The Elite championship constitutes, today, the best level of the discipline in France. For Olivier Moret, national technical director within the French American Football Federation, the D1 is a major tool for developing the high level over the long term.
“The Elite Championship, Division 1, is the top of the pyramid. This is what is done best in France. It’s really a barometer of the high level of American football in France. The more this championship presents a high level and spectacle, the better. » DTN of the French American Football Federation, Olivier Moret does not hide it: without D1, no high level in France… and therefore no high-performance French team. “Players from D1 clubs are the number one breeding ground for the French teamconfirms the DTN. The France team plays international matches which are, by definition, of a high level. We always play against very strong opponents. There are no more small matches. Obviously, as in other disciplines, we select players who play at the highest national level in order to have the most efficient team possible. » And if the Blues are progressing, it’s also because the level of the championship is constantly changing. “What I see is that the level of play and the speed are much higher than what was done before. Today, a bit like rugby, American football is less about brutal and frontal confrontation, and more about speed of execution. observes Olivier Moret.
“The priority is to structure the clubs”
A D1 whose level is progressing, in particular thanks to two clubs which act as locomotives. “The Flash La Courneuve and the Black Panthers of Thonon, with their very different characteristics, are two clubs that are driving forces for American football in France. They are big machines that pull everyone up. We are pleased that these clubs exist and that they are, each year, in very strong competition to give a good image of American football. » In their wake, all the clubs are progressing, with one priority: to develop, gradually, without going crazy. “Today, the priority is to structure clubs so that performance is established over time. This is a subject on which we are working hand in hand with the Elite commission. We no longer want a club that buys the best players, that “buys a title” and disappears two years later. This is the model we no longer want to see”says Olivier Moret. “We must give ourselves the means to stabilize the staff and the players who are amateurs and logically courted. Today, we have many young players, from U16 to U19, who have lived in American football, but who are turning to rugby. The discipline very quickly gives bonuses, including in the small divisions. It is a competition which was localized on the clubs of the South-West, but which tends to generalize on all France. If we want American football to establish itself at the highest level of performance, professionalism will have to take hold. But there has to be a solid economic context so that it’s not just a flash in the pan. »