After a cataclysmic summer, the Girondins de Bordeaux had to abandon a huge part of their employees. Consequently, the operation of the Château du Haillan is at the heart of questions at the town hall.
Since 1988, the Girondins de Bordeaux have occupied the Château de Bel-Air. With an area of 850 m², fifteen football pitches and numerous changing rooms, this enclosure was the ideal place to see a professional club play there. The problem today is that there are no more. The scapular club lost its professional status last summer, just before being placed in receivership. A context which no longer allows the company to live beyond its means, as it has done for so long. The Bordeaux town hall, which owns the Château du Haillan, had to take measures to continue to recover monthly rent, while reducing the club’s costs. But what happens to the enclosure now?
The Girondins no longer have the keys, towards sharing the castle?
As France Bleu Gironde indicates, the Girondins de Bordeaux had to return the keys to the castle last November. This is the consequence of the massive social plan which resulted in more than 80 redundancies. Only 12 employees can still live in a part of the castle dedicated to them. Otherwise, the club still has professional locker rooms and training grounds available. The rest, the town hall prefers not to grant to the Gironde stable to avoid superfluous expenses and unnecessary exploitation. Rental is billed at 82 euros per hour.
Mathieu Hazouard, deputy in charge of sports at Bordeaux town hall, however, insists that the Château must cost the city as little as possible. “ We would be very happy if they return to Nationale 1 next year. This place is intended to once again become a place fully used by the club », concludes the elected official who hopes to see the Girondins have a good season. The subject of the occupation of the residence often comes up for discussion at the municipal council. It is not excluded that the Girondins de Bordeaux will end up sharing the house while they return to the lifestyle of a high-level club.
