We knew the file was complex, and an external element could complicate the equation at the moment… We are talking here about the concession for the Stade de France which will be awarded at the start of the year. He whispers that the match in progress around the Saint-Denis grounds could have an impact on the future of Matmut de Bordeaux Nord.
1 In Paris and Bordeaux, a common shareholder
The State, owner of the Stade de France located in Saint-Denis, launched a double procedure in March 2023 to sell it or reallocate the current concession held by the Vinci/Bouygues consortium (two thirds, one third respectively). The sales idea fell through due to lack of a serious candidate. Only two offers remain in the running: the current concessionaire and a second proposal from the Lyon-based events group GL Events. The State must decide by the end of 2024 or early 2025. The new concession, lasting thirty years, must be signed at the beginning of April 2025.
It is on the concert aspect “that a change at the Stade de France could have an impact,” explains a turner from the region.
A file where we find one of the shareholders of Matmut Atlantique, in this case Vinci associated in Bordeaux with Fayat. The group has also acquired an events subsidiary, Vinci Stadium. She manages a network of five stadiums: the London Stadium, the Stade de France, the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the Le Mans stadium and Bordeaux. The Stade de France is the flagship of this subsidiary which manages the entire concert section and offers the various facilities at its disposal. Including Matmut which has seen some big names parade: Mylène Farmer, Depeche Mode, Indochine… If the Parisian market were to escape Vinci, the cards of this subsidiary would be reshuffled.
2 The Matmut still sings
“There is no particular impact to be expected from this market. We are independent entities. We must also take into account the composition of our shareholders: Vinci is associated with Fayat,” indicates Elisa Leroy, responsible for communications at Stade Bordeaux Atlantique (SBA, the stadium operator). The descent into hell of the Girondins did not sound the death knell for activity at Matmut. SBA records excellent figures for “corporate” activity: seminars, hosting conferences, etc. “The Girondins, although relegated, retain a very powerful aura, due to their history. The sporting situation did not disrupt the activity,” she continues.
It is true that Matmut benefits from a specificity, the extent of which surprised many people. Despite the setbacks, there does indeed exist a “Girondin people”. Each home game attracts between 10,000 and 12,000 people. Never before seen in National 2, which expresses the heritage and popular place of the club. Matmut remains a stadium crowned with the club's sporting legend. The concert aspect has been going through a calm period for several months.
“It is on this aspect that a change at the Stade de France could have an impact,” explains a turner from the region. Today the gateway to the big names is in Paris and the catalog offers a grid of the country with a range of gauges, the south-east to Nice, the west to Bordeaux…”. In terms of sporting events, Matmut slipped into the shortlist of “beautiful stadiums” after hosting the Top 14 semi-finals, the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, etc.
3 Stadium, Girondins, an uncertain future
“Now everyone sees that something is happening. We will know at the end of the year if the Girondins can come back. This will determine part of the future. We fear a domino effect if Vinci sees the Stade de France concession slip away, this will not make our task easier in an already very tough discussion between the Metropolis and SBA,” fears a Metropolitan elected official.
In the background, the renegotiation of the public-private partnership which links Bordeaux Métropole, the owner, and SBA, the operator. The legal reading of the community and the Vinci/Fayat subsidiary diverges. The Metropolis considers that it remains valid, despite the demotion to amateur level. The company considers it obsolete. A legal battle is underway. There is a good chance that the courts will have to arbitrate the dispute. Before the sporting disaster of the club, hostilities were already underway.
Structurally in deficit, SBA, which has lost 20 million euros since 2016, has spent recent years wanting to revise a contract particularly favorable to the community, brandishing the threat of filing for bankruptcy. A conciliation launched at the end of 2023 failed. Without even integrating the fate of the Stade de France into the terms of the equation, the future of Matmut, like that of the Girondins, remains uncertain.
