Century of highs for La Rochelle

AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.

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Since that game nine years ago, a 25-21 win over Castres Olympique, just shy of 1.6 million people have made their way through the turnstiles of the ground that now welcomes 16,689 fans every match.

The club has an impressive 14,250 season ticket holders. There is, the club report, a 7,000-name waiting list to join the ranks of season ticket holders.

Such is the demand to attend games at Marcel Deflandre that season ticket holders can resell their seats for games they cannot attend. Fans of visiting sides – especially in the Champions Cup – often complain about the difficulty of getting hold of tickets.

They may have a point. But it should be noted that capacity at Marcel Deflandre has risen nearly 12 per cent in the nine years since that first sell-out, and L’Equipe reports that forthcoming development plans include major infrastructure projects.

Let’s be honest, it’s not as if La Rochelle are about to move out of their long-established home. They have worked too hard for too long to do anything daft like that. Marcel Deflandre will get bigger, but growth will be organic and driven by ongoing demand. Not so much leaving fans wanting more, as leaving more fans wanting…