112 years old, the Bauer stadium will experience a second youth. For now, the lawn of the Red Star footballers has given way to gravel and construction vehicle machinery. But in 2024, an enclosure of 10,000 places still “English” will have replaced the dilapidated stadium of Saint-Ouen, whose advanced state of degradation had led to a drastic restriction of its capacity to 2,999 places.
“The stadium will be reborn from its ashes”, rejoices Germain Michel, who has supported the Red Star for more than 57 years. At his side, Robert-Philippe Heller, an expatriate fan in San Francisco, who never misses any matches by connecting remotely to experience the highlights of the team from his childhood: “Before, our club was in pain. But what is happening today is extraordinary. But the changes to the project are not always unanimous. The Red Star Bauer Collective, the main group of supporters of the Audonien club left the renovation steering committee last Monday, following a disagreement over the presence of a restaurant at the level of the tribune adjoining rue du Dr Bauer. He also posted an open letter on Twitter.
📄 OPEN LETTER TO MONSIEUR KARIM BOUAMRANE, MAYOR OF SAINT-OUEN📃
Following our press release on Monday, announcing our withdrawal from the steering committee of the project led by the Realities group, we are sending an open letter to Mr. @karim_bouamrane and his team.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ReDKHVIJzQ– RS Bauer collective (@stadebauer) July 7, 2021
For regulars of the stadium, no big changes In front of the planet Z, pyramidal HLM overhanging the ground, the few steps added on the south side will not exceed the first floor of this eternal fourth platform. The side stands will be refurbished, while the north stand will accommodate 1,870 standing supporters. That is a total of 10,000 places and a delivery in 2024.
A commercial complex of 30,000 m2
As a result of the takeover of the public entity in May 2021 by the Réalités investment group, the stadium is switching to the private sector. Enough to absorb the amounts of the work: 35 million euros for the stadium, 200 million additional for the rest of the infrastructure, including the main element, called the “Bauer box”. This provides for a large commercial complex of 30,000 square meters accommodating restaurants, work spaces and health on the north facade of the stadium.
Enough to allow the club to meet its ambitions: “Focus on Ligue 1!” “, Launched Patrice Haddad, president of the Red Star, without specifying when. With this new stadium, the leader did not hide his desire to “recruit players that[il] could not have previously “, even if it means” [les] take it directly to the training center ”. Yoann Choin-Joubert, Managing Director of the Réalités group (also the club’s main shareholder), does not rule out the possibility for the Red Star to eventually become the owner of its equipment.
Priced places for low-income families
With this new enclosure equipped with a shopping center, the question arises of the sustainability of the popular heritage of the Bauer stadium. Karim Bouamrane, socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen, announced paid places guaranteed by the various communities for families with modest incomes. “I don’t want someone to walk past this stadium and say to themselves’ It’s a shame, I would like to go there but I can’t” », Explains the elected official.
The last big challenge of this record change, the maintenance of official matches at home during the works until 2024. Something to rejoice the supporters of the Red Star, tired of the matches at the Jean-Bouin stadium in the 16th arrondissement or in Beauvais in recent seasons. .