The organisation

The Steering Committee

The FFRandonnée is managed by a Steering Committee composed of 24 members from 3 colleges - a medical college, a territorial college and a general college - elected at the General Assembly by the representatives of the affiliated associations for a 4-year term, corresponding to an Olympiad. Its role is to define the general policy of the Federation, to develop the federal project and to implement it. It also ensures the coherence of the actions of the Federation's departmental and regional committees. The President, elected from among its members, is the legal representative of the Federation.

Composition

The Board

• President: Brigitte Soulary
• Vice-president: Madeleine Lebranchu
  Great West inter-regional referent
• Vice-president: Maryse Gauttron
• Vice-president: Jean-Claude Marie
• Treasurer : Claire Chevalier
• Assistant treasurer: Louis Kormann
• General secretary: Lexie Buffard
  Great South-East inter-regional referent
• Assistant general secretary: Claude Ghiati

Other members of the steering committee

• Great West inter-regional referent: Jean-Jacques Bougault 
• Great North-East inter-regional referent: Frédéric Brouet
• Administrator: Sophie Chipon
• Great North inter-regional referent: Annette Gogneau
• Great South-West inter-regional referent: Anne-Marie Gresle
• Great North inter-regional referent: Alain Grimbert
• Administrator: Claudie Grossard
• Federal doctor: Catherine Kabani
• Administrator: Bruno Lamaurt
• Administrator: Frédéric Montoya
• Administrator: Michel Nicollet 
• Overseas inter-regional referent: Jacky Noc
• Great South-East inter-regional referent: Dominique Sibeud
• Administrator: Michel Simon
• Great South-West inter-regional referent: Jean François Solas

Members in an advisory capacity

• Director General : Grégorie Lartigot
• National technical director : Richard Carlon
• Director of International Affairs: Séverine Ikkawi
• Employees representative: Alexandre Durand

The regional and departmental committees

With a strong territorial coverage, the FFRandonnée is present everywhere in metropolitan and overseas France: it is represented by 115 regional and departmental hiking committees, federating about 3,500 associations or local hiking clubs. The committees are run by a steering committee of about twenty members elected at the General Assembly by the representatives of their affiliated associations for a 4-year term. They could not function without many volunteers (around 20,000), although some committees have employees.

The FFRandonnée wouldn't exist without its essential pillars, the regional and departmental committees and the clubs that are permanently active in many sectors.

• The committees act as a reference point for the development and promotion of hiking and work closely with local players, ministry representatives, tourism organisations and environmental protection agencies.
• As representatives of the Federation at the regional and local level, the committees ensure proximity communication with all hikers, whether they are members or not, on the occasion of major hiking events or at the trade fairs they attend. In this way, they promote different ways of hiking and the Federation's activities, thus contributing to its reputation.
• The Committees play an important role in the life of the local associations, providing support and advice on the creation of clubs and encouraging their affiliation with the Federation. They organise many events open to all (young and old people, disadvantaged groups or in situations of exclusion) encouraging social bonds and access to a popular sport. They are also committed to satisfying the appetite and desires of regular walkers, sports enthusiasts, and itinerant travellers…
• Committees are responsible for the network of hiking routes.  Their “footpath commissions” create and obtain official approval for the network of GR^® and GR^® de Pays routes, and also create and label the short-distance hiking routes PR (Promenade et Randonnée).
  The commissions coordinate the work of volunteer trailblazers and provide advice and expertise to local authorities.
• The committees are constantly taking concrete action to protect and preserve the footpaths and the environment. They are involved in safeguarding footpaths through information and mobilisation campaigns. They collect and pass on information about environmental damage on the paths reported by hikers or hiking clubs.
• The committees pay particular attention to training. They invest significant resources, both financially and in terms of volunteer hours. Training courses are open to all, members and non-members alike: hiking leader training courses, specific courses to discover natural and cultural heritage (fauna, flora, natural environments, etc.), path development and waymarking courses, and training modules to the attention of association leaders, etc.

Associations and hiking clubs affiliated with the FFRandonnée

There are around 3,500 affiliated hiking associations and clubs with a total membership of 243,700. They organise the practice of hiking and related activities such as Nordic walking, endurance walking, aqua walking… They are committed to training hiking leaders to ensure the safety of their members during their hikes. They enable their members to participate in hiking holidays and trips under the safety conditions that apply to associative tourism. In the context of associative waymarking, certain clubs are commissioned by the departmental committee to maintain and blaze sections of the trails. Finally, they play an essential role in creating and maintaining social bonds and stimulating local life.

Association members and RandoPass^® owners

In 2019, 243,700 hikers have chosen to hike with one or more affiliated hiking clubs: they are looking for safety and group friendliness. They have an annual sports licence issued by the association and benefit from special rates with the federation's partners: accommodation providers, tour operators and equipment suppliers. Volunteers are recruited from among them to lead the club's activities under the responsibility of the president.

Learn more about the licence issued by associations.

Other hikers prefer to hike on their own, with their family or with friends (6,900 in 2019). They choose to support the work of the FFRandonnée and its thousands of volunteers. Since the 2018/2019 season, they have subscribed to a RandoPass®, which gives them the same guarantees and partner benefits as the association licence. It is valid for one year from the subscription date and is issued on federal websites, particularly ffrandonnee.fr and MonGR.fr.

Learn more about the RandoPass^®