EN / MISSION AFRIQUE 2017

FRONTBALL IN WEST AFRICA

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2017

Senegal, Guinea, Togo… Frontball expands to Western Africa. A Frontball/FIPV delegation went to these three countries in order to train prospective coaches and include as many local children as possible.

Senegal: a new opportunity for Frontball

19th – 22nd February 2017

Frontball has recently integrated one more country: Senegal. Thanks to Charles André DELAMOU, President of the Guinean Federation, we have had the opportunity to develop our sport with Moustapha MANE in Guediawaye (suburbs of Dakar). The latter gathered six teachers who accepted to become the pioneers of Frontball in Senegal.

During two seminars, Yoan taught them the pedagogic basis that the group put into practice during the afternoon in a formative tournament. The next after, they switched roles and all the teachers supervised a training session for the fifty attending students. They competed against each other in closing tournaments, one for girls and one for boys. Three important media outlets were present to cover the event.

The President of GUEDIAWAYE FC (first division club), who had lent us the gymnasium, rewarded the two winning teams. Thanks to this achievement, we received support and enthusiasm from several local representatives we met during that time.

Since our departure, the teachers have carried on practicing frontball with their students. Moustapha MANE has filed the paperwork for an official status for which an administrative receipt will be shortly emitted.

Republic of Guinea (Conkary) : paying efforts 22nd to 26th February 2017

The Guinean Federation of Basque Pelota has been created in 2014 by Avenir Jeunesse Guinée Association. Ever since, President Charles André DELAMOU, has been struggling for the implantation of the sport in this country. For several months, he has organized two weekly training sessions at Jacqueline Bangoura School. He has counted on Headmaster Ali Badara Cissé and Studies Manager Katty Soumah who honoured us with a great reception. They really facilitated the organization of the seminars and tournaments of frontball during our stay.

The two first afternoons were dedicated to the formation of teachers (like in Senegal), then to pupils’ ones on the especially repainted walls of the school. Fourty pupils were there. During two days, the teachers took charge of the training to transmit the fundamental basis of the sport. On Saturday, a great tournament was organized. Aproximatively ten medias were there to cover this festive and intense day. The main one was the public radio and television RTG, present thanks to GFBP’s Vice President Salématou SYLLA.

Furthermore, the institutionnal meetings were successful. We met a great part of the National Direction of Sports and of the Olympic Committee. Our efforts, and Charles Delamou’s ones were hugely praised. Thanks to Doctor Mermoz MANIMOU, manager of the greatest health sport center of Conakry, we could meet Minister Siaka BARRY (Minister of sports, culture, and historical patrimony.

Guinea daily pursues its considerable work. Persevering in schools will be a paying strategy. By now, Charles André DELAMOU is looking forward extending the network in the suburbs of Conakry, thanks to the Association of Physical Education Teachers of Guinea whose leader, Sir Pivot offers a precious help.

Togo : a story which had already begun

The African mission of 2017 was concluded by a new destination: Togo. This last stage could be set up thanks to Togo 19 association, created by Cosette and Jean-Louis Verlhac. Their purpose is to build sport, health and education projects in order to support small Togolese towns. Few years afer they discovered Pala, the young of Seva, Kati and Afou recently enjoyed Frontball.

We were hosted in these three towns by teachers and adolescents coming from surrounding schools. In Seva, we got surprised by the wall was newly perfectly repainted, the court well prepared and the limits exatly affixed. Our stage was expected and the players fully ready to compete. The level was amazing. Vivacity, coordination and experience: potential prospective champions.

Our mission on these three days was to train the adolescents and the coaches by teaching them the most important pedagogic bases of Frontball.

At the end of these three days of formation, an important tournament took place in Seva where thirty young from ten towns came to compete. The level was particularly high.

After these two weeks in Western Africa, we are fully satisfied and really optimistic for Frontball’s future in this region. Waiting for more African tournaments of frontball !!

Notre mission sur ces trois jours a été d’entraîner les jeunes, leur donner les bases solides, ainsi que de former les enseignants à la pédagogie du Frontball.

A l’issue de ces trois journées de formation, un grand tournoi a été organisé à Seva, réunissant une trentaine de jeunes issus de 10 villages différents.

Le niveau était élevé.