RC Lens takes ownership of stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, May 28^th, 2025

Image: Bollaert Stadium, Gtanicko, CC BY 2.0

French Ligue 1 club RC Lens has become the owner of its legendary Bollaert-Delelis Stadium.

Entrevue said club President Joseph Oughourlian announced the details of the important acquisition, which marks a decisive turning point for the club and its supporters.

And with the stadium ownership in its own hands, RC Lens is now considering several projects to improve the fan experience and the club’s performance.

Top of the list is to modernize the stands and VIP areas and improve technical infrastructure such as changing rooms and lighting at the venue.

There are also plans to develop a shopping center, shops and other services around the stadium to make it more of a destination.

Racing Club de Lens, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply as Lens, is a French Ligue 1 professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais.

The Stade Bollaert-Delelis is the main football stadium in Lens, France, that was built in 1933. It is the home of RC Lens. The stadium’s capacity is 38,223 – about 7,000 more than the city’s population.

Entrevue further stated that the Bollaert-Delelis stadium is much more than a sports arena: it is a powerful symbol of the region’s cultural and footballing heritage. It has seen the club’s greatest moments and historic exploits.

Until now, the tenant club had to manage a complex agreement with the urban community, which owns the site.

But with this acquisition, RC Lens will now be able to fully organise the management, renovation, and development of its stadium.

RC Lens finalized the purchase of the stadium after several months of negotiations with the Lens-Liévin urban community.

Club owner Joseph Oughourlian said a few weeks ago that everything was progressing positively.

He said, “I thank the city and its teams. We’ve been working on this project for several years. The city of Lens is Racing, and vice versa. We found a symbiosis between the two in our discussions. It was worth the effort.”

What was complicated was setting the purchase price for the Bollaert-Delelis stadium: “It’s complicated to evaluate a stadium, especially one that is only used for football matches,” explains Oughourlian.

RC Lens will pay €27 million to become the owner of its own venue. And to be able to develop the club’s activities around its location.

Every top-tier club now needs to own its own stadium to continue growing. For municipalities, managing a stadium is often complicated, even a financial drain. Selling it to a leading club is a win-win situation.

Oughourlian added, “Becoming owners of Bollaert means taking back full control of our destiny. We want this stadium to continue to vibrate to the rhythm of our passion and our ambitions.”

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