• The Spartans, Marseille's hockey team, welcome this Saturday Brest (7:30 p.m.), the reigning champions of the 1st division, the second level behind the Magnus league.

  • The Spartans achieved the best attendance of a league match in France, last season against Epinal, with 5,400 people present at the Marseille ice rink.

  • Thanks to the largest ice rink in France, the Spartans aim to become the second club in Marseille behind Olympique de Marseille.

See the Marseille ice rink sold out, as has been the case for the Vélodrome stadium for around ten Olympique de Marseille matches.

This is the ambition of the Spartans, the Marseille hockey club, which this Saturday (7:30 p.m.) hosts Brest, the reigning French champions of Division 1, the second division in France behind the Magnus League.

For this first game of the season at home, after their inaugural victory in Neuilly (2-5), the Spartans expect no less than 3,000 people.

It will not be the attendance record for a French Hockey Championship match, set during the last match of last season against Epinal with 5,400 people gathered at the Marseille ice rink, but the Spartans are attracting more and more world.

"Three years ago, the average attendance was just over 1,000 people, while last year, we were more around 3,000 spectators", executive Basile Bilo, recruited to head the club's communication department since the start of the season.

“A big challenge”

A good progression in terms of attendance due to the professionalization of the club for a few seasons, more than to the results.

After narrowly missing the rise in the Magnus League in 2020, Covid-19 obliges, the Spartans missed qualification for the play-offs by one place last season, which brings together the eight best teams in the regular season.

But the club has gone from the status of an association to an SAS, a company “like Olympique de Marseille”, recalls Basile Bilo.

And the ambition of the Spartans is now to become Marseille's second club.

"We want to offer something other than OM in Marseille, it's a big challenge and something difficult, but it can be good for the reputation of the city," said Basile Bilo.

Two tifos for the first game of the season at home

Subscriber to the Vélodrome stadium, he knows the taste of the Marseillais.

“It's a sport that they can enjoy, it's the fastest in the world with systematic attacks.

It's also nervous, with a few fights, a very combative sport in which you never get bored since the draw does not exist, ”he lists.

He also wants to transpose the recipes from the Vélodrome stadium to the ice rink, with groups of supporters, activities, flags.

"I even pushed for there to be two tifos for the first home game," warns Basile Bilo.

And this year more than the others again, the show should be as much on the ice as in the stands, with a team capable of going for the climb.

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