Winner of the Judo Pro League last May after its first appearance, AC Boulogne-Billancourt is preparing to make its grand return to the Champions League this Saturday. The logical continuation of a project launched in 2018 by Yoann Catherin and his entire team, with a methodical construction and a no-compromise team culture put to the service of this great name of French judo.

On May 16th, just a few minutes after seeing his protégés lift the colossal trophy of the Judo Pro League, President Yoann Catherin already had a clear plan in mind for the upcoming stages, between defending this national mixed team title and the prospect of competing in the Champions League without having to worry about the lineup.

The turning point of Verquin
Obviously not the kind of structure typical of Boulogne, which was the first to see one of its judokas become world champion in the person of Jean-Luc Rougé, who was crowned in 1975 in Vienna. To understand the current success of the ACBB, it is necessary to go back to the foundations of the project undertaken by Yoann Catherin, elected president in 2018. A demanding training policy, which has notably allowed talents like Sarah-Léonie Cysique and Romain Valadier-Picard to emerge – declared candidates for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – who would be the third consecutive winners for the -57kg category, finalist in Tokyo in 2021 and then bronze medalist in Paris in 2024 – and both world medalists in June 2025. A magnificent double preceded a decisive victory a few weeks earlier at the first mixed team championships held in Verquin. «We had seen the enthusiasm of the mixed teams during the last two Olympic Games, and we thought that there was a great story to be written there, that it could be beneficial for the development of our club, which operates like a big family,", the president specifies. We didn’t have the best team on paper, but this cohesion that is our trademark enabled us to defy the predictions and win.» This success gives the section, with more than a thousand members, even more credibility in the eyes of the municipality, its unwavering supporters, and its sponsors, and opens the door to the Judo Pro League for it.

A win-win situation at JPL
Just to participate in it? You see, that’s not part of the DNA of the leadership team, which immediately decides to make a big deal out of it in order to stand out and create a sensation at every match, both at home and away. «We are fortunate to have as vice president Guilain Ranouil, who works in the entertainment world with the greatest artists, and who brought us this creativity and sense of show that we adapted to judo. We also had the good idea, from scratch, to form a support group, with their orange T-shirts «The voice of the tatami is us», highlighting our partners, which ensured a great atmosphere during our three receptions, but also during our trip to Pontault-Combault in the eliminations and of course at the Dojo de Paris for the Final Four.» A real orange tide that propelled the Boulonnais team to the title, the only declared goal at the start of the season. «I don't know if it's luck, but every time we announce something, we succeed,", Yoann Catherin smiled. In fact, nothing seems impossible to us! Simply because we put honesty and commitment into everything we undertake, and we give ourselves the means to bring our projects to fruition, with the club above all considerations. In my opinion, the other fundamental element of our success lies in anticipation and planning: we Let us never think about our project year after year; we build it over at least one Olympiad, or even beyond. Whether we’re talking about budget, contract renewal or managing our athletes, everything is planned and thought through to give us several advantages.»

European podium goal
And the Champions League in all of this? «This is the logical continuation of our project, made possible in particular by our growing reputation thanks to the Judo Pro League. Our community has grown, as has our network within the international circuit. This has enabled us, for example, to include top-class athletes in our venture, such as the Dutch Joanne Van Lieshout, the Esposito brothers, and our Ukrainian reinforcements. And with our trio of coaching staff composed of Romain Poussin, Julien Maugard, and Yann Siccardi, highly skilled in terms of knowledge of the milieu, strategy, and support for the fighters, everything is once again finely calibrated. On Saturday, if the draw is in our favor, we can very well aim for the podium.» And continue to write the history of AC Boulogne-Billancourt in gold letters.