Stade Louis II

The Stade Louis II at Fontvieille is the home of AS Monaco, opened in 1985 on reclaimed land with the pitch raised above a multi-storey car park and a sports complex underneath, which is what a country with two square kilometres has to do to fit a stadium in. Its nine-arch facade faces the sea. It held the European Super Cup for years and the Herculis athletics meeting is run there.

Background

The first Stade Louis II was opened in 1939 for AS Monaco. It honours Louis II, Prince of Monaco at the time the original ground went up. Plans for a new sports centre date from 1979. Construction ran from May 1981 to 1984 on land reclaimed from the sea and used 120,000 m³ of concrete, 2,000 tonnes of steel structure and 9,000 tonnes of iron. Rainier III opened the complex on 25 January 1985. It seats 16,360, and the pitch measures 105 by 68 metres. No other football and athletics stadium exists in the country, and it staged the UEFA Super Cup from 1998 to 2012.

Source: Wikipedia, "Stade Louis II"

Highlights

• The nine arches - the facade the stadium is recognised by.
• The stacked design - a pitch built above a car park and sports complex.
• The reclaimed setting - a stadium on ground made from the sea.
• The Herculis meeting - the athletics event held there each summer.

When to go

The football season runs August to May. Herculis athletics falls in July. Tours run outside match days by arrangement.

Good to know

Attendances at league matches are famously low and the atmosphere reflects that. Tours must be arranged and are not always running. There is little to see outside match or event days.

Nearby

Fontvieille is around it, and the Rose Garden is nearby.

Key facts