The Gaston Arbouin stadium in motoball in Troyes, it’s a bit like the Bollaert stadium in Lens for football, all things considered. A popular meeting place, without social barriers. From simple supporters to VIPs, from workers to business leaders, we meet at the chip shop and replay the match without each person’s status preventing good words.
“We must keep it, it’s what makes us strong and the beauty of our sport,” underlines Yvan George, co-president of SUMA. The manager of the Trojan club, the most successful in France in this discipline which combines football and motorcycles, expects a lot from the renovation of the stadium. It also began in 2021 with the creation of a small stand with 400 seats, opposite the old grandstand which will soon be rebuilt.
The sequel is just waiting to happen. Covid and inflation have forced the Troyes town hall and companies to postpone the construction site several times. Planned for the spring, the work was again postponed to the end of 2024. This time, the announcement did not cause disappointment, on the contrary.
“It was almost a two-season project, with an audience limit of 800 people. It was really hard to swallow! », relates Yvan George. With an audience that regularly flirts with 2,000 people, up to 5,000 during big evenings, the impact was too great. “It’s the ticketing, the catering, the refreshment bar… Even if we have subsidies, stadium attendance is one of the financial lifeblood of the club.”
Concerts organized at the Gaston Arbouin stadium?
Going for a final postponement at the end of October 2024, at the end of the official competition season, for work which will only impact reception conditions for one season. “It also allows the project manager to place his calls for tenders more calmly, at a time when the prices of materials tend to fall,” notes Frédéric Serra, deputy mayor in charge of sports.
Enough to refine a project which should give a new dimension to the stadium, for the comfort of players and spectators. “The new platform will clearly contribute to this,” underlines the elected official from Troy. “Locker rooms with showers that heat, with seats that hold… It’s an old stadium that’s over 80 years old! It has charm but we will manage to preserve it while bringing it into modernity.”
With this new stand of around 2,000 seats, Gaston Arbouin should once again approach a capacity of 5,000 spectators, without resorting to contortions in terms of security. “It’s almost vital,” adds Yvan George. We welcome the public in a forum that has had its day. When we stamp our feet, the players collect dust underneath. We also need premises to work and store all our archives. Today, we could double the number of our partners in the VIP areas. The stand will be full once it is done. »
An investment of nearly 7 million euros led by the city, which suggests beautiful evenings from 2026, and not just in motoball. “We all have in mind the idea of organizing open-air concerts, which could be real added value in the region. Without targeting U2, with the new stand and an audience of spectators, we can reach 3,000 or 4,000 seats without problem,” Frédéric Serra projects.
