Rémi Durand and Patrice Arguel hand over the leadership of SO Millau rugby: “We leave with the feeling of duty accomplished”

Les deux présidents avaient pris leurs fonction en 2020. Midi libre – Archives

Après quatre années à la tête du SO Millau rugby, le duo de présidents Patrice Arguel et Rémi Durand passe la main. Les noms de la nouvelle équipe dirigeante seront révélés ce vendredi 7 juin, lors de l'assemblée générale du club.

Rémi Durand and Patrice Argugel completed an Olympic tenure at the head of SOM rugby. Four years of presidency which will end this Friday evening during the club's General Assembly. They took over from Thierry Perez following the municipal elections.

"Our goal was to focus on training"

Continuity was then ensured by two historic members of the steering committee, not strangers to the club. Four years later, looking back, the two presidents remember something positive. They could have left the club with two teams in Fédérale1, but the step was too high this Sunday in Sarlat. That’s not what’s important for them. "We have the feeling of duty accomplished, admits Rémi Durand. Our goal was to focus on training at the club and we see that it pays off with the training center."

Indeed, the youth categories of the SOM make it possible to feed the senior teams. Among the women, the U18s are playing a new final of the French championship, the Marcel-Aymard sports section, made up of players from the club, is currently playing the finals of the French UNSS championship, as was the case last year last. "John (Jonathan Santos, Editor's note) and Johan (Bernad), do an extraordinary job. The girls have made two finals in three years, it pays off. The young people are showing their noses in the senior teams and all this is in-depth work carried out with the educators since the rugby school."

Milliavoises among the pros

When the Millavois faces are not treading the lawn of the Sports Park, they are delighting great institutions like Eve Cartaillac and Maïlys Traoré at the Stade Toulouse, Illona Segonds and Manon Lacombe in Montpellier or even Hortense Raynal and Marie Kill in Clermont.

At the administrative level, the club now has four employees. "We are quite proud to have them because they do a good job ." Of the two new positions, one was made permanent following his training as a coach carried out at the club, the other another is still learning.

An increase in the budget after Covid

However, the mission did not look easy after the Covid episode and the general blow taken by the associative and sporting world. "We still managed to increase the club's budget and it wasn't easy, recognizes the president. We must thank the partners for their trust, whether private or institutional."

This allowed the entire club to function normally and the teams to perform. The reserve team actually went through one more round in the final stages than last season, the women's team lost in the round of 16 of the French championship after two seasons in Fédérale 1. "We're leaving with peace of mind, the job is done. It's a shame that the last step wasn't taken, but we now know what points need to be improved. We also saw a great season from the B team, made up entirely of young players from our country. It's been four good years, not everything has been rosy but it's the associative world that wants that, we must thank all the people who make it possible." The message has been received and the place is warm for the new team of SOM leaders.

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