Interview with Anne-Cécile Ciofani, named the world’s best women’s rugby sevens player!

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As part of Women’s Month, we had the opportunity to interview Anne-Cécile Ciofani about the role rugby plays in her life, women’s rugby, and her Cameroonian roots. This young woman is a shining example of success and resilience for our girls at the Serge Betsen Academy. We thank her for her time and wish her a speedy recovery as her season was unfortunately cut short due to a full ACL rupture.

  • Can you tell us about your journey and how you became passionate about rugby?

I’ve been involved in sports since I was little. I did athletics throughout my youth until I was 18. That’s when I discovered rugby at university. I was studying sports science, and rugby was mandatory. My professor convinced me to give it a try, and I never looked back. Five years later, I joined the French national team, with whom we became World Silver Medalists in 2018 and Olympic Silver Medalists in 2021. That same year, I had the honor of being named World Rugby Women’s Sevens Player of the Year.

  • How do you prepare for competitions? What are your ambitions?

We train several times a day. We also do a lot of video sessions to study our opponents, find ways to beat them, and improve ourselves. Our goal is to win a world championship.

  • In your opinion, what are the strengths of the French women’s XV ahead of the Women’s Six Nations?

Their determination will be their greatest strength.

  • What are you most proud of in your life?

The titles we’ve won, and the fact that we’re helping a women’s team shine in a sport like this!

  • You’re of Cameroonian origin. How does that shape your identity and the values you believe in?

I’m proud of my roots. I hope to one day trace back my maternal lineage. The values passed on by my mother and grandmother push me to want to learn more.

  • How did you discover the Serge Betsen Academy?

I discovered the SBA through social media. I’ve followed what’s happening there through the various videos and photos posted on Instagram.

  • Do you have any advice for the girls at SBA Cameroon who play rugby?

My advice would be to hang in there and fight to defend and embrace who they are. Rugby teaches so many values and helps you discover yourself.

  • What do you think about the recent growth of women’s rugby? What’s your dream for the future of the sport?

Women’s rugby has grown significantly in recent years. My dream would be for every club to one day be able to offer players professional status, with a salary and employment contract, so they can make a living from it and help the sport grow even more.

And finally, here are some flashs questions:

Thank you Anne-Cécile!

Event: Have dinner with rugby legends in Lyon while supporting our charity!

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The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) has the pleasure to be the beneficiary of the dinner organized by the Comité de Rugby Rhône Métropole de Lyon (CD69). On this occasion, we will gather rugby enthusiasts in Lyon on the Thursday evening before the Top14 Semi-Finals.

A cocktail followed by a seated dinner with Serge Betsen and rugby legends is planned at Parc des Vallières on June 19. The objective of this event is to raise funds to improve the well-being of disadvantaged young people in Cameroon and Mali. The profits from the evening will go directly to the Serge Betsen Academy charity.

The Serge Betsen Academy needs the support of donors and partners to finance its programs and thus strengthen the social and professional integration of young people who do not see a future without the help of an association like ours.  We are counting on your presence on June 19!

Dinner date: Thursday June 19, 2025, at 7 p.m., before the Top 14 Semi-Finals at Groupama Stadium

Location: Le Parc des Vallières, 57 rue des Vallières, 69390 Vourles, Salle Amélia

The program will be as follows:

  • Cocktail,
  • Seated dinner with Serge Betsen and rugby legends,
  • Animation by Le Ballon Responsable (LBR) which recycles rugby balls into bags, wallets, …,
  • Testimonials and auctions,
  • Musical entertainment.

Please book a table to spend an evening of solidarity with your colleagues, clients and friends:

  • Table for 8 people: 1440 euros,
  • Table for 10 people: 1800 euros.

You can also register individually at the price of €180/person.

To support the event as a sponsor, have dinner with a rugby legend and benefit from great visibility, contact us!

SBA: contact@sergebetsenacademy.org & mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org / +34 605 11 20 75
CD69: michelcommeinhes@orange.fr & rugby-69@orange.fr / laure.follinarbelet@lfacoach.com /+33 672 28 37 67

 

 

Event: Join us in Toulouse for a SBA charity Dinner supported by Capgemini!

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The Serge Betsen Academy has the great pleasure of organizing a charity dinner in Toulouse on Monday April 28, a few days after the Toulouse – Castres Top 14 match. Serge Betsen, Trevor Brennan, Paul Costes, Omar Hasan, Yannick Jauzion, Marjorie Mayans and Gabrielle Vernier will welcome you during this special rugby evening. 

This second edition will be an opportunity to bring together rugby legends from the Toulouse region, our donors and partners and also to forge links with new companies wishing to discover our actions in Cameroon and Mali.

We have the immense privilege of counting on Capgemini as a sponsor of the event and we thank them for their support.

