Concarneau’s Guy-Piriou finally up to standard for Nantes cup tie | OneFootball

Concarneau now have a compliant Guy-Piriou Stadium in time to host Nantes on Sunday at 14:45 in the Coupe de France round of 64. According to L'Équipe, a new stand is open at the ground.

In recent seasons volunteers loaded equipment into several lorries, drove to Brest, sometimes Lorient or Guingamp, set everything up, then dismantled it hours later before heading home exhausted.

Two years ago their first Ligue 2 campaign proved grim, the non-compliant stadium led to relegation to National. President Jacques Piriou said the promotion even strained finances, costing 2 million euros. Among the issues was the gap between the barrier and the touchline.

One stand was demolished and rebuilt further back with 1,400 seats, where supporters had mostly stood. Seating was refreshed across the venue and a new building added for a club shop and bar, CCTV and security, plus a media area with a press room.

The revamped Guy-Piriou, named after Piriou’s father, was inaugurated a week ago. Capacity is 2,999, rising to 4,500 from February once approvals arrive. Piriou says the set-up suits the club and there was no need for 10,000 seats.

Unbeaten in 12 matches and eighth in National, Concarneau might even be seen as slight favourites. Sixteen years ago, while in CFA 2 and Nantes in Ligue 2, they won 3-0, a repeat on Sunday would please those volunteers.

Source: L'Équipe