for the region’s football clubs, sporting and economic consequences

Sports clubs are strongly affected by the floods in the north of France. This is particularly the case for football clubs in the Côte d’Opale district, in Pas-de-Calais, where many pitches are impassable for several months. The example is particularly striking at Blendecques, a small club in Pas-de-Calais near Saint-Omer which plays at departmental level. The 300 licensees can no longer benefit from the club’s two pitches, which are completely flooded. And for good reason: the main land now serves as a retention basin, with an adjacent wall, to protect the town.

“Currently, we no longer have landexplain the president of the Patriote de Blendecque, Freddy Lemaire. This will be the case for four or five months, while it dries, but since it’s raining at the moment… We managed to save a few match shirts but everything else took on water.” Result: more than 1.5 meters of water and teams forced to take refuge in the rooms or to play in other communities, when possible. But travel costs are increasing and the clubhouse has also been flooded, so the equipment is out of service.

Synthetic pitches out of service

And now is not the time to ask for money from the town hall, which helps around thirty associations in this town of 5,000 inhabitants. In the region, some very expensive synthetic pitches are now unusable, also regrets Franck Poret, the president of the Côte d’Opale football district.

“Near Boulogne, the water went under the synthetic covering and completely peeled it off over its entire surface. We can fold it and store it!”

Franck Poret

at franceinfo

To help the 180 clubs managed at the departmental level, the Côte d’Opale district notably suspended the monthly levies owed by the clubs, and asked the Regional Football League that part of the envelope intended to support the amateur football is affected by flooding.