Super League club finally set to redevelop stadium as planning permission given

Reports in France have confirmed plans for stadium redevelopment at the home of Catalans Dragons the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

They have reported that a new stand is set to be built at the stadium in Perpignan which will grow the capacity of the stadium and only add to the terrific atmosphere seen at Catalans games best shown in their two recent Super League semi-finals against Hull KR in 2021 and St Helens in 2023.

The news was broken by L’Indepdent whilst Treize Mondial added: “Everything is finally settled. At the end of the 2024 Super League season, the Guasch-Laborde stand will be demolished. Instead, a new grandstand will be built, and the work is scheduled to last until 2026 or even 2027.

“Larger (3500 covered seats instead of 1500 currently), this new look Guash-Laborde stand will allow the Dragons to accommodate 1000 additional reception spaces for their partners. This stand will cost €14 million, of which €2 million will be paid by the Dragons. The rest will be taken care of by the local authorities.”

The Dragons are clearly a club on the up and have revealed amazing season ticket sales lately. There has been a 20% increase for subscriptions in just 3 weeks. The numbers are on the rise again this year and are a little more a testament to the enthusiasm that is only growing around this team.

There is no doubt that the performances of the Catalan Dragons are linked to these developments. The club, which has not changed its pricing policy for 6 seasons now, continues to see an increase in the number of its season ticket holders.

With more than 2 months to go before the start of the season, the club already has 400 additional season ticket holders compared to the 2023 season. A success for the directors and for the club who have seen their loyal followers multiply over the years.

The Dragons show that the sport can really grow in France in the years to come and underline the disappointment that the French government cancelled the 2025 World Cup which was set to be held in the country.

Recently we have seen Carcassone and Limoux push to join League One so hopefully the sport will keep growing leading to a World Cup in the future.