Please find below the practical information regarding our charity dinner:

Date: Monday April 28, from 7 p.m. (the day after or two days after the Toulouse-Castres match)
Location: La Brasserie du Stade Toulousain, 114 Rue des Troènes, 31200 Toulouse, France
Format: Cocktail, seated dinner with Serge Betsen and rugby legends, quiz and auction
Price: 200 euros per person, or 1600 euros for a table of 8 people and 2000 euros for a table of 10 people
Sponsorship packages available with benefits in terms of hospitality and logo exposure.

We hope you will be able to attend!

Please contact Maïlys Drouault to find out more about this event: mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org / +34 605 11 20 75.

 

Event: Six-Nations Pre-Crunch Dinner on 7th February in London!

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We are delighted to host a Six-Nations Pre-Crunch Dinner in London.

The dinner will be held on Friday 7th February, 2025 at 6:30pm at M Threadneedle Street, Unit 2 & 3, 60 Threadneedle St, London EC2R 8HG.

It will be a special evening with Serge Betsen and Rugby Legends, including a seated Dinner, a Quiz, Q&A and Auctions. The Legends will discuss, dispute and digest what’s been happening on the pitch and you will be able to ask them lots of questions.

The Serge Betsen Academy will spend the money raised to continue welcoming underprivileged children in general community centers to help the relief of poverty, sickness and distress as well the advancement of education and the development or rugby in Cameroon and in Mali.

We want to thank our sponsors for their support and we wish you all a very pleasant evening. Please note that we are currently fully-booked.

SBA : 2023 achievements and prospects

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Discover the association’s major achievements in 2023 and the projects that remain to be financed by the end of 2024!

Join the Agence Française de Développement (French Development Agency) as well as our partners and donors to enable us to strengthen our positive impact on the lives of our disadvantaged children in Cameroon and Mali.

We are looking for new partners to implement our projects in education and training, health, and rugby, and allow our young people to integrate socially and professionally in Cameroon and Mali.

If sport has the power to change the world, your support can change the course of our children’s lives!

Read our report “Serge Betsen Academy – 2023 achievements and prospects“, and contact us:
contact@sergebetsenacademy.org
www.sergebetsenacademy.org

Event: A spectacular charity dinner on the famous revolving floor 34 of BT Tower in London on 28th March!

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On Thursday 28th March, we celebrated the Serge Betsen Academy 20th anniversary at the iconic BT Tower in London. We would like to thank our amazing guests for joining our fundraising celebrations. 

 

 
We are delighted to share with you that this event raised a staggering total of £40,260, and we are so truly grateful for the fantastic efforts of our guests on helping us to raise this amount.

 

 
All the money we raised will go directly to the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) to continue welcoming underprivileged children in their general community centres to help the relief of poverty, sickness and distress as well as the advancement of education and the development of rugby in Cameroon and Mali.
 

 

We would like to thank Shirley Pinder for organizing this perfect event, the legends Mark Foster, Leon Lloyd, Joe Worsley, Victor Ubogu and Jeremy Chardy for their availability, Peter Scrivener for being an amazing MC, our sponsor Benoit Verbrugghe for his generosity, and all our guests for their support of the Serge Betsen Academy 20th Anniversary fundraising celebrations at the BT Tower.
 

 

More than ever this 20th anniversary shows us that the recipe of team sport, education and healthcare is the magic formula to have a real impact on the life of our children. We are already making real progress:
  • Over the last 20 years, the Serge Betsen Academy has created five centres in Cameroon and one in Mali and 6 infirmaries
  • Supported 9000 underprivileged children, distributed 14650 meals
  • Made 1080 medical consultations (in 2023) in our infirmaries,
  • Organised 4 inter-centre tournaments and 3 inter-school tournaments
  • Built 3 water towers, 5 water wells, installed 16 solar panels,…
 

 

The next 20 years, we want our centres to be more autonomous and we want to help and support our children on the long run to achieve their professional dream.
 

 

For now thank you once again for your support.

 

 
 
 

2024: An Olympic and festive year for the Serge Betsen Academy!

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The Serge Betsen Academy (SBA) will celebrate its 20th anniversary in March 2024 and on this occasion we will be organising various events to celebrate our actions and to introduce our plans for the future. 20 years old is a golden age when one has lots of energy, and it’s perfect because we have many plans.

 

Over 20 years, the Serge Betsen Academy has supported more than 9,000 disadvantaged children both in Cameroon and Mali, using rugby as a vector of social integration. The mission of the association created by Serge Betsen, former international rugby player, is to give them access to after-school academic support sessions, medical care, meals and rugby training. It is thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors that the SBA has been able to create six centres over the last 20 years and that it has had such a positive impact on the lives of its young people through its various programs.

