The owners of Stade Brest presented a new version of their stadium project on Monday, the envelope of which has soared to more than 106 million euros and which will have to be subsidized in part by public funds. “Inflation has hit us hard and the financing of the project is now anticipated at 106.5 million euros” against 85 million a year ago, due to “the soaring cost of raw materials and energy”, declared Denis Le Saint, owner with his brother Gérard of Stade Brestois, during a press conference.
“This new deal has forced us to rearrange the financial package, in order to mobilize additional resources”, he added, stressing that he “needs the participation of all the public players in the territory via subsidies, up to 25% of the budget, ie 27 million euros”. “Today everyone must take their responsibilities,” added Mr. Le Saint, who had threatened in the local press to “withdraw” from football and handball clubs (Brest Bretagne Handball) if the project did not go ahead. “We will succeed at this stage so the question will not arise”, replied François Cuillandre, PS mayor of Brest and president of the metropolis, explaining during the press conference to understand “the impatience of the club officials”.
The Brittany region and the Finistère department were also asked to subsidize the project, installed on 17 hectares of agricultural land in Guipavas, on the edge of the Brest urban area. Denis Le Saint mentioned a start of work in 2025 for a 15,000-seat stadium completed in 2027.
It is a capacity similar to that of the Francis Le Blé stadium, where the club currently plays in the heart of Brest but which no longer meets professional football standards. Mr. Cuillandre ruled out a renovation of the Francis Le Blé stadium, estimated according to him at 50 million euros, citing a “totally unsatisfactory” solution. “It will not remain a stadium. We can make housing there, a bit of green space,” he said. Founded in 1950, Stade Brestois entered the elite for the first time in 1979 but experienced several relegations. Reassembled in 2019, it has struggled to maintain itself in recent seasons.
