Grégory Laloyer, a Stade Béthunois icon and Kipsta ambassador

Grégory laloyer, a stade béthunois icon and kipsta ambassador

A central defender, first-team captain since 2008, academy head, U-11 team coach and club employee to boot, Grégory Laloyer is Stade Béthunois' Mr Versatile. He is also a Kipsta brand ambassador.

Playing football in winter

A central defender, first-team captain since 2008, academy head, U-11 team coach and club employee to boot, Grégory Laloyer is Stade Béthunois' Mr Versatile. He is also a Kipsta brand ambassador.
Twenty-two long years! Grégory is a genuine one-club man, having worn the Stade Béthunois jersey for more than two decades. It has been 22 years since the man from Beuvry in northern France first signed for the club, and he has stayed there ever since. "When I first started, I played for Racing Club Labourse for a couple of years, between the ages of six and eight, but it wasn't long before I was wearing the sky blue and navy blue shirt," said Grégory. I've learned everything I know right here. I've never wanted to leave. It feels like home." A first-team central defender since 2008 and the captain of the Régional 1 (France's sixth tier) side, he has become a club icon over the years. "I've had several opportunities to go and play for other clubs, some of them in National 3 (third tier), and even Belgium, but I never made the move. I'm too happy here. This club is like a family to me and they're great people."

Getting his club noticed

For the last three years, Grégory has also been a full-time employee at Stade Béthunois. "I run the academy, which trains U-6s through to U-13s, and I coach the U-11s too." He also has a number of administrative duties, overseeing relations with the district football board, the Ligue des Hauts-de-France and the local council, and looking after player registrations too. "I'm involved in the sports section at the town's school too, through a partnership with the club. On top of that and for the second season in a row, the 30-year-old is a brand ambassador for Kipsta, Stade Béthunois' sponsors. "They asked me to try out a new pair of boots, the CLR 900, and I started using them straightaway. They're just what I was looking for. They're very light and thin and they're just like Nike boots, which is what I was wearing before. He also does a little bit of promotional work, taking part in photoshoots and trying out new gear at the Kipstadium in Tourcoing, the brand's innovation lab, all of which helps raise his club's profile.