The Badminton olympique club de Concarneau (BOCC) currently supports 140 registered members and aims to surpass the 150-member milestone by the spring of 2027.
The association reports growth across all age groups, including a recent influx of approximately 20 new players, according to Ouest-France.
Club officials attribute the surge in popularity to the increased international visibility of French badminton stars. Players such as Alex Lanier, currently ranked fifth in the world, along with brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov and world mixed doubles champion Thom Gicquel, have brought mainstream attention to the sport.
“We are recording an increase of about twenty players. The badminton school is still integrating young practitioners,” said Philippe Le Cam, coprésident of the club, to Ouest-France. Le Cam said that mobile device match streaming has increased viewership for a sport that historically receives limited traditional media coverage.
The BOCC maintains an active competitive schedule this season, fielding eight senior teams across the Régionale 3, Départementale 1, and Départementale 2 leagues. While the club supports high-level competition, it emphasizes accessibility for all ages, ranging from youth categories to players over 70.
Denis Cresaux, 71, joined the club in 2025 and participated in his first tournament in mid-October. “There are several of us in the club over 67. People over 50 are well represented, even if the majority of our members are in their thirties,” Le Cam told Ouest-France. The club has also added younger talent, such as 24-year-old Damien Pérès, to the Régionale 3 squad to help the team return to national-level play.
Beyond current match results, the club is prioritizing long-term development by training the next generation of educators and officials. Gaston Laurin, 13, is preparing to begin an educator’s course at age 14, while 17-year-old Baptiste Prima is already serving as a volunteer educator in his third year of training.
The club is also addressing administrative needs by training new tournament officials. “Quentin Robin is following a judge-referee training course. It is a plus for us, especially since he is also a tournament organizer,” said Le Cam. The organization’s next competitive checkpoint remains the ongoing league season, where the Régionale 3 team currently holds second place after sixteen matches.
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