VINCI STADIUM
The year was marked by the continuing health crisis and the restrictive measures adopted to deal with it. As a direct consequence, the activity of the stadiums – whose primary mission is to welcome the public – was again penalised in 2021.
The Stade de France hosted one of the country’s largest vaccination centres.
– The restrictions imposed by the public authorities in 2020 on normal operation of sports venues remained in place until July 2021. The venues in the VINCI Stadium network nevertheless demonstrated their capacity to host sporting fixtures, either closed to the public or before small numbers of spectators, in the framework of strict health protocols formulated in close collaboration with their organisers (leagues, clubs and sports federations), without any untoward incidents. However, barring a few exceptions, ancillary activities (seminars and conventions, retail activity, visits, etc.) could not be maintained.
– As of July 2021, activity picked up gradually thanks to introduction of the health pass, one highlight being the French Ligue 1 soccer championship matches played without size restrictions, together with the hosting of company seminars.
– All in all, more than 70 sporting fixtures were hosted in 2021. Conversely, programming of concerts and artistic events, which need to be planned several months ahead and play to full-capacity audiences, could not be maintained.
– Starting in December 2021, emergence of the Omicron variant led to a further halt in activity with the return of size restrictions for large events and the government’s call to limit gatherings. These measures led to cancellation of almost all the seminars and conventions scheduled.
– As in 2020, each of the four stadiums embarked on discussions with concession-granting authorities around the effects of the health crisis on the economic structure of concession contracts.
– A breakdown of activity in the four stadiums is described below.
THE STADE DE FRANCE (SAINT-DENIS)
hosted eight events, including four France XV rugby matches, two French national soccer team matches and the finals of the Coupe de France and Top 14 rugby competitions. The stadium was closed from 1 August to 30 October 2021 for upgrades in preparation for hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Furthermore, the Stade de France participated actively in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by offering its premises to host one of the country’s largest vaccination centres. More than half a million vaccinations were delivered over a period of six months.
THE MATMUT ATLANTIQUE (BORDEAUX)
hosted 20 French Ligue 1 matches and two Coupe de France matches played by its resident club, the Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux (FCGB), together with an Autumn Nations Series rugby match with France vs. Georgia on 14 November, which attracted almost 40,000 spectators. A partnership was signed with the Restaurants du Cœur food bank to redistribute non-purchased food products after all the events held in the stadium.