 

Serge Betsen and the entire association would like to invite you to discover our events (see below) and to contact us would you wish to participate in them and to turn these events into unforgettable moments, in support of our children!

 

– Match Biarritz Olympique V Rouen Normandie Rugby

Date & Venue: Friday February 16, 7:30 p.m., Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz

Match dedicated to the Serge Betsen Academy association

Kick-off by Serge Betsen

 

– Dinner for the 20th anniversary of the Serge Betsen Academy in Lyon

Date & Venue: Friday March 15, 7 p.m., Grand Refectory of the Grand Hôtel Dieu in Lyon

A dinner with 200 guests among sports legends, in a beautiful venue, on the eve of the France-England game of the Six Nations. Cocktail, seated dinner, auctions and musical entertainment will be on the menu!

Details here.

 

 

– Rugby & Art: evening of emotions near Lille

Date & Venue: Thursday March 21, 6 p.m. in Marcq-en-Barœul France (59)

An extraordinary evening organised by Thetechicy, combining artistic expression through contemporary art and the passion for rugby, with the Serge Betsen Academy. On this occasion an auction will be organised, selling 40 works of art. Part of the sales will be donated to the association. This event will be dedicated to art lovers, sports enthusiasts and charitable spirits!

Details here.

 

 

– Gala match: Football – Variétés Club de France vs Serge Betsen’s team

Date & Venue: Saturday March 23, 2024, 2 p.m., Stade Nelson Paillou – 2 Rue Jean Walter, 92110 Clichy

Program: Football match between the Variétés Club de France and Serge Betsen’s team, made up of sports legends, physiotherapists and masseurs (OKM) and football players from the Clichy club (USAC). To be followed by a cocktail-party at 4 p.m.

For the benefit of the Serge Betsen Academy

 

– Gourmet dinner in a secret place in London to support the Serge Betsen Academy and to celebrate Paris 2024

Date & Venue: Thursday March 28 at 6 p.m., London

This will be a spectacular evening, during which a sumptuous 3-course dinner will be served to you in a legendary building in London, where musical entertainment will enhance your evening, where special guests will make it unforgettable and where various fundraising activities will take place for the benefit of our association.

Please email mailys@sergebetsenacademy.org for further details

 

– Women’s and men’s rugby and basketball tournament, Yaoundé & Douala, Cameroon

Date & Venue: 10-13 April (TBC), Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon

A tournament to enable young people to compete against each other while playing rugby. This event organised at the initiative of the French Embassy in Cameroon will bring together different charities, including the Serge Betsen Academy and will be an opportunity to talk about important themes related to sports, health and gender equality. There will also be an initiation to rugby and basketball.

 

– Dinner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SBA Cameroon, in Yaoundé

Date & Venue: Thursday May 30, 6 p.m., Boun’s Hotel, Yaoundé, Cameroon

We will gather with the SBA team members and our faithful partners to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity and raise funds for our future projects. A delicious buffet will be served and there will be various entertainments.

 

We look forward to welcoming you soon to celebrate our 20th anniversary! 

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

 

Cameroon: Feedback on the rugby introductory program in the schools in the Ndé region

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Our rugby introductory program in the schools in the Ndé region has grown and we are ever so proud of this. We would like to thank Recycling Rugby, which has been supporting this program for the last year through its Foundation, thus allowing us to pay our coaches and buy rugby equipment.

The first rugby introductory sessions in the Ndé schools began in 2019 at the initiative of young rugby players from our Bangangté rugby team, known as the Nzuimanto Rugby Club. This Club is a group of young rugby players who have been trained by the Serge Betsen Academy (SBA). Upon completing their training, as they did not want to be split in order to integrate various clubs within the national territory, they resolved to set up a team to defend the colours of their own region, the Ndé, at the national level. In 2019, it was apparent that rugby was almost non-existent in the curriculum of the schools in the Ndé region. At the same time, introductory sessions were also conducted by Abaa, rugby manager of the Zoétélé centre in schools near his centre.

In Ndé, since September 2019, our young coaches, Idriss Ketcha, Jacques Toresse and Loïc Zeutsop have massively contributed to the popularisation of rugby in the schools. These actions happened once authorisation had been given by the Cameroonian Rugby Federation (Fecarugby) for the inclusion of rugby in schools. From 2019, Idriss, Jacques and Loïc gave theoretical presentations to make our sport known to school teams and students, handed out rugby balls, and carried out rugby training for young people from 2021. We would like to thank them for their dedication to the development of rugby in the country. It is a pleasure to collaborate with such passionate and diligent young people.

