What results for Team Chambé at the end of the season? Our elite handball team is playing its last Starligue game this Wednesday night against Saran at Le Phare. The opportunity to take an interest in the finances of the club. After two years of Covid, the supporters are back, and Team Chambé, which will play at European level next year, will even increase its budget, increasing it to 4.2 million euros next season, i.e. an increase of 5%. We talk about it with Alain Poncet, the president of Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball.
France Bleu Pays de Savoie: the supporters have returned to the Lighthouse this season, we imagine that it is a relief for you…
Alain Poncet: “Yes, it’s very good news (…) after a slightly more complicated start to the season because there were still restrictions, in the second half of the season we had five sold-out crowds, and the matches that were not sold out had a lot of attendance (…) finally we managed to catch up on the delay at the start of the season and to reach an average of 85% occupancy over the season. So it’s a great satisfaction ” .
FBPDS: Have the private partners remained loyal to you? We know that they represent half of the club’s budget.
Alain Poncet: “Yes, two million and two euros out of a four million budget, that’s very significant! The few partners who didn’t follow through were badly impacted by covid and they had real economic problems. But otherwise all those who have overcome the crisis have been with us, and it’s a great proof of loyalty. Some, in the next season, have already announced that they will be present, and some will even be on the increase” .
FBPDS: How are you approaching the next season financially?
Alain Poncet: “We remain ambitious, since we have a budget that goes from 4 million to 4.2 million, so a 5% increase, and we have a sports payroll which itself increases a little more (…) A few months ago we presented the project -Horizons 2025-, which aims to increase the club from 4 to 5 million euros by 2025. So we have to seek funding gradually, year by year”.
FBPDS: More than 4 million euros in the budget, is that enough? Are the means up to your ambitions?
Alain Poncet: “No! We would need a lot more, but we have to know how to do with what we have. Today we have the ninth budget in the championship and we finish fourth. For many, many years, Chambéry has always finished with budgets lower than its ranking because we have know-how, we have a team that works, seriousness. Work pays, seriousness pays. Afterwards, you need a little bit of madness, because if you don’t have not this little grain of madness, you don’t engage in such adventures. But we just have madness, a sweet madness we will say, which allows us to achieve these ambitions”.
Interview by Jonathan Landais.