« We’ve been waiting for this for 10 years »

For the second day of Ligue 1, Sunday August 14, AJ Auxerre will host Angers at Abbé-Deschamps. A first home game since the resumption of the championship which has created a certain enthusiasm among supporters: more than 14,000 tickets have already been sold.

« The first home game, it gives enthusiasm and joy to the public« , said Jean-Marc Furlan on Friday August 12. In the stands of Abbé-Deschamps, this enthusiasm is felt among the supporters who came to attend AJA training. »We were in Ligue 2 for 10 years so coming back to Ligue 1 is incredible“smiles longtime fan Kenny.”We’ve been waiting for this match for 10 years.“, adds another Auxerrois.

I shifted my holidays to go see this first game at home.

All are hoping for anice match« and even, why not, a first victory. »I was at Lille and it was a game to forget« , admits Philippe, support of the club for thirty years. « But I hope for a match with desire, determination and a victory at the end. The team is expected to maintain a Ligue 1 pace.« 

Expectations that players seem determined to meet. At the end of training, Julien Jeanvier, defender freshly recruited by the Icaunais club, explains: « Inevitably, we want to do well to start in front of our supporters. We want to make them happy. But afterwards, we want to redeem ourselves for our match against Lille. And Angers will be one of the teams with which we will fight to maintain, so for me, it will be a decisive match.« 

The Auxerre fervor is also felt in the club’s official store. At the start of the championship, the threshold of 8,500 subscribers has been exceeded. A historic record for AJA, whose shop tripled its activity this summer.

« We’re getting closer to 9000« , says Bastien Thierry, the ticketing manager. « On the shop, we tripled the activity this summer, compared to what we usually did. Knowing that we were already on a progression in recent years. So there is a real Ligue 1 effect.« 

Just over 24 hours from the meeting, more than 14,000 of the approximately 15,000 places available have been sold. For this first home game, the AJA should therefore play sold out.