Bollaert to host 80th straight sell-out as Lens fans match the performance drive | OneFootball

Bollaert will host its 80th consecutive sell-out on Saturday, when Monaco visit at 17:00, as RC Lens chase a new home record.

According to L'Équipe, Lens have won 10 Ligue 1 home games in a row, equalling their 2022-23 surge, and bought Bollaert-Delelis from the municipality on 14 December for €27m.

Long-time fan Sylvain Trapez says the club has reinvented itself around its values, trusting La Gaillette youth and embracing Pierre Sage’s impact. Sociologist William Nuytens adds that Bollaert has become a sociological high place, a shared experience that players also feel.

Muted last year under Will Still, the noise has returned with Sage, fuelled by fightbacks against Brest, Marseille and Rennes. The volume crested after Ruben Aguilar’s 56th-minute red card in the 3-1 win over Rennes.

Statistician Laurent Mazure argues this is not yet the loudest season and expects an uptick towards spring. He warns against nostalgia for 1998, when crowds averaged 27,788, noting the ground is now full every time.

Sage cites Lille, 3-0 in September, and the comeback against Marseille as founding moments, and says fans hold themselves to account after dips such as Le Havre, 1-0 on 30 January. He sees supporters playing their part in performance, with PSG’s mid-April visit on the horizon.

Source: L'Équipe