Stade Brestois 29 and Brest Métropole have unveiled eye-catching plans for a new 15,000-seat stadium for the French Ligue 1 football club.
Designed by the architecture firm Groupe François de La Serre, the Espace Froutven project aims to deliver a stadium that has a multi-use remit, with plans for a new home having first emerged in March 2018.
In January 2020, Stade Brestois president Denis Le Saint maintained that the club was firmly committed to delivering a new stadium, with plans at the time revolving around a 13,000-seat stadium ready by the end of the 2021-22 season.
The new plans call for a 15,000-seat stadium, intended to meet the French Football League’s (LFP) requirements for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, of which 11,800 seats will be reserved for the general public and the remainder dedicated to commercial partners.
Not yet completed, the financing plan, carried mainly by the private sector, estimates a price tag of €85m (£71.5m/$93.9m). Brest Métropole is intending to launch a preliminary consultation before the summer, which, depending on its conclusions, could see work start in 2024, with delivery scheduled for 2026.
The plans include the installation of giant flags on the roof of the stands behind either goal, while a ‘tunnel club’ scheme would see fans being able to get close to the players as they enter and leave the pitch.
Sustainability will also be a key concern, with plans to install six wind turbines, plus 8,000m² of photovoltaic panels. To aid the multi-use remit, initial plans for the stadium project to incorporate a bowling alley or tennis courts have been discarded in favour of a number of other offerings.
A stadium shop is planned, along with an indoor leisure space designed for esports, a “gourmet hall” open to all in the general public stand, guided tours, plus a “tree-climbing activity with zip line”.
François Cuillandre, Mayor of Brest and President of Brest Métropole, said: “Stade Brestois must be given the means to operate at the highest level, the Stade Francis-Le Blé no longer meets the requirements of a club playing in Ligue 1.”
Stade Francis-Le Blé first opened in 1922 and has a current capacity of around 15,000. It has been the home of Stade Brestois since 1950.
Images: Stade Brestois 29/Groupe François de La Serre
