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National: Versailles has chosen the Jean Bouin stadium in Paris

Almost four months ago, FC Versailles would have liked to play its first Coupe de France semi-final against Nice at the Parc des Princes. But the Parisian leaders had refused access to their enclosure and the formation of Yvelines had finally bowed (2-0) at the Allianz Riviera. According to our information, the promoted National will be able to play in the capital this season. Not at the Parc des Princes, but a few dozen meters from the PSG enclosure, at the Jean-Bouin stadium.

The Versaillese will therefore receive their opponents in the lair of the rugby players of the Stade Français. Their leaders hesitated for a long time between the Jean-Bouin stadium and that of Michel Hidalgo in Saint-Gratien. Their first choice was even the grounds of the Val-d’Oisien club, relegated to N3, but they resolved to designate the Jean Bouin stadium as a fallback ground while waiting to be able to play in their real home, the Montbauron stadium. .

As the National matches are played on Friday nights, the Montbauron stadium is unable to receive matches because it cannot be equipped with lighting pylons. The land is, in fact, too close to the Palace of Versailles and no source of light should be visible from the King’s bedroom, within a radius of 5 km. This concern has already forced FC Versailles to play its round of 16 Coupe de France this season in Toulouse (L2).

An ambitious recruitment

Several arguments led the leaders to opt for Jean Bouin. The trip for Yvelin supporters, estimated at at least an hour and a half on Friday evening between Versailles and Saint-Gratien, will be shorter. The Jean-Bouin stadium is closer and playing in Paris is the guarantee of benefiting from better visibility. The cost of the rental should be amortized by new partners who could take place in the boxes and VIP lounges of the Parisian stadium. The arrival of the City real estate group as a shareholder has allowed FC Versailles to move into another dimension for a year and a half. His budget will reach €3.5 million this season.

On the field, the leaders constitute a team capable of competing with the best formations of the French third division. Sébastien Rénot (Troyes, L1), Loïc Damour (Hearts of Midlothian, Scottish D1), loaned to Le Mans last season, Grégoire Lefebvre (Nancy, L2), Florian Lapis (Orléans, N), Romain Armand (Pau, L2) and Pierre Gibaud (Le Havre, L2) have already signed up. Behind the scenes as on the field, FC Versailles sees bigger.

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