RC Lens confirm purchase of Stade Bollaert-Delelis in €27m deal with 20-year no-naming clause | OneFootball

RC Lens have confirmed the purchase of Stade Bollaert-Delelis from the city, announced by president-owner Joseph Oughourlian and mayor Sylvain Robert in a press conference two hours before the 17:15 home match against Nice on Sunday.

According to L'Équipe, the municipal council approved the sale on 21 May for €27m net to the seller.

Until now the club was a tenant under an emphyteutic lease signed in 2002 and running to 2052.

Oughourlian said the move is important for the club, historic yet natural, and described the stadium as a recognised historic monument. He thanked the teams for three years of work and highlighted a relationship of trust with the mayor and his staff.

The venue was valued at €54.9m by the state’s property service, the Domaines, but deductions linked to club commitments and city clauses lowered the price to €27m.

These include €6.5m tied to a 20-year prohibition on naming rights, and €10.1m to repay the Hauts-de-France region for Euro 2016 works.

The city of Lens had owned the ground since 1974 after buying it from the Houillères for a symbolic one franc.

The announcement coincided with the ground’s Sainte-Barbe festivities, honouring the patron saint of miners.

Source: L'Équipe