France is a sporting nation and has been so for a long time.
While it did not codify the rules of football and rugby, there is lots of evidence that “village rules” equivalents were widespread.
Tennis is thought to have been codified in France, but the jeu de paume (real tennis) games, with or without racquets, which thrived and thrilled gamblers in every provincial city in the 19th century, have not survived.
One of the key events in the early days of the French revolution was the Serment de jeu de palme, where deputés from the third estate (commoners) locked out of the Estates General by the king, met in a tennis court and swore not to disband before their demand for a constitution was met. The king’s brother then rented the court for two days, although he was very unfit and not a player, to move them on.
Read more: What subscriptions are needed to watch sports in France?
Sporting nation
France has a reputation for being a nation of great sport administrators: the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, was French, and it was the French who took the initiative and first organised a football European cup.
It is generally accepted that the knock-out tournament format adopted across many sports, of group stages, quarter finals, semi-finals and finals, came from the French.
September is the most important month when it comes to sport on an individual level, with nearly all sports associations signing up members and agreeing calendars this month.
Fees to join associations – often around €200 for the year – do not necessarily reduce if you sign up later in the year, so it makes sense to sign up then to get your money’s worth.
For the price of your sub, you usually have membership of the local club, but also of a national federation covering your sport, with the paperwork detailing where the money goes.
It is these federations, which are run on national, regional, and departmental levels, which grant the licences, which mean you are officially registered.
If you misbehave on the pitch, track or court, it is the federations which hold hearings which in severe cases can have you fined and your licence suspended.
Making a claim
For French income tax payers, it is possible to claim part of a subscription to a sports association as an income tax reduction for the year in question (66% of the amount) under the heading of a don à une organisme d'intérêt général (similar to giving to charity). Having said that, in theory this should only relate to the part of the fee for joining the club, not for providing actual services to you. It is best to ask the club about this, and whether it can provide a reçu fiscal receipt slip as proof.
For example, if you join a horse-riding club, the deduction will not cover the part of the subs for renting a horse and saddle, or the contribution towards maintaining a jump course.
Do not expect to get 12 months for your money, as most clubs run their seasons until July 14 at the latest and then everyone breaks for a rest until September.
Fitness test
Another point to bear in mind, even for local walking or pétanque clubs, is that they almost all require a doctor’s certificate stating that you are physically fit to take part, for insurance purposes.
It is a welcome source of revenue for busy doctors, but can impact waiting lists.
Various proposals to change the system have been made over the years.
However, a session each year with a doctor from an early age can be a good thing – heart and lungs are listened to and it is not uncommon for anomalies to be picked up which would otherwise go unnoticed.
Anyone aged between six and 30 is entitled to a government coupon, called pass Sport, worth €50 which goes towards the cost of joining a sports association.
School sports in the British sense do not exist in France – youngsters learn their sport through clubs and associations, the same ones which normally run adult events. Any adult who is able and prepared to help coach the youngsters is welcome.
The benefits of sport are recognised by health authorities, to the point where it is possible to be prescribed sport as part of a treatment programme, meaning fees and some associated costs will be picked up by the health system.
Read more: Can I ask a foreign GP for a French sports certificate?
Sport on prescription
Called sport sur ordonnance, or prescription médicale pour pratiquer une activité physique adaptée, the measure is open for people with one of the recognised long-term conditions called affections de longue durée, which range from strokes to TB.
People with a maladie chronique can also benefit. This includes being overweight, having high blood pressure, anxiety or depression.
Those who hold the carte mobilité inclusion, or who have home help assistance, either through the allocation personnalisée d’autonomie or aide à domicile, or people assessed as having a déclin fonctionnel lié à l’âge, can also be prescribed sport.
The prescription, which lasts six months, and is renewable, has to be written by a doctor – but the people in charge of the programme can be other health professionals such as kinésthérapeutes (phsyiotherapists) or sports professionals such as sports scientists, teachers and trainers.
These boots are made for walking
Government statistics for 2022, the latest available, show that 60% of the French population said they practised sport of some sort at least once a week, and 72% said they had done so in the year.
Figures from 2023 showed that the most licences were issued to men, with only 37% of licence holders being female.
Walking is the most popular sport, with 32% of the population taking part, but in second place was indoor training, either in gyms or in halls – for example, aerobics, Pilates or yoga.
Jogging and fun runs have also finally taken off in France, 40 years after starting in the US. The beauty of jogging (called footing by the French) is that you can do it by just putting on running shoes and stepping out of the door.
Be warned, though, if you get to the stage where you think you would like to run in a race, there will be registration formalities, fees and a doctor’s certificate involved.
