Yverdon-Sport has proposed a club for the area of north Jura and Neuchatel cantons. Here is the translated news: In an extraordinary meeting of Yverdon-Sport SA, the administrative council has decided to change their name and create the FC Romandie SA. "Grasshopper and Basel are leaning towards an Autro-Swiss league", explained president Paul-André Cornu. "To have a place among the future elite, the clubs romands will be obliged to consolidate their forces. For the moment, we are simple opening our arms..." A little background on this. This is not the first I have heard of this. With the on again, off again saga of Lausanne Sports, and the potential change in the league format to an Austro-Swiss league, there has been talk of a club based in Yverdon that would draw from all of Vaud (except Nyon and that area), Neuchatel and Fribourg cantons. Those organising this are counting on the communal francophones to support one club, in Yverdon because it would be central for all the people. I would love a strong club based in Yverdon, but I for see some problems. With Neuchatel planning on building a new stadium, I don't see how they would want to give that up. Yverdon is not the strongest team/ not fan base right now. I think that a union of teams in the Vaud region would be a good idea, but if Yverdon is the place for it, I don't know. Plus would people travel from Lausanne (20 min on train or car), Neuchatel (20 train/30 car) or Fribourg (1 hr train/45 car) to Yverdon. I don't know. But the President is aware of the potential to be left behind in the changes, and is trying to position his club where it could make an impact.
From the newspaper 24heures in Lausanne: " We are changing the name of our society, which will be called hereafter FC Romandie. This is a way of saying that we are open to change. Yverdon coule very well become a promised land for professional football in." For quite a while already, like Christian Constantin in the Valais, Paul-André Cornu repeated constantly that the viability of a pro club in Swiss Romande would incorporate a sufficiant population of at least one million inhabitants. "With the Jura, Neuchâtel, Fribourg, also a large part of the canton of Vaud, one could construct something good. If each stay in their little corner, we will all live poorly." When asked about Lausanne-Sports, they fit naturally in the calculations. "It has been three years since I have sent appeals to the feet of the directors of Lausanne-Sports, warning them that football will end up bad in the. One needs to be aware of the needs of the club and to work intellegently. The LN admitted that one could work together for a training center. There is no reason to hesitate." Money is naturally at the center of the debate. Previously, the president yverdonnois was shocked by the amount of money, 250 000 CHF given from the reserve funds of Sport-Toto, in favor of Lausanne-Sports who are trying to survive. "The intervention of the State of Vaud in the case of LS created a situation unequil between the clubs, estimes Paul-André Cornu. One talks about the 350 youth at LS; but Yverdon has almost 300. Our training academy costs us 200 000 CHF each year (150 000 recieved for 350 000 in expenses)." Here is the link if you want to read the entire article: http://www.24heures.ch/home/journal/sportauj/index.php?Page_ID=6447&art_id=21691&Rubrique=Sport
Neuchatel seems more the logical choice to me, with their new stadium et. al. If they trully want to draw from Jura and Neuchatel, I see people coming from those places to Neuchatel not Yverdon. But the idea seems good to me. If the team was in Neuchatel, it would be difficult to get people from Lausanne to come. But the idea of a Lausanne/Valais team was throw around earlier in the fall when both LS and Sion were having money problems. The idea was for a new stadium near Vevey to draw from the whole area, including Fribourg.