Grenoble puts its rent in escrow and opens the Stade des Alpes dispute

The announcement came on the eve of the derby against Valence-Romans. The Grenoble rugby club is not refusing to pay, it is putting the money elsewhere.

It was Gérard Mezin, the new chairman of the supervisory board, who announced the decision, taken in consultation with Patrick Goffi, chairman of the SASP. The club describes it as an escrow arrangement with an independent third party, not a refusal to pay.

The sums put forward by the club

According to figures released by the FCG, using the stadium costs 450,000 euros per season, parking has cost 26,000 euros over the past two years, and setting up and dismantling equipment between fixtures costs 25,000 euros. The club considers these terms out of step with the services provided, and points to a lack of dialogue since the metropolitan authority took back direct management of the ground in 2025.

The Stade des Alpes is one of only two top-flight grounds in France shared by two resident clubs, along with Jean-Bouin, home to Stade Français and Paris FC. In Grenoble, rugby shares the ground with Grenoble Foot 38, with each club paying the same fee to the local authority.

Notre volonté n’est pas de nous soustraire à nos responsabilités. C’est précisément pour cette raison que nous avons décidé de mettre en place un dispositif de consignation des sommes concernées.

Gérard Mezin | Metro-Sports

A standoff opens mid-season

The suspension is described as being in place until further notice, with no deadline announced. The metropolitan authority, which owns the ground, had not responded publicly as of 25 September.

On the pitch, the FCG closed out its first block of fixtures with the derby against Valence-Romans on 25 September at the Stade des Alpes, with a first start for Steven David and a first appearance at the ground for Nathan Coutin.