DIJON: Environmentalists oppose stadium for Women's DFCO

By defending “an ecofeminist vision of transforming society”, the opposition group Ecologists and citizens, through the voice of Karine Huon-Savina, asked for a pooling of the Gaston-Gérard stadium rather than a new construction. During the municipal council of this Monday, September 14, the mayor of Dijon said he was “very happy that there is a stadium that is made for the women of the DFCO”.

The debates of the municipal assembly were lively this Monday, September 14, 2020 when it came to studying the report on the construction of a new stadium that can accommodate the matches of the DFCO women’s team playing in the first division of the French football championship.

In presenting the report, the deputy delegate for Sport and Olympism Claire presented the new stadium as the “competition site for the DFCO which evolves at the highest level”, indicating that the municipal majority supports the club “by giving a working and operating tool adapted to practice ”.

The deputy mayor clarified that if attendance at major DFCO Women’s meetings exceeded 1,000 seats, the club would play at the Gaston-Gérard stadium.

“The inequality of treatment between male and female sport is manifest”

During the debates, the first to speak for the oppositions was Karine Huon-Savina from the Ecologists and Citizens group. The city councilor began by praising the sporting results of the Dijonnais: “we are proud to have women’s teams in these championships, this can allow Dijon to be the capital of women’s sport, as environmentalists defend it”.

“If sport is an excellent ‘ambassador’, we are attentive to the ethics and the values that it carries. The inequality of treatment between male and female sport is obvious. Discrimination persists despite a similar level of skills, commitment and standards, ”she then added. Which already suggested criticisms to come.

The level of investment planned by the majority led the elected ecologist to ask for “the pooling of structures between male and female teams, especially since our teams are at the same level of championship, (…) structures which already correspond to all standards ”. Taking the example of the Brazilian Football Federation, Karine Huon-Savina wants “equivalent resources to be allocated to the two teams” male and female Dijon.

Calling for “strong acts”, the one who is a member of Generation Ecology finally defended “[une] ecofeminist vision of the transformation of society ”before launching“ stop the domination of Man over Nature and women ”to the chagrin of the municipal majority. By six votes, the environmental group voted against the report.

“That professional clubs finance their structures themselves”

Speaking in turn for the group Agir ensemble pour Dijon, Axel Sibert began by responding to the environmentalist by evoking a problem with the schedule of matches preventing the sharing of the Gaston-Gérard stadium. For the elected representative of the Republicans, “the move of the DFCO to the Dijon Bourgogne ecopark located in Saint-Apollinaire is a useful and necessary reorganization for our city’s flagship club”.

It is already planned that the new complex will not be reserved for the men’s team since it must integrate “a building of more than 4,000 square meters, three synthetic fields and one grass, dedicated to training and sports. female pole ”.

The city councilor therefore said he was “in favor of the construction of a platform” and in favor of the supporters being able to “attend in good conditions” the meetings. On the other hand, he asked that the new stand be fitted out “where the training facilities will be”. Axel Sibert referred to the examples of Lyon, with the Groupama Training Center, and Reims, with the Raymond Kopa Life Center, citing 2.2 million euros for the latter equipment.

In conclusion, Axel Sibert indicated that his group was “not opposed to the development of women’s football and the DFCO reserve” while calling for “a sense of history” for “professional clubs to finance their structures themselves. “. By ten votes, the Agir ensemble pour Dijon group abstained on this report.

“The women’s team wanted this stadium nearby”

In response, the mayor of Dijon François Rebsamen indicated that “the women’s team wanted this stadium next to” the Gaston-Gérard stadium adding that “it is history, we will not tell the spectators of women’s football to go to the ecopark where there are no means of transport today ”.

The mayor of Dijon then let the municipal assembly imagine the cost of running a 16,000-seat stadium attended by 500 spectators. François Rebsamen said he was “very happy that there is a stadium made for the women of the DFCO”. In the end, the construction of the stadium was indeed voted by the municipal majority.

Jean-Christophe Tardivon

Financing the future stadium

The project management will be provided by the City of Dijon. The provisional schedule envisages an implementation period of 18 months for delivery in February 2022.

Provisional envelope of 4.7 million euros:
studies: 100,000 euros excluding taxes
realization of networks and connections: 250,000 euros excluding taxes
creation of a fenced in natural grass land, drains and watered: 650,000 euros excluding taxes
modification of the current lighting to bring it to 1,200 dimmable lux: 600,000 euros excluding taxes
construction of a 1,000-seat grandstand including sports and reception facilities: 3,100,000 euros excluding taxes

The City of Dijon will seek subsidies from the State as part of the local investment support endowment (DSIL), from the departmental council of Côte-d’Or as part of the call for projects “sports heritage », The Burgundy-Franche-Comté regional council and the French Football Federation under the aid fund for amateur football (FAFA). All of these subsidies could reach 830,000 euros.