. On December 17, 2024, this Roanne-Montpellier will be played in front of nearly 5,000 people, at a sellout. As it is a first in the history of the Roanne club, the internal work around this meeting is equally unprecedented. “This match will allow us to make a considerable contribution to the daily life of the club. This can easily represent 10% of the budget we will have for a single match. Alexis and Félix Lebrun do not play all the championship matches due to their presence on the world circuit. We therefore discussed with their entourage to have the ideal date for them to be present” explains Marcel Livet, president of the LNTT. And this is why we note the exceptional nature of the event.
A consequence for next season?
If from a sporting point of view, the Roanne club has every interest in the Lebrun brothers not being present, because logically stronger than the players from Roanne, their arrival could change everything in the destiny of the LNTT. “This match is not at all negligible for the club, it can change the face of the team next year in terms of recruitment because it will bring us additional resources which were not planned” adds Marcel Livet . Today, Roanne is off to a more than decent start to the season in Pro A, taking points in the race to maintain. On December 17, the Roanne team will present itself with its weapons against the Montpellier leader and intends to boldly play its luck at the Halle Vacheresse. Who says exceptional match says exceptional device. “There will be around a hundred volunteers around the match, and I would like to point out that everyone has understood the importance of the event and that the organization around this match is going very well” concludes the president of the LNTT. Everything will be ready for a wonderful pre-Christmas celebration.
FIGURE
10
The arrival of the Lebrun brothers on December 17 at Halle Vacheresse should generate the equivalent of 10% of the overall budget of Loire Nord Table Tennis this season.
Did you know?
The match was scheduled for October
At the time of publication of the Pro A calendar, the meeting between Roanne and Montpellier was to take place in October, on behalf of the second day of the championship. After discussions, the two clubs agreed to postpone the meeting to December 17, with the assured presence of Félix and Alexis Lebrun.
