“It’s a relief to finally come home!” More than 200 days after attending the last match of his family, Gaëtan would not have missed this Nanterre-Pau-Lacq-Orthez for the world. A historical supporter of the Greens and Whites since he was two years old and a member of the Dunkers, the club’s group of supporters, the twenty-year-old is also one of the very first spectators to find the stands of the Maurice-Thorez sports hall, the “House” Nantes basketball fans. Next to him, his best mate Mattéo from Jura for the occasion. Finally, it is necessary to evacuate the successive closed doors that he judges “Unbearable”.
Collector’s t-shirt from the 2006-2007 Coupe de France final on the back, Gaëtan swears that the public’s feedback is vital for the club. “We saw the sports results of the team with or without us”, he points out, while preparing the banners behind the basket. Three benches lower, placed five meters from the field, Sabrina and Oumar confirm. “Considering their last performances, they are going to need us. We will be behind them. Here, it’s really a family ”, Sabrina promises.
“All together, all together!”
Used to taking the first places in ProA, the flagship French basketball championship, Nanterre is struggling unusually this year (11th), as if he had never really been able to manage empty matches. In recent months, the Dunkers have even decided to come and cheer on the players just before the games in an attempt to reverse the dynamics. “We manage to create an atmosphere that makes us invincible”, assures Gaëtan.
Verification made a few minutes later on the floor: a 9-0 entry, 31 points scored at the end of a 1st quarter-time fire. Galvanized by a scattered but very noisy audience, the locals surely made one of their best start to the 2020-2021 fiscal year on Thursday. The 800 or so spectators were able to grab the seats authorized by the government tonnage. They also succeeded in their match, giving the impression that the hall – 3,000 fans in normal times – was full. Wearing the compulsory mask did not prevent “All together, all together” and others “Defense, defense” to resonate. The drums struck during free throws sometimes derailed the opponent’s shot.
The long months of famine even made the announcer lose his good habits. On returning from the locker room after the break, tradition dictates that the man at the microphone asks the public to stand until the first basket marked by the Nanterre 92. “We will correct this error for the last quarter”, he assures, confused. No one will hold it against him. The meeting was already folded anyway: the teammates of the young prodigy Victor Wembanyama were in the lead from start to finish to win 115-77, one of the biggest gaps of the season in their favor.
“The public’s feedback can be a game-changer”
Present in the spans, Frédéric Donnadieu does not hide his enthusiasm at the final whistle. Before the match, the general manager of the club confided “Never to have known such a sporting situation. Stress level, the dose is maximum ”. For him, “the challenge [du retour du public, ndlr] is above all psychological. The vibe is really part of the thing. We couldn’t hear anything but the shoes squealing and the players talking to each other. To see this human warmth again is really very special ”. Pascal Donnadieu, the coach, does not say anything else: “What happiness, what joy, beyond the result and the manner. We have a passionate and warm audience, and it’s a capital element of our big performance. The teams that will play at home will have this ability to be more efficient. We do not measure how much the public’s feedback can change the situation. ”
Beyond the moral boost they bring, the supporters relieve the club of another weight. Financial, that one. In contrast to Ligue 1 clubs, the income of their ProA counterparts largely depends on ticketing revenues. In Nanterre, the shortfall is between 100,000 and 150,000 euros for an opposition without spectators. The club was able to receive part of the ticketing assistance fund set up during the season by the executive, i.e. “A few tens of thousands of euros which help us enormously, specifies Frédéric Donnadieu. In the economic model of basketball, it is a real help, as is the exemption from social charges ” from which the clubs were also able to benefit.
The income again generated by the entries will not be too much for the club, which will undoubtedly have to invest in the offseason if it does not want to replay a maintenance objective “Not illogical in view of this year’s budget”, underlines the general manager. While waiting for better, the fans are already content with this precious success in the form of a breath of fresh air. “We had the icing on the cake today, exults Pascal, annual subscriber, leaving the match. They regaled us today. There were the terraces yesterday, today it’s basketball, with the winning in addition. Not a bad week, isn’t it? “
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