Sports trophies 2021: Roselyne Ben Ali, president of JS Chemin Bas d’Avignon
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR (1/3). Volunteers are an essential link in sports clubs. Without them, no community life or performance. In the Gard, Roselyne Ben Ali (JS Chemin bas d’Avignon), Alain Sanciaume (RC Les Angles) and Alain Lauferon (ASPC Nîmes) are doing remarkable work in their field.
Thanks to its exceptional career in the Coupe de France (beaten in the 32nd final by Clermont, a Ligue 1 club), JS Chemin bas d’Avignon (Regional 2) has restored the image of an often criticized district.
Behind this performance hides in particular Roselyne Ben Ali, president since June. A local girl, she has been part of the walls for more than twenty years. First a player and then a coach and manager, she arrived at this position by obviousness.
“There was pride but it was very stressful at the organizational level”
“I was born and have always lived in Chemin bas”, she explains. At the start of the season, the Gardois had set themselves the goal of reaching a 7th round of the Coupe de France which they had never reached. They finally broke their record, offering themselves a gala match against a professional team at the Costières stadium in Nîmes.
A moment as imperishable as it is exhausting for Roselyne Ben-Ali: “There was pride but it was very stressful at the organizational level. Between the requests from the federation, the media, it took me a week to recover, laughs the 42-year-old president. But it was huge to see the stadium full, to be congratulated by everyone. We changed the image of the neighborhood.”