Why are OGC Nice reducing the capacity of the Allianz Rivieria? | OneFootball

OGC Nice saw out their Ligue 1 campaign with a spectacular 6-0 victory over Stade Brestois earlier this month. The result, played in front of a capacity crowd of a little over 30,000, guaranteed Le Gym’s place in the qualifiers for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

However, the club have since announced that they will now reduce the capacity of their stadium, the Allianz Riviera, in order to improve the atmosphere at games. The capacity will be reduced by a little over 30,000 to 27,000, the club have announced. Speaking on Ici Azur, the club’s CEO, Fabrice Bocquet, stated that whilst he believes that the club are capable of filling the stadium in the long-term, this is not currently the case.

Last season, the average attendance was 24,417, according to the club’s figures. “A few years ago, we were around 18-20,000, so there is a positive evolution,” said Bocquet. However, there is an ongoing “no-show” issue with fans having tickets, for example, thanks to their season ticket, but not attending games. “At some games, it was even above 30%,” says Bocquet.

Nice look to create competition for tickets

To help resolve the issue, bolster attendances, and improve the overall atmosphere at the Allianz Riviera, a part of the third tier of the stands will be closed. The south stand, which houses the club’s ultras, will not be affected, but the idea more generally is to bring fans closer to the pitch, rather than having them spread out in a sparsely populated third tier.

The decrease in tickets is also a way, for Bocquet, of creating greater excitement around games and decreasing the amount of no-shows. “The objective is to create a bit more tension for the big matches, so that there are fewer tickets available, so that you go to the stadium more regularly, even when it’s a bit more difficult or the match is less prestigious. And the objective is also to create competition, to decrease the rate of no-shows,” said Nice’s CEO.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle