BLMA: “We will approach the three competitions with great ambition”, President Olivier Ribotta takes stock before the resumption

Le dirigeant nourrit de grandes ambitions. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Olivier Ribotta, new president of SAS BLMA, talks about the off-season, the recruits and the ambitions of the Latto-Montpellier club as the season begins Sunday in Charnay.

How was the summer at BLMA ?

This summer, I didn't take a vacation (laughs). Even if the team is formed at the beginning of the year and in the spring, I quickly got to preparing for the start of the school year. We had an extremely busy offseason because we changed status.

That is to say?

For the professional sector, we went from association status to SAS (Simplified Joint Stock Company) because the Federation asked us to. For a few years, we had exceeded all the turnover and payroll thresholds.

On the planned change in the club's daily life?

No, none, the association and professional/training center parts are now separate, and so there will be two different budgets. Philippe Sebbane remains president of the BLMA association and I am becoming president of the BLMA SAS. We join four other teams that were already SAS like Bourges, Asvel, Villeneuve d'Ascq and Basket Landes.

The squad has been greatly renewed to start this new season…

Five departures, six arrivals. We worked a lot and discussed internally the characteristics of the team we wanted to have. We are starting a new cycle by identifying three large volumes of players.

Which ones?

Club players represented by Romane Berniès, who has extended and will be there for the next three years. Elodie Naigre for her fourth season at the club. Garance Rabot, her third. Then, there are the experienced players from the Women's Basketball League championship. Anna Suarez, Jasmine Bailey, Hortense Limouzin, who is returning from 3×3, and Marie-Michelle Milapie too. And finally, players with strong development. With Nell Angloma, who is the U18 European champion and MVP. Aissatou Keita, also a European champion, and Anouk Brun.

The sports staff has been renewed, with Valéry Demory at its head?

The quality of our sports staff is to help the players progress, they then attract the interest of other clubs, as we saw with Julie Vanloo or Marième Badiane last season.

What are the club's ambitions this year??

We want to reach several finals, initially, not to say that we want to win a title. So we will tackle the three competitions, with a lot of ambition.

You have the smallest hall in the championship (1300 spectators), can the BLMA continue to develop in this tool?

We have been working on the file since last year. I thank the town hall of Lattes for having made adjustments, in particular for the reception of our partners. But it is sure that it is a brake on our development, and it is also a budgetary brake.

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