In 2021, 7 schools in the Ndé region benefited from SBA rugby introductory sessions, i.e. 745 children, plus the children from the Eau Claire centre in Bangangté and also those from the neighbourhood. In 2022, the young coaches of the Serge Betsen Academy carried on presenting rugby to the boards of schools in the region, and carried out rugby introductory sessions in 8 different schools and thus introduced rugby to 750 children. Rugby introductory sessions therefore took place in 2022 in the following schools: Nenta nursery school, Group 1 public school, Group 2 A and B public school, Fatgo’o public school, Saint Jean-Baptiste College, Babou Classic High School, Lycée Technique of Banékane and the Japanese Donation Public School, Group I A and B.

Here are some supporting photos:

 

Introductory session to school Group 2 A and B

Introduction to the Fatgo’o school

Introduction to the group 1 school of the Japanese Donation CM1B

Rugby introduction at the Bamena Technical High School

Rugby introduction at Saint Jean-Baptiste College

School introduction Group 2 A and B

At the Serge Betsen Academy, we work to develop rugby in the Ndé region but also in other regions where our centres are located. In the Zoétélé region, for example, rugby in schools dates back to 2011, the year in which it was set up by the Atoak Koumou association. When the SBA centre in Zoétélé was created in 2013 the SBA-Atoak Koumou partnership continued with these rugby introductions.

In Zoétélé there are 4 primary schools, namely the public school of Zoétélé Group 1 and Group 2, the Catholic school Sainte Marguerite and the bilingual school of Zoétélé which benefit from rugby initiations by the Serge Betsen Academy. In Nkoumadjap, there are 2 primary schools in which rugby initiations have been set up regularly: the public school of Nkoumadjap and the Catholic school of Nden, as well as 2 secondary schools: the Lycée of Nkoumadjap and the CETIC of Nden. Over the year 2021-2022, the Serge Betsen Academy recorded 1,518 children in Zoétélé and 726 children in Nkoumadjap who took part in the rugby initiation program.

In Yaoundé, Moise, coach of the Jardin Eden centre and of the youth team of the B Nkol Eton center (formerly Etoudi) will soon be in charge of developing the practice of rugby in schools in his sector in Yaoundé.

It is a real pleasure for the SBA to get young people to discover our sport and its values. Thanks again to Recycling Rugby for their support.

 

Translation : Katy Birge-Wilson

Event: Special World Cup Legends’ Dinner, September 11, 2023, Toulouse

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The evening before the WRC France vs Namibia match, a Legends dinner was organised by Karim Ben Amar and the team of his Escale Borely at Sport Beach, Marseille. It was a fund raising initiative, as 100% of the profits from the evening were to be donated to the Serge Betsen Academy.We would like to thank all our guests who attended this dinner and also the rugby initiation led, during the afternoon, by Serge Betsen himself for the young people of the Stade Marseillais Université Club (SMUC). It was a pleasure to share this moment with the legends: Yann Delaigue, Marc Andreu, Sebastien Bruno, Bakary Meïté, John Tuilakepa and Virginie La Porta, as well as all those who were present for the Legends match the next day.

Thanks to Karim BEN AMAR and his Escale Borely team for the organisation as well as to Romain Canuti, at the Sport Beach restaurant and Alain Michaud Bonnet for their welcome, to Stéphane Tollet from the SMUC, to the Association of Traders of the Escale Borély, to Oxyne, Kaporal and Château d’Astros, Ovale Beach Rugby Five Marseille, as well as TotalEnergies for their support.

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson

Event: David Ellis Jubilee Match, French Legends vs XIII Mondial

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David Ellis will be celebrating his jubilee, in a unique approach alternating the rules of XIII and XV, League and Union, in the shape of a Gala match between several generations of stars of the Oval ball.

Come along on October 12 at 5 p.m. in Prades (66) to attend this unique match between the French Legends and the XIII Mondial Rugby League Cares. The profits will be donated to two associations dear to the players’ hearts: the Serge Betsen Academy and Handi Move & Fun.

A big thank you to David Ellis, Ellis Rugby, JOP Conflent Canigou – Prades, Prades Town Hall, Rugby League Cares and French Legends for this collaboration.

Among the French Legends, you will be able to support: Julien Bonnaire, Jérémy Castex, Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, Guilhem Guirado and Thomas Lièvremont.

As for the XIII World team, to date, are already registered: Gareth Ellis, Adrian Morley, Lee Radford, Keith Senior and from Wales, Andy Bateman, Kevin Ellis and Clive Griffiths.

There will also be an auction where cult items from the world and history of Rugby will be sold and then a reception will close the party.

You can support the event by making a donation on this platform. You can get your tickets on location at the JOPCC, Jeunesse Olympique Pradéenne Conflent Canigou (price: €12, free for children under 12).

For more information on the event, please contact: Jean-Pierre Respaut JOPCC: jeanpierrerespaut@orange.fror mobile 00 33 7 85 27 65 82

 

Translation : Katy Birgé-Wilson