DIn the very extensive catalog of merchandising of the Union Bordeaux-Bègles (UBB), one of the novelties is a scarf barred with one: “Here is Chaban”, where the art deco profile is drawn from a recognizable stadium between a thousand. A mythical speaker. The word is not overused, as sports myths renew themselves there. Depending on whether the ball is round, under the reign of the Girondins whose brilliance now shines in memories, or oval. Chaban has become the lair of the UBB. Not just a setting, registered as a title Historic monuments since 2022. It is hosting, most of the time at closed counters, this luxury: the heart and vibrant choirs of the first public in Europe, if not the world when we speak rugby. UBB is Chaban. Since 2015.
With SI …
However, Bordeaux faces an abundance of goods. It has two speakers of more than 30,000 seats. And there is not a place of free for the semi-final of the European Cup which will oppose, this Sunday, May 4, the UBB in Toulouse at the Matmut Atlantique stadium. He displays 42,000 places (10,000 more than Chaban). Since its inauguration on the occasion of Euro 2016, a recurring subject has animated, for the form, the local debate: the idea of a large stadium for a large club. Rank to which the union of the Bordeaux stadium and the CA Bègles Rugby rose. Qualifier who deserted the Girondins de Bordeaux, occupants of the Matmut, but plunged into the limbo of amateur football, subject to the throes of a receivership procedure. The story will remember that the kick-off of their descent into hell was given when they left Chaban, ex-Lescure, ten years ago. Is changing stadium bearing unhappiness? Convening the irrational is hazardous, although it often invites itself into the universe of the round ball. But there remains a scarecrow in an era where, at the word sport, we attached that of business.
“To date, this is a plan on the comet. SBA remains the operator, the question will arise if an agreement is found ”
It is neither envisaged, nor even possible to see the UBB settle in Matmut. Besides, it will be renamed Stade Atlantique at 1is August, the naming contract coming to an end. Another (r) evolution, its exploitation should be taken in direct management on the same date by Bordeaux Métropole. The term of a long-term conflict on the operating conditions between the operator Stade Bordeaux Atlantique (SBA, a subsidiary of Vinci-Fayat) and the community, within the framework of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) having contributed to its construction.
-The parties are on the way to an agreement for an honorable exit for everyone, but not expensive. This could singularly change the situation. Will we therefore see the UBB playing more games? “With SIs, we bottled. But to date, this is a plan on the comet. SBA remains the operator, the question will arise if an agreement is reached, “said a close friend of the file, a follower of” taking the matches one after the other “. This does not prevent you from projecting yourself.
Conditions
A hypothesis that Laurent Marti, the president of the UBB, does not deviate. After filling the Matmut for the reception of Toulouse in the league, he explained in early April, in “Sud Ouest”, think about playing more often: “Fighting as we did, it’s worth financially. We are in full reflection to find out if we try a second game [de championnat] or not. But I remain vigilant: we had a bad experience in the past when we have multiplied the matches in Matmut. The context was not the same, but we had lost money. We know that we should not abuse it. »»
At the time, relocation and conditions set by the operator were unfavorable to the club. They could be more favorable in the event that the metropolis takes control of the enclosure. Especially since she will discover a profession: bring a stadium to life. In this sense, the UBB alone is enough to build a gala poster and garnish the stands. Laurent Marti even identified two regional derbies: Bayonne and La Rochelle. “The date you can imagine is the boxing day [pendant les fêtes de fin d’année] Or just before the November tour. »»
But the anchoring of the club remains Chaban, for which the UBB spends 468,000 euros each year and a variable part of its turnover in the City of Bordeaux. Paradox of the situation, the eldest stadiums, inaugurated in 1938, has all the attires of modernity: in the city center, accessible, served by public transport, around which a whole ecosystem is deployed, during and after the matches, linked to the presence of bars and restaurants. When the most “modern” stadium is certainly more comfortable but located on the outskirts, at the end of the tram line, in a lifeless area. So far, no one has yet found the miracle formula to animate it.
