Union Sportive Portésienne

The club

The Portet sur Garonne club evolves on the municipal stadium, avenue Salvador Allende which is part of a sports complex composed of 3 grass pitches, a synthetic pitch, a rugby house, a weight room and a swimming pool.

The beautiful story

After the beginnings of Portesian rugby at a time when the club was not yet called “Union Sportive Portesienne” but “Club Athlétic Portésien” in the colors “Yellow and Black”, we were in 1922 and we must posthumously pay tribute to the one who brought together the youth of Portes to practice this sport which is so dear to us, Antoine Hérisson. A tireless founder, he was helped in his task by Gabriel Lahille and Jean Borieu. The first Portesien international was part of this team and had the name Jean-Marie Nouziès who obtained his cape as a hooker. The departure of Antoine Hérisson in the flag and then his transition to active life put an end to the great adventure of this phalanx. But rugby flowed freely through the veins of the young Portesiens and the dirt floor replaced the grass for the ovalian antics of these young people. They were about thirty who fought hard in the center of the village to the chagrin of the traders. More clubs, no colors but enthusiasm to spare for two teams, that was enough but could not last. One Thursday in 1926 , Lucien Cézéra could no longer bear this wild way of practicing the sport-king. He typed the statutes of a new club through numerous administrative hassles and the entire characters of these men of the first hour whose name is engraved forever on the pediment of local rugby: Joseph Borieu, Bernard Cans, Paul Bouscatel, Marius Rives , Georges Vinsonneau.

The Union Sportive Portésienne had just been born with its new colors ” Green and Red “

The competition was about to begin. The USP did not yet have its own facilities, no matter, the rugby posts were going to bloom all over the city, where there was some grassy ground ready to welcome these young people in short pants.

TITLES & RANKINGS

The Portet club has experienced several climbs in Federal 3 during its history. In 2012 he was crowned double Champion of the Pyrenees with the First and Reserve team in Honor Promotion. Evolving in Regional 2, the club is always looking for development.

1972: SENIORS promoted to ^3rd division
1982/1983/1984: JUNIORS champions of France
1984: SENIORS moved up to ^3rd division
2009: JUNIORS: Double Grand Sud and Pyrenees Champion title
2012: SENIORS: rise in Honor and a double title (team 1 and 2) of champion of the Pyrenees
2014: CADETS: double title Champion of the Great South and of the Pyrenees
2016: JUNIORS: Champion of the Pyrenees and vice-champion of the Great South

