[Stade] Michaël Delafosse speaks on the future of the Stade de La Mosson and the project for the new MHSC stadium

While the Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (MHSC) is fighting to stay in Ligue 1, the question of the future of the Stade de la Mosson is coming back to the forefront. While taking stock of the urban renovation of the Mosson district, the mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse, spoke on this sensitive subject of the new stadium and the future of the Stade de La Mosson in an interview granted to the media Metropolitan. Between the need to respond to flood risks, urban planning issues and the ambition of a new stadium, the fate of the legendary stadium remains uncertain.

A dilapidated stadium vulnerable to flooding

Built in the bed of the Mosson, the stadium is particularly exposed to the risk of flooding. Michaël Delafosse recalls the dramatic episode of 2014, where the stadium was transformed into a swimming pool, emphasizing that the site is now classified in the red zone on the Flood Risk Prevention Plan (PPRI). “We hear a lot of things about the stadium. It was built in the bed of the Mosson, as in Valence, that is to say that the flow of the river was diverted. Faced with vulnerabilities, we have a huge subject. Everyone remembers 2014 when it became a swimming pool. Today, it is scarlet red on the flood risk prevention plan. Besides, the prefect almost canceled a match when there was an episode in the Cévennes.”

The mayor even mentions a recent situation where an episode in Cévennes almost led to the cancellation of a match. It also specifies the need to destroy two stands to restore the natural bed of the river. A rehabilitation of this space is therefore envisaged to make it an attractive place to live all week long. “For a while longer, the team will remain at the Mosson stadium and, one day, we will have to deal with the flood risk which will cost us a lot of money. It will be necessary to destroy two stands in order to find the bed of the Mosson. Part of the stadium will be preserved and we will have to have a project with the idea that this will bring people to the neighborhood all week long and that this contributes to its dynamics.”

A neighborhood still in difficulty

Despite its status as a flagship location for Montpellier football, Mosson has not succeeded in sustainably revitalizing the Paillade district, which is faced with numerous social and economic problems. “If the stadium solved the neighborhood’s problems, it would have been seen”deplores Michaël Delafosse.

The new stadium project: a necessity for the MHSC

In a context where professional football is evolving towards a demanding economic model, the construction of a new stadium appears essential for President Laurent Nicollin. He wants the club to become the owner of its enclosure, like many European clubs, in order to master this financing tool, which explains the city’s first idyll. “President Nicollin expressed the desire to have a new stadium and to be involved in the realization of this project. This is the evolution of football and we can deplore it but it must be noted that owning a stadium allows you to master this tool to finance a club.”

A first project at Ode à la Mer had failed, notably due to the withdrawal of the Banque des Territoires and the difficulties caused by the war in Ukraine and the rise in material costs. From now on, eyes are turning towards the Parc des Expositions, located near Montpellier airport, indicates Michaël Delafosse. “A project had progressed very well at Ode to the Sea and there was a stab in the back with the withdrawal of the Bank of the Territories and elements like the war in Ukraine and the increase in materials which made things very difficult. Today, we are working with the Occitanie Region and the club around the Parc des Expositions.”

A future still unclear

The mayor is cautious: “We’re not there yet. We must remain in Ligue 1, which I fervently wish, that we explore this avenue and that we find a financial model at a time which is not the most pleasant for public authorities. I signed up to finance the museum. »

In the meantime, the MHSC will continue to evolve at La Mosson for the coming seasons. In the longer term, part of the current stadium will be preserved, but it will have to be profoundly transformed to adapt to environmental constraints. The objective will be to make this site a lively place, capable of contributing to the dynamics of the neighborhood.

A challenge to take up for 2025

While the MHSC will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, the situation remains critical both in sporting and infrastructural terms. Remaining in Ligue 1, essential to carrying out this ambitious project, will be decisive for the future of the club and its historic stadium. At the same time, the authorities will have to take up the challenge of reconciling sporting, urban planning and ecological ambitions in a constrained budgetary context.