13th edition of the Six Quarters Tournament of the Rugby Club Nîmes: a desire to share and make rugby known

Each team will wear an assigned jersey to compete in the VI districts tournament. -Jenny Bernard

Initiation au rugby au stade Kaufmann avant d’affronter les différentes équipes vendredi 19 avril à 15 h 30. – Jenny Bernard

From April 15 to 19, the Rugby Club Nîmois promotes the values ​​of sport to sensitive neighborhoods of the city through the 13th edition of the VI neighborhoods tournament. The final will be played this Friday at 3:30 p.m. at the Kaufmann stadium in Nîmes.

Six districts, six teams.

For its 13th consecutive year, the Rugby Club Nîmois RCN is organizing this week in Nîmes, the VI Districts Tournament for " bringing together people from disadvantaged neighborhoods around the values ​​of rugby. On a human and societal level, it’s important for the young president that I am", underlines Steeve Calligaro, president RCN since 2021 during the press conference organized for the occasion. These values ​​include  "surpassing and fighting with respect for the collective and the rules. There are profiles in these neighborhoods that can match these values", he specifies.

This inter-district competition, inspired by the Six Nations Tournament, is held every year during the Easter holidays. Before the final scheduled for Friday, April 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the Kaufmann stadium, more than 120 young people aged 9 to 11 from the priority neighborhoods of Pissevin, Valdegour, Gambetta, Mas de Mingue , Chemin Bas d’Avignon and route d’Arles, learn oval ball all week. An awards ceremony is planned for all participants, followed by a snack and a friendly moment.

A desire to develop inclusion

Since 2011, 1,500 young people from the neighborhoods have been initiated. For the president, "it’is important to provide rugby outside the Kaufmann field. Outside the walls of the club, people know little about this sport, especially in neighborhoods where football and combat sports are more represented", he confides . "Rather than finding faults in differences, we look for riches. It's the same thing for the neighborhoods and this search for difference is an approach that is dear to us", explains Richard Hortiz, vice-president of the club.  For participants to whom the tournament has made them want to practice the discipline regularly, the club goes further and offers to cover the annual subscription.

In addition to the tournament, a rugby village, an inflatable structure which is installed outside at the bottom of the buildings, promotes the activity and aims to bring sport to neighborhoods, in order to remedy certain transport difficulties. It helps to arouse curiosity and initiate girls and boys. Rugby is in fact played in a mixed way until the age of fifteen. "For the tournament, the teams are made up of 30 to 35& ;nbsp;% of girls, which is a lot, underlines Alexandre Salles. The challenge is to get them to play regularly in the club. A search for inclusiveness at all levels.

Also read: For the president of the Nîmes Rugby club, "it is not possible to have a sports club disconnected from societal issues"

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