The presidents

1927–1929: Doctor Paumès who was the first to prepare the long saga of the “Greens and Reds”.
1929–1950: Advent of Louis Fourmatgeat. An emblematic figure in the town, our local butcher was in turn president and trainer. During his mandate, he accepted the merger with the Police and the club, the space of two seasons became Portet-Police and in 1949 gleaned the title of the Pyrenees and National in the 3rd series.
1950–1955: Julien Malet succeeded him. With his brother François, this former club player, at the head of one of the largest Public Works companies in France, separated from his team with the police, most of whose players returned to the neighboring club TAC. The group was built with a priority of young local players who led them to the honor division. The playing area was therefore the Blanconne stadium which then bore the evocative name of “the slaughterhouse” because the stadium adjoined the municipal slaughterhouses which served as…changing rooms! Under his tenure, the biggest clubs bit the dust on Portesian soil, defeated by the fury and enthusiasm of the young Portesiens.
1955-1962: After the President left office in 1955, the club fell dormant until 1962.
1962–1977: A great gentleman in size and value took up the torch: Maurice Chauliac with whom began a new and beautiful adventure. The “Green and Red” were rebuilt thanks to the will and the enthusiasm of this business manager who knew how to surround himself with a wonderful team including his international friend Henri Fourès. It was a flourishing mandate for this builder, this innovator. Under the impetus of Henri Fourès, and André Gouze then as coaches, the locals of Maurice admired their game and all their rugby qualities to the point that they rose for the first time in the history of the club in the third division, missing the step leading to the second floor by a breath. During his long tenure, Maurice did not stop at his club’s Oval games in official competitions. We owe him: an “intervillage” which took place at the Blanconne stadium, the beer festival on the Ramier field and even the organization of trips to Iberian soil to meet a team from Barcelona, and across the Channel to cheering on the French team at Twickenham. 17 years of presidency was a long, very long lease. Moreover, Maurice had been a member of the Comité des Pyrénées since 1966. These long years of presidency were heavy to bear and while remaining within the management team, he passed the torch in 1978 to his trusted man Félix Cuoc.
1978 – 1980: For two years, Félix continued to convey the message of his predecessor before giving up his place, overcome by illness. The club had just lost an affable and devoted man, a great servant of the “Green and Red”.
1980-1982: It was the advent of a former Fernand Susigan who held the reins of the “green and red” chariot. Staffing problems and a very difficult pool got the better of USP, which went down in the regional competition and took part in the “Honour” championship.
1982-1986: It was a new great vintage with the arrival at the head of the club of André Fontanel, former player of a Tarn et Garonnais club. Under his mandate, it was the juniors driven by the Raynaud / Giraldou tandem who brought him great satisfaction.
1982/1983/1984: the Pyrenean title was ported to culminate with the national title “Danet” in 1983. Within this team a player was already showing the tip of his nose Christophe Deylaud, a prestigious player if ever there was one. In 1984, he also participated in the rise of the club in the third division. For four years, we were able to appreciate the rigor and the work accomplished by André and his wonderful team.
1986-1987: Short appearance of another former player, Pierre Cassignol who rebuilt a management team and continued to keep the “green and red” ship afloat. It was also the year of the sixtieth anniversary of the club.
1987-1990: The second line of the “reserve” team Philippe Garrigues succeeded him. Insurer by profession, his “contract” with the players was clear: to try to move up to the second division. The bet paid off and Philippe could be proud of being the first president to have achieved his goal.
1990-1992: Innovation at the club and which tends to generalize the co-presidency. In Portet it was inaugurated by Marcel Castro and Orféo Balsarin: the mixture of passion and technique, with one love: rugby. Marcel, a new man had a very legitimate ambition: the rise in group “B”. To achieve this, Marcel spared neither his time nor his trouble. Helped by his friend Orféo who, as a former high-level player, knew all the workings of the oval world. These were two beneficial years.
1992-1994: Marcel continued his mission, but his overflowing enthusiasm was not always well rewarded. We must salute this generous man who for four years always fought to help his players whose joys and sorrows he shared. Under his tenure, he celebrated the UFOLEP national junior title in 92, the year of his arrival at the head of the club.
1994-1995: It was a new two-headed presidency between Marcel Castro and this time Henri Fourès.
1995-1997: Henri Fourès drove the club alone, which went down to the third division.
1997-1999: Louis Dominguez and Pierre Sentenac direct the first year as a duo. Louis Dominguez, former player of the 60s and 70s remained alone in charge in 1998-1999.
1999-2002: A new management team (mainly players’ parents) takes charge of the club’s destiny, headed by Paul Helluy and Gérard Montaut. Team 1, trained by Serge Boéro, Didier Récaud, assisted by François Gimenez qualified and won the return ticket for federal 3 (victory against Saint-Cyprien) at the end of the 2000-2001 season. Change of coaches at the end of the following season with the arrival of two former “Greens and Reds”, Pascal Antia and Dominique Troncatti. The return to federal 3 will be ephemeral. USP returned to honor in 2002.
2002–2003: Gilles Escaffit assumes a “difficult” presidency, marked by serious financial worries and a lack of qualification at the sporting level. Didier Ricaud and Jacques Soulié trained the seniors during this dark year.
2003-2006: faced with the risk of putting the club on hold, Marcel Castro takes over the reins of the USP, with the former management team, well supported by Claude Gianesin, Robert Mantovani, Orféo Balsarin and Ginette Dupuy in the treasury. Two young coaches Frédéric Saint-Martin and Vincent Buero qualify team 1 from the first year. The ascent to federal 3 was narrowly missed against Argelès-Gazost and two rounds also passed in the French Championship. Two more average years will follow, sportingly speaking.
2006–2010: a former player, Cédric Barbe becomes the youngest president of the USP well assisted in his debut by Robert Mantovani always present. The responsibilities of training are entrusted to Michel Alarcon and Marc Coeurveillé the first year, then to the tandem Jean Arnaudin and Thierry San Roma for the following three years. The 2 senior teams qualify twice for the final stages of the Pyrenees championship. Note during this period the excellent results of the young cadets and juniors respectively champions Petit Sud, champion Phliponeau Grand Sud in 2009 and twice finalists of the French championship in 2010 and 2011. Moreover, under the impetus of Cédric Barbe, the rugby school is beginning to structure itself.
2010–2011: Cédric Barbe is joined at the head of the USP by Philippe Panabière from the rugby school. The former junior coaches Pascal Villeroux, Patrick Bruno and Pierre Maurice now lead the seniors. The season is difficult with a limited workforce and a probable descent into Promotion Honor. On the momentum of the school of rugby, the club continues its structuring and a new Steering Committee is elected on May 26, 2011.
2011–2018: Philippe Panabière is elected president, he surrounds himself with a young and dynamic team. This new team continues the work of structuring the club with the modification of the statutes and the creation of internal regulations. It also initiated the merger of the rugby schools of Roques and Roquettes and led to the creation of the Entente du Confluent in 2012. In 2011-2012, the newly structured club was crowned double champion of the Pyrenees in the Promotion of Honor, first team and reserve. This historic double allows the club to immediately rise in Honor. The following season, the goal of qualification is obtained in the snatch during the last match of the qualifying phase at home. This last season shows the improvement of the level of play in this Honor category with more and more former residents of federal 3 who come to swell the workforce. A new sports and development policy must be initiated.
2018: former player, former trainer, former EDR educator, former treasurer, still trainer and videographer, Frédéric Pauly, from Ariège, has held the presidency since 2018.

