This Sunday is match day in the Pink City. The TFC receives Strasbourg at 3 p.m., while the Stade Toulousain welcomes La Rochelle at 9:05 p.m. Unsurprisingly, Ernest-Wallon and its 19,000 seats will still be full during the clash between the two best teams in the Top 14. But the crowds at the Stadium will not suffer, since more than 20,000 spectators are expected for a duel yet less foil, between 10th and 17th in Ligue 1.
This is the ninth time in a row, L1 and L2 included, that this bar will be exceeded during a match for the Violets. Unheard of for the promoted, which already had the best average attendance last season on the lower floor (12,510 spectators per game).
“Given the size of the city [plus d’un million d’habitants dans l’agglomération], there is room for everyone, ”says Didier Pitorre, 55, 50 of whom have spent in the stands of the Stadium. “Stade Toulousain plays a sport for insiders, TFC a popular sport, develops the historian and collector of the “Tef'”, also a Rouge et Noir supporter, who will play football and rugby this Sunday. The players give it their all, the matches are spectacular, there’s no cheating. We are surfing on a dynamic reminiscent of Lens. »
Occitan song Se Canto does not yet arouse the same fervor as the settlements by Bollaert. But the atmosphere of an abandoned cemetery that bathed the island of Ramier in the years preceding relegation in 2020 gave way to a colorful carnival atmosphere, created by the Dutch esthete Branco van den Boomen and his colleagues.
A rebirth after the plunge into indifference
“The Covid had shortened our suffering 10 days from the end of a catastrophic season, rewinds Pitorre. Behind, there is this change of direction. A real collective was born and we did not go far from the immediate recovery with the dams [échec contre Nantes en mai 2021]. Then it chained up. The public first followed by proxy a team that was picking up the colors. When the sanitary restrictions were lifted, he was able to really discover her. »
Marked by the adventure of the Pitchouns from the National to the L1 between 2001 and 2003, two European qualifications (2007 and 2009) and the incredible comeback signed Pascal Dupraz (2016), the Olivier Sadran era ended in indifference and resignation to make way for the Americans of RedBird. In the offices, it is President Damien Comolli and Managing Director Olivier Jaubert who have been piloting a Toulouse ship since the summer of 2020, the epic of which is increasingly fascinating the crowds.
“The only club in France to do that”
No need to flood clubs in the region with invitations to try to hide the misery, and painfully reach an average attendance of 14,232 spectators in 2019-2020. “It is not interesting for anyone, slice Oliver Jaubert. We have the second lowest invitation rate in L1 with an average of 5.4%. The show is of quality, like the experiences we have at the Stadium. So we think it is worth buying. »
Not at any price, however: “Anyone can come. The first prices for renewed subscriptions are 7 euros per game. On single meetings, the cheapest places must be 15 euros. Against PSG [une affiche à guichets fermés avec 31.700 spectateurs], half of the Stadium was less than 30 euros. We are the only club in France to do that. »
The TFC has an unprecedented total of 13,300 subscribers this season and welcomes a feminized public (18% of subscribers), rejuvenated and renewed. “65% of people had never subscribed before,” slips Jaubert. This Sunday, the Brice-Taton corner, that of the tireless ultras of the Indians where the heart of the purple “aficion” beats, will, as always, be full. Its vis-à-vis, the Christophe-Revault bend will also be full.
Before the match, the forecourt will be full of activities around football and “food trucks” offering “local, inexpensive and quality products”, according to Jaubert who reveals the theme of the day: “the real Toulouse sausage of artisanal manufacture », like a friendly snub in Strasbourg and its cold cuts.
Local colored strangers
Among the signs since this summer is Croq’Michel, by Michel Sarran. “We do the pre-match at the Stadium, then we will be at Ernest-Wallon”, underlines the two-starred chef. “Damien Comolli and Olivier Jaubert have succeeded in restoring a desire, a dynamic around the TFC, continues the former juror of Top Chef. We saw it last season for accession to L1 and it is confirmed this season. There is a great atmosphere. We feel the desire to win, to be part of a group. »
In six matches at home, the supporters have so far witnessed only one defeat (excusable against Paris, 0-3) and seen 21 goals (3.5 average per match), including 11 for their favourites. If, thanks to the magic of data, the workforce is very cosmopolitan (eight foreigners in the starting team last Sunday against Angers, 3-2), the grinta Belgian “Bibiche” Dejaegere or the Dutch van den Boomen and Spierings are worth all the passports, alongside the promising French Rouault and Chaïbi.
“If you ask them, there is none who wants to live elsewhere, smiles Olivier Jaubert. They do not take themselves for unreachable people. Almost every day, we see on Twitter a photo of one of our players, whether van den Boomen, Spierings or Nicolaisen [défenseur central danois], with a supporter in town. When Mikkel Desler [piston droit danois] leaves the Stadium, he crosses the forecourt on his bicycle and stops for the fans. This sense of contact is their culture and it is ours. »
“The players have a bit of a rugby spirit”, judges Sofiane Guitoune, well placed to compare as three-quarter international center of Stade Toulousain. “They don’t play small arms, they take pleasure. They are very, very supportive. I follow him on social networks and it makes you want to encourage them. Guitoune and most of his teammates had come support the Violets against PSGalongside the Indians, to symbolize an agreement between leaders that was not self-evident a few years ago.
“The most important thing is to see our city shine”
“The presidents of the clubs have a lot to do with it, underlines Michel Sarran, close to the stadium boss Didier Lacroix, used to the Stadium basket. They managed to create a real synergy. We are proud to see Toulouse teams succeed, whether in football, rugby, handball, women’s basketball… Whatever the sport, the most important thing is to see our city shine. »
“Toulouse is not a rugby city, it’s a sports city, continues Olivier Jaubert. The equivalent of Real Madrid in rugby is there, so much the better, but there are a total of seven top-level clubs in the metropolis. We are not in competition at all. On the contrary, we try to do a lot of things together. Soon, we will announce something that no one expects. “Based on national data from a few years ago, the DG reveals that “in the cities where there are both sports at the highest level, we know that between 20 and 30% of the public go to see regardless of rugby or football. »
A target of 25,000 spectators on average
If with its Coupe de France won under René Coty (1957), the TFC cannot of course compete in the prize list with the cousin of Ovalie, the most successful team in Europe, it does not however fear many people on the field of communication. Since well before the start of the RedBird era, the dedicated unit has had no equal in bouncing off the news with mischief. “The goal is to show that the TFC is a cool club, loose Jaubert. We have to be innovative to meet the expectations of the public and grow our base of supporters. »
In a regional space only bounded by Montpellier to the east and Bordeaux (today in L2) to the west, there is room to grow. “This season, we were hoping for an average of 16,000 spectators and apparently we are going to be more, continues the manager. We save time and we can aim for 25,000 people in 2024-2025. “And why not more, if the TFC had the good idea to go familiar with the summits.