TotalEnergies and Section Paloise: commitments that go beyond the field

Rugby has held a special place in the history of TotalEnergies for several decades. Well before the stadiums became a modern entertainment venue, our Company recognised itself in the spirit of this sport: a culture of commitment, teamwork, humility and shared efforts. In Béarn, a region with a strong identity where the Company has solid roots, particularly through the CSTJF and PERL, this affinity has taken on a new dimension.
 

Shared values have naturally led TotalEnergies to forge strong ties with rugby, in Southwest and throughout France. In Pau, rugby brings people together around the same vision of teamwork, based on transmission, respect and sharing.

But being a key partner for over 30 years is not only about providing funding. It is also about fully and automatically involving the local community in the rugby world, from employees to clubs, associations and other partners who benefit from hospitality and solidarity events all year round.

The past year once again demonstrated this constant dialogue between the club, our teams and the region at large. At every match at the Hameau stadium, hundreds of employees from the CSTJF and PERL met up to support Section Paloise, with a fervour that reflects our colleagues’ great attachment to their region, whether they were born here or arrived later. More than 4,000 employees were invited this season, enjoying friendly get-togethers where colleagues, friends and business partners can meet, and where passion for rugby also feeds into a collective energy.
 

Offering support by drawing on collective strength 

This desire to foster transmission is also found in them reaching out to rugby schools. Over the past three years, each match has brought together over 3,000 young players every season who were invited to discover the emotional highs behind these professional encounters. The pre-match period is also a special time filled with photos and autographs with players, where different generations get together, young people have the opportunity to talk to their idols and where dreams are made. The energy that emerges from these moments is the same as what TotalEnergies defends on a daily basis: supporting career paths and young players, and contributing to their development.
Béarn’s amateur clubs are not forgotten. Each meeting showcases a local club, represented by its volunteers and managers: a social is organized in a box before the game, and they then experience the match as a reward for their hard work on the field. Their presence reiterates the fact that before the spotlight, everything started in these clubs for those who now are professional players – the first passes, the first tournaments, the first values instilled in hundreds of children. By reserving a special place for them, TotalEnergies demonstrates its respect for their key role in regional rugby.

That’s also why a grant was given to the region’s training clubs: sixty rugby schools received fifty balloons each, i.e. a total of three thousand balloons distributed to those who support future generations each week. This kind gesture, which may seem humble at first, is nevertheless essential to allow volunteer educators to continue to transmit the love of the game and rugby values.

Still other actions have been carried out over the past year… Every opportunity has been seized and every project has been designed to share our enthusiasm for the beautiful game.

"Throughout the 25-26 season, we stay true to our guiding principle: that of long-term and sincere relations between TotalEnergies and Section Paloise, founded on confidence, close ties and the shared desire to promote the region. This partnership has become much more than a commitment to sport. It has become a vehicle of social cohesion, a playing field for meeting people, a space where hospitality, solidarity and shared passion go hand in hand." Bastien Azabant, Head of Governance and Sponsoring.

"In Pau, rugby brings people together. And with it, TotalEnergies continues to strengthen its roots year after year, honour the values which link it to Béarn and participate in the collective energy which makes this region it cherishes so much come to life", Jérôme Poncet, Site Director of TotalEnergies, Pau, concludes.