THE ICONIC PLAYER

Christophe Deylaud, the little prince of the attack made the crowds rise to the position of opening half a few years after other players from the club such as Henri Foures or Eric Bonneval. With several selections in the France team, he marked the history of French rugby.

The partners

Partner businesses

The teams

Seniors
Juniors and Cadets
Rugby School

Contact

House of Rugby, avenue Salvador Allende – Portet-sur-Garonne

TO DISCOVER WITH US

The Portet sur Garonne Natural Park and the nature reserve

Formerly called “Parc du Confluent”, the Portet-sur-Garonne Natural Park is a jewel of the ecological and environmental heritage of the city. Located on the right bank, the Park constitutes an isolated “natural” enclave within an agricultural and urban fabric. It is a vast woodpigeon populated by poplars, willows, elms, alders, etc., located on a former sand and gravel extraction site. Communal property since the 1980s, the municipality has long worked to rehabilitate this site. Thanks to the program of the municipality, the Park has been redeveloped, enhanced and opened to the public. This “natural” site is now of definite interest for walking, because of its varied landscapes and its many viewpoints over the Garonne and the confluence with the Ariège. The atmosphere of “wild nature” is highly sought after by visitors to this natural site.

The Municipal Baccalaureate

The Portet-sur-Garonne Natural Park is also accessible by taking the ferry which takes you from one bank of the Garonne to the other in a few minutes. It operates from April 1 to October 31, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays when weather and navigation conditions permit. For a unique and original crossing.

The Ramier of the banks of the Garonne

Covering an area of 13 ha, the Ramier des berges de Garonne is the ideal place for those who wish to relax in the shade of the trees. Playground for children, cycle paths for sports enthusiasts, green setting for fans of “idleness” or outdoor sports (jogging, hiking, rollerblading, cycling, etc.), the banks of the Garonne are very popular with all Portésiens but also by visitors from the surrounding area or even kayakers and canoeists who descend the two rivers (Garonne and Ariège). This intergenerational mix is reinforced by the activities and events that take place each year in this green setting: Nature Days, Local Festival, Summer Rendez-vous Festival MéditerranéO’, Boucle du Confluent, etc.

The wooded Ramier between the city center and the Garonne.

