The French Football Federation has signed a memorandum of understanding with 19 companies whose mission is to support communities in a quality approach to develop their Foot5 and Futsal pitches.

The charter is part of a clear objective for the FFF. “It is a quality commitment on the part of the signatory companies,” explains Julien Benoit, who heads the Fields and Facilities Department at the Federation. By committing to provide equipment that complies with the specifications defined by the FFF, companies establish a climate of trust around new field projects and certify their ability to carry out the work involved. The charter also makes it possible to gain transparency for all the actors involved in the process. For the 2022/2023 season, a budget of EUR 101 million is available to improve football infrastructure in France.

Complementarity of charter companies

Among the companies listed, some specialise in one trade, while others are multi-activity and provide all the functions necessary for the design and construction of a pitch. The companies are grouped into four categories, representing the four professions essential to the establishment of a field of new practices: suppliers of sports equipment, installers of sports fields, maintenance companies as well as construction companies. “The charter is part of a desire to educate and should facilitate the procedures for the construction of football pitches,” Benoit adds.

Marco Sentein, Director of Sports for the town of Muret, President of the Haute-Garonne District and President of ANDIISS, continues: “The FFF must adopt a role of facilitator in the constitution of files in order to simplify the steps taken by the communities.”

 A local and individualised approach

Beyond a search for quality and a smoother field construction process, this charter is part of a federal desire to be as close as possible to territories and communities. “The list of companies is not final and can still evolve and be enriched,” Benoit points out. There are no particular size or geographical location criteria for becoming a signatory.

Companies that have signed the MoU are:

• Camma Sport
• DRTP
• DRH NGE Paysages
• Eurofield
• Groupe NGE
• Idverde
• Inov4sports
• La Fabrique du Sport
• Martys Sport
• Metalu Plast
• Module Carré
• Nouansport
• Polytan
• SCLA Côte Ouest
• SMC2
• Sport & Développement Urbain
• Sportingsols
• Technifence SAS
• Terenvi
• Transalp