This city in Loire-Atlantique will soon have its synthetic football pitch

This was a recurring request fromUS Vital Frossay, she is about to be heard. A synthetic track should be built in the coming months in Frossay (Loire-Atlantique), in a department that is already well equipped in this area.

For a long time, the football club born from fusionin 2016, from US Saint-Viaud Football and USCF Frossay, requested this equipment from the two neighboring municipalities a few kilometers away.

“At least ten years,” recalls Estelle Francheteau, co-president of the club with Sébastien Olivier. “Our predecessor had already compiled files.”

In both municipalities the club has two grass pitches in Frossay and D’another in Saint-Viaud, as well as a stabilized one. Not all of them are lit, which sometimes causes organizational problems during evening training, especially in winter.

Too dry in summer, too rainy in winter

But grassy areas especially suffer from the capricious weather that makes them impassable. This season, the cocktail of summer drought and winter weather forced the USVF to cancel a number of training sessions and had to postpone several championship matches.

Every year we lose a few players, fortunately not the majority, who are tired of playing in these conditions.

Especially since the neighboring clubs – Saint-Pierre de Retz, Éclair de Chauvé, FC Estuaire (in Corsept), Entente sportif des Marais (in Rouans) – all have a synthetic pitch.

At the beginning of April 2024, the club responded by sending one letter to the two mayorsthen forwarded to the families of the rights holders.

While acknowledging the legitimacy of their request, the mayor of Saint-Viaud, Roch Chéraud, responded that his municipality was unable to finance such equipment.

“Our financial margins do not allow us to do this. Especially since other road work on old housing estates or protection of rainwater to avoid flooding will be urgent and will require very significant sums. At the same time, we have aging equipment that needs to undergo upgrades or renovation work.”

“We put some money aside”

In contrast, the club received positive feedback from the mayor of Frossay, Sylvain Scherer.

In the coming weeks, the municipal council will be asked to take a position on this rather expensive matter. We generally talk about €800,000 to €1,000,000 to build a synthetic.

It then remains to find the financial package, even if the mayor assures that he has the money.

A few years ago it was impossible, but today the situation is no longer the same. We put some money aside.

The elected official admits to being tired of having to multiply municipal decisions to ban sports on grass pitches.

Via Aid fund for amateur football (Fafa) or even the National Sports Agency, subsidies are possible to reduce the municipal share. “But in all cases it remains public money,” tempers the mayor.

A working group

A meeting was held on Friday the 3rd. May 2024 in the village hall between representatives of the club, the town hall and the District to outline the project.

Where will the land be? A priori he comes replace one of the two existing grass pitches. “It is the club that decides”, forgets Sylvain Scherer.

What type of terrain? While synthetics based on recycled tires will be banned from 2031, new technology is based cork and sand now recommended.

While we wait for more information, on the ASVF site, we are happy about this new perspective for the 260 rights holders. “It is a positive signal for the development of the club, so that our youngsters can flourish,” said Estelle Francheteau.

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