Shoes flocked with two white diagonal stripes. The youngest will see a pale imitation of the Adidas logo, the others the memory of a brand that rocked their childhood, their adolescence and even more. The one that wore the champions, from Bernard Hinault to Michel Platini via Kevin Keegan and Jean-Pierre Papin. At the height of its activity, at the end of the 1980s, the firm “patrick“, born in Pouzauges in Vendée during the Glorious Thirties, decides that it is time to strike a blow in France and knocks on the door of FC Nantes.
True to the adage, the love story with the Yellows will last three years before the company sets out to conquer other clubs. A story that it continues today by equipping the Belgians Zulte Waregem, the Sporting club of Toulon or the Clermont Foot, next opponent of FC Nantes this Sunday afternoon at the Gabriel Montpied stadium, a nice wink.
Stars before signing a starred club
“At the time, we couldn’t afford football teams so we took players and we couldn’t take them in France because they were collective contracts, unlike abroad where they were individualrecalls Charles Bénéteau, ex-CEO of the Vendée multinational. So we signed with French people who played elsewhere, but not only since we also equipped Kevin Keegan [ex-international anglais dans les années 70, 80, passé par Liverpool et Newcastle].” Brilliant blows with high-sounding names to stay in the dance against Puma and Adidasthe other two top names in the field at the time.
In Europe, everyone knew Nantes, it was one of the most famous French clubs.
Anderlecht’s star player, Franky Vercauteren, was part of the list of stars equipped by Patrick. “He received 100,000 francs at the time and shoes were made for him in his name.“, slips the son of Charles Bénéteau, the creator of the brand”patrick“, in homage to his father Patrice. Coincidentally, the Belgian was transferred in the summer of 1987 to Loire-Atlantique, an idea began to gain ground. “At one point, we said to ourselves: why not have FC Nantesrecalls Charles Bénéteau, now retired. It was the biggest club, it was near Pouzauges and it was above all free since the partnership with Adidas had ended.” Bank.
We had all the Intersport, the Sport 2000 and that also allowed us to put ourselves a little in the pocket of the bankers.
Thanks to a company executive, Charles Bénéteau came into contact with Max Bouyer and Robert Budzynski, respectively president and sports director of the Canaries at that time. “There have been some discussions“, confides the one who today shares his life between Spain and the Vendée, a handshake and the signing of a contract which was around one million francs, he thinks he remembers. “All my distributors in Europe were very happy when we signedexplains Charles Bénéteau, then at the head of a company with 1,000 employees and 18 subsidiaries around the world. In Europe, everyone knew Nantes, it was one of the most famous French clubs.”
– DR
A marriage that will give birth to a fashion
The brand with the famous slogan “Sports shoes for every sport“had succeeded with the Canaries in his purse.”This is where we decided to get into textiles and we had created for the occasion one of the first lines of products, shorts, jerseys, tracksuits, with the colors of FC Nantes and the club logo.still welcomes Charles Bénéteau. We distributed it throughout France, which helped us get started in textiles..”
On the catalog of the time that the businessman came out for the occasion, pages 8 to 11 expose all the models created by the brand. “This allowed us to have new customersengages the septuagenarian. Practically all the sports stores from Laval to Bordeaux have started working with us, we had all the Intersport, the Sport 2000 and that also allowed us to put ourselves a little in the pocket of the bankers. Besides, there are some who still talk to me about times when they were invited to the lodge.“
A few whims and custom-made shoes
The success encountered by Patrick during these two seasons will not be doubled by a sporting success, the Canaries finishing seventh in the championship each time. Whatever, the leader “will have won his bet“. He will also forge excellent links with Robert Budzynski and a smile appears on his face when discussing his links with the players. Good even if some gave him a hard time, from Franky Vercauteren who did everything to keep his juicy individual contract which dated from his Belgian period to this player “whose name we will not give“who refused to wear Patricks.”He had an Adidas contractrecounts Charles Bénéteau. And when I went to see him, there was nothing I could do, he pretended that the shape of the shoes did not suit him well. So, I had to offer him to make custom shoes, which he couldn’t refuse.”
Anecdotes galore and the memory of a divorce with the Yellow House which had gone well. “We had made ourselves known even more thanks to FC Nanteshe presses. At this moment, we needed to attack another region and that’s how we went east.” The prosperous period of the shoe with two white stripes.