From November 11, there will no longer be any need to take out your wallet to go see a professional football match at Stade Charléty. Its resident club, Paris FC, announced on Friday, November 3, that it would make its ticketing free for the home matches of its men’s teams (currently in Ligue 2) and women’s teams (playing in D1 Arkema and recently qualified for the Champions League). .
The operation which will last, at least, until the end of the 2023-2024 season concerns all tickets with the exception of VIP packages, Premium seats and visitor parking. “ This is a great first in Europe and even in the world for a professional club”rejoiced Paris FC in a communicated.
For its president, Pierre Ferracci, the objective of this announcement is twofold: both “ rediscover the popular essence of football by making it accessible to as many people as possible”, but also “increase the level of attendance at Stade Charléty”. By opening 15,000 seats free of charge out of the 17,000 that the enclosure has in match configuration, the club hopes to fill the stands with new supporters – the said stands having long been mocked for their oversized size and their icy atmosphere.
Attendance is a central factor in convincing new investors, but it remains to be seen whether the latter’s contribution will be sufficient to compensate for the shortfall in ticketing, estimated at ” one million euros over the year.
“We are not taking a big risk”
Professional football is not immune to gratuity. It is used regularly in various forms – one-off operations, invitations, competitions. But this is the first time that it has been applied so widely and openly: in Charléty, all matches are subject to this principle (with the exception of the Women’s Champions League, which comes under the European Union of Football Associations). football, and the Coupe de France, which depends on the French Federation).
Even Fortuna Düsseldorf, a resident of the German second division, had not taken the concept that far. A pioneer in ticketing, it announced in April that tickets for at least three of its matches would be free, before considering making it completely free in the next five years.
On October 21, for the grand premiere of this system, more than 52,000 supporters gathered in the Merkur Spiel Arena, well beyond the usual attendance of 29,300 spectators. Enough to encourage Paris FC which brings together, on average, 4,135 people, or barely 24% of the available space…
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