A company with a mission, quality adapted to French professional sport?

In appearance, the quality of a company with a mission combines all the attributes to seduce representatives of French professional sports. However, to date, very few French sports organizations have paid attention to this new legal framework resulting from the Pacte Act. Decipher issues.

Go beyond appeasing minor financial issues by questioning their (positive) contribution and place in society. It is for this philosophy that the legislator would like to see companies lean across the creation of a company with a mission, a new legal framework resulting from the Pacte Act passed in May 2019. While professional clubs appear to be in a better position than representatives from more traditional industries to endorse this quality ; Very few sports organizations have thus far taken the steps to become a corporation with a mission. Examples can be counted on the fingers of one hand – Aviron Bayonnais, Lyon La Duchère and ASVEL Féminin are best known – while the nature of this new quality perfectly fits the role of a professional club.

And contrary to what it seems, it is not administrative procedures that constitute a stopping point. “Technically, it is easy to become a company with a mission. It suffices to change its basic systems to include its raison d’être and legal objectives. After that, an audit must be carried out by an independent third party organization to verify compliance with the purpose and objectives. But, at the outset, administrative and legal procedures are not exhausting to become a company with a mission ”determines Vivian Bertosot, Founder of La Machine à Sens Mission Specialist.

Formally, the scope of the law excludes a large part of the amateur world, including clubs operating under the association system. But nothing prevents an association from drawing inspiration from the provisions of charter law to define its “mission” even if the quality is not legally recognized. “Some associations have embarked on this approach. They have then amended their statutes by incorporating raison d’être and aims. Some have gone so far as to create an important committee and have even gone so far as to scrutinize.” Vivian Bertosot. Among the sports associations that have initiated such an approach, we find in particular the Niort Rugby Club which currently plays in National 2.