Whether in sport or the associative world, the volunteer is an essential person without whom, precisely, life would be different. The State has been promising for years that it will look into the problem but nothing is moving forward.
The subject came up again this Monday by the president of CDOS of the SommeThierry Dambrine, who gave a speech during the wish ceremony which ended with this question: when will the volunteer be able to have a real status? The subject has been regularly discussed for years and we remember, for example, that a good ten years ago, when he was a deputy for the Somme, the current mayor of Abbeville Pascal Demarthe wanted there to be a statute for volunteering, he even clearly wanted it in Parliament.
Monday evening, President Thierry Dambrine addressed the subject even more as he formalized the Volunteer Trophy which made it possible to highlight the work carried out by what is generally called the “shadow servants of sport”: “The selfless commitment of thousands of leaders and supervisors constitutes the greatest wealth of our associative fabric. Volunteering is a vector of citizenship and a shield against isolation. However, we cannot ignore the wear and tear of certain volunteer executives in the face of increasing administrative complexity. Promoting volunteering in 2026 is not only an act of recognition, it is a strategic necessity for the survival of our associations. » And Thierry Dambrine finished by launching this appeal: “When will we have a status for our volunteers? »
Regarding volunteering, the two departmental advisors have obviously spoken out. Guillaume Duflot stressed that sport was a vector of dynamism and that in Amiens, the City had not reduced subsidies, which is not the case with the State. Hoping that the sports budget is 1%, which for the moment is a mirage, “volunteering is in crisis and we must support it”concluded the elected.
As for his colleague Mr. Demouy, he especially noted what the Department is doing towards sport and that trust had been established between the Department and the CDOS. With in particular the Maison des Sports which is more than ever a place for meetings and conferences.
The evening ended with the presentation of trophies to certain department volunteers. Not all of them were able to make the trip due to bad weather, but all were entitled to applause from the audience which was mainly made up of presidents of departmental committees or club leaders.
Here is the list of winners of these first Volunteer Trophies organized by the CDOS and masterfully directed by Xavier Staes:
- Athletics: Jean Paul Molin (Vytajog)
- Judo: Florence Boxoen (Judo Club Hornoy Oisemont), Richard Desjardins (Amiens Somme Judo Club)
- Canoeing: Marie Flandre (Ché Barboteux Amiens)
- Cycling: Alain Vignon (EC Villers Bretonneux)
- Football: Nicolas Bridoux (AC Hallencourt), Alain Leclercq (FC La Montoye)
- Handisport: Christian Lefebvre (Cercle d’Epée Marivaux Amiens Nord)
- Volunteer category: Bernadette Hartmann-Ehrart (judo and associated disciplines Kidokan FE B); Stéphane Merigout (judo and associated disciplines Kidokan FE B)
- American Football: Estevan Forestier (Amiens Spartans)
- Long palm: Gérard Chantrelle (Montdidier club)
- Sport in rural areas: Hélène Servant-Sellier (CDSMR 80- AJAT) and Eric Ledent (Jeux d’Assiettes Albertins)
- Sport in rural areas: Grivesnes Sports Association
Lionel Herbert
Photo credit: Lionel Herbet – Gazettesports.fr
