Shortly before Christmas, they said they were very worried. Stifled by the closed door imposed by the Covid-19, professional sports clubs were pessimistic about their survival. First of all, so-called “BHV” indoor sports (basketball, handball, volleyball), which are very dependent on ticket sales. The money was no longer coming in when, at the same time, the charges fell every month.
Five months later, the club presidents have somewhat recovered their smile; from May 19, they will once again be able to welcome the public: 800 spectators for the closed enclosures, 1,000 outdoors. For sold-out atmospheres, we’ll come back, but, admittedly by the professional leagues, it’s a relief.
On June 9, the gauge will be able to go up, if the local sanitary situations are favorable, up to 65% of the capacity of the sports grounds (in the limit of 5000 people). “Everything is good to take, it allows to restart a dynamic, to restore the habit of the public to go to the stadium “, considers Emmanuel Eschalier, general manager of the National Rugby League (LNR).
During the first confinement, in March 2020, professional sport was forced to stop. When the championships resumed in September, the restrictions on gauges in theaters and stadiums, followed by closed doors from the end of October, pulled the clubs’ accounts into the red: 10 million euros in operating losses for the sixteen teams of Starligue, the first men’s handball division, nearly 11 million (calculated on the assumption of a closed door throughout the season) for the 18 clubs of Jeep Elite, its basketball counterpart …
For rugby, the score is even heavier: between 150 million and 200 million euros for the Top 14 and the Pro D2 – the two professional divisions -, according to the estimates of Mr. Eschalier. Ditto for football – less dependent on ticketing than other sports, but weakened by the failure of the broadcaster Mediapro -, where the impact of the camera alone amounts to around 300 million euros, says the Union of Professional Clubs of football.
Breath of fresh air
Opening the rooms to 800 people when they can accommodate 5 or 6 times more and much more for rugby and football looks unprofitable, but the stake is elsewhere. The public’s feedback will allow clubs to honor part of the sponsorship contracts with their partners (boxes, private lounges, hospitality, etc.) and to avoid the risk of reimbursements.
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