The Castle Park

Largely classified as a Classified Wooded Area, the Parc du Château, located in the historic heart of the city, has a rare heritage character. The wooded part of the estate presents a very interesting diversity. 198 trees were inventoried by the ONF, which counted 26 different species. Three species represent almost 50% of the park’s plant heritage. Among them, we find the Holm oak (24%), the sessile oak (15%) and the common privet (8%). The ONF’s diagnosis was supplemented by recommendations for action to best guarantee the sustainability of the trees, as well as proposals for the development and protection of the tree heritage. It is in this spirit that the city has worked on the security, development and now maintenance of the park.

The cedar of Lebanon in the Château de Portet park was labeled “remarkable tree of France” in 2023. This label is awarded to municipalities, local authorities, public establishments and private owners who, owning an exceptional tree, sign a partnership agreement with the association, involving in particular: > A commitment to maintain, safeguard and enhance the tree in question, considered as natural and cultural heritage, > The installation on the site of a panel presenting the tree bearing the logo of the association. Remarkable trees are living beings that present interesting characters of age, dimensions, aesthetics, particularities, location, history or legend. They are elements of natural and cultural heritage.

Portet Castle

An emblematic building of the town, located near the church in the historic heart of the city, the Château de Portet stands on the edge of a vast park of more than one and a half hectares. It hosts the city’s culture and urban activities department, the heritage department, the music school and the municipal police in an adjacent building that has just come out of the ground.

St. Martin’s Church

Built in the 14th and 15th centuries, it is worth a detour and has some very nice surprises in store. Its portal first, listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since May 21, 1953 and outside a listed bell and a unique chime in France. It is also home to many historical gems, classified as Historic Monuments as an object.

The church organ

As part of its heritage and memorial policy, the City has undertaken the restoration of the organ in 2020, so that this instrument can once again give body and resonate, so that it is the heart of the gathering of music lovers, lovers of heritage, that it offers its ranges to the various ceremonies that take place at the church

The organ of the restored Saint-Martin church - Ville de Portet-sur-Garonne

The Obelisk, Chemin de Castelet

Visible at the bottom of the Chemin du Castelet which separates Portet from Roques, the obelisk, a pyramid marking the boundary between Guyenne and Languedoc, has been listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments since February 21, 1973

The Museum of Memory labeled “Tourism and Handicap” for the 4 disabilities (hearing, mental, motor and visual)

Installed in an old building of the Récébédou camp, the Museum is part of a desire to transmit a story. Its ambition is to be a place of memory, but also a tool for reflection and knowledge. Through this educational aim, the Museum hosts a permanent exhibition, a model of the camp, and temporary exhibitions so that everyone can reclaim a past shared by all. It also allows on-site consultation of a certain number of works dealing more particularly with internment camps. Originally a working-class town, the Récébédou camp was transformed into an accommodation center for Spanish Republican refugees and foreign Jews after the anti-Jewish laws of October 1940. Under the Vichy government it became a camp-hospital. Very quickly the living conditions deteriorated: insufficient food, lack of care… Three convoys left Portet-Saint-Simon station for the death camps. It will be closed at the end of September 1942 following the protest of Monsignor Saliège. After the liberation, Spanish Republicans who had survived the Mauthausen concentration camp settled in a dozen barracks. This enclave in the former Récébédou camp will be called “La Villa Don Quixote” symbolizing exile and the impossible return to Franco’s Spain. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the exile of the Spanish Republicans, a Memorial to the Retirada was inaugurated in front of the Museum of Memory on February 2, 2019.

THE MEMORY MUSEUM - PORTET-SUR-GARONNE -

Workouts

Seniors: Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Juniors and Cadets: Tuesday and Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Rugby school: Tuesday 6.30-8.30 p.m. / Wednesday 5.30-7 p.m. / Saturday 11 a.m.-12 p.m. / Friday 5.30-7.30 p.m.

The post-games

The Club’s MAISON DU RUGBY located in the center of sports facilities which include 3 grass pitches of excellent quality, a synthetic pitch, a weight room and a swimming pool. Site that many envy us since the cadets and juniors of the Stade Toulousain regularly organize their preparation courses there but also the Algerian national team which, as part of the qualification for the 2023 World Cup, met in training during 4 days.