The Catholic youth sports associations of French Algeria () first appeared in major cities in northern Algeria at the beginning of the 20th century and were mainly reserved for young European people. By the start of the First World War some of the associations had joined the Fédération internationale catholique d'éducation physique et sportive, with women's organizations rapidly following suit and joining the Rayon sportif féminin – a French catholic sporting organisation for women. In contrast to the situation in the North, the spread of sports through the southern regions of Algeria, under the auspices of the White Fathers (Pères Blancs), predominantly involved the indigenous populations. Male youth associations The first of the Catholic youth sports associations were established in Algiers in 1913, namely: St. Croix (which was already involved with working class youth), St. Joseph Hussein Dey, and l’Avenir d’El Biar. They were created through an initiative of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and catered predominantly to young people of European origin. They immediately became affiliated with the Fédération gymnastique et sportive des patronages de France (FGSPF), and their focus, as with the associations in France, was the provision of moral instruction and military training. They were organised into regional unions in which both religious and secular people, including women, shared responsibilities. The first such union was established in Oran in November 1913 by a Father Koëger. Development of the associations continued after the First World War: the Union régionale de la province d'Alger listed six associations in 1924, then nine by 1928. France supported and monitored these developments, and following an appeal by Monsignor Auguste-Fernand Leynaud, Archbishop of Algiers, 70 Catholic youth sports associations from various French departments – such as Bouches-du-Rhône, Alsace, Seine, Rhône, Landes, and Maine et Loire – took 3000 gymnasts and 500 musicians across the Mediterranean to participate in a large competition for federation member associations. The competition was organised to mark the centenary of French Algeria and was held on 14 June 1930. Three specially arranged boats set off from Marseille: the Lamoricière, the duc d'Aumale, and the Espagne. On board, the executive team was made up of François Hebrard (a French law professor and leading sports bureaucrat), Armand Thibaudeau (a Catholic youth sports association leader who played an important part in the development of basketball in France), and Mr. Simounet, who was the