Stade Louis II
Encyclopedia
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in the Fontvieille
Fontvieille, Monaco
Fontvieille is the newest of the four traditional quarters in the principality of Monaco, and one of ten Wards for modern administrative purposes. It is located in the western part of Monaco...
district of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. It serves primarily as a venue for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, being the home of AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
and the Monaco national football team
Monaco national football team
The Monaco national football team represents Monaco in association football and is controlled by the Monegasque Football Federation, the governing body for football in Monaco. The current manager is Thierry Petit....
, as well as the location of the annual UEFA Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
match. It is also used for track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, where it formerly hosted the IAAF World Athletics Final
IAAF World Athletics Final
The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the IAAF World Athletics Series and was the culmination of the...
(though certain events, such as the hammer
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
, had to be held elsewhere, due to the stadium's relatively small capacity).
The original Stade Louis II
Stade Louis II (1939)
Stade Louis II was a multi-use stadium in Fontvieille, Monaco. It was initially used as the stadium of AS Monaco FC matches. It was replaced by Stade Louis II in 1985. The capacity of the stadium was 12,000 spectators.-External links:*...
was opened in 1939 as the home of AS Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
. The new stadium was built in the early 1980s, close to the site of the old stadium on land reclaimed from the sea, opening fully in 1985. It presently has a capacity of approximately 18,500 all seated, which is quite large relative to the population of Monaco (about 30,500); it can seat almost two-thirds of the country's population, a feat no other stadium can boast. The vast majority of the stadium's facilities are located underground, with a large car park directly under the pitch (something that has caused some degree of criticism from managers of AS Monaco's opponents in the past over the state of the pitch).
The stadium is named after Louis II, Prince of Monaco
Louis II, Prince of Monaco
Louis II was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 27 June 1922 until 9 May 1949.-Early years:Born Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi in Baden-Baden, Germany, he was the only child of Prince Albert I of Monaco , and Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton...
, who was the Sovereign Prince of Monaco when the original stadium was built. It features prominently in the early versions of Pro Evolution Soccer
Pro Evolution Soccer (series)
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series of football video game developed and published by Konami...
and Adidas Power Soccer 98.
Explosion
La Ruche, Fontvieille
La Ruche, Fontvieille is an industrial building in the Principality of Monaco.-Erection and inauguration:It was built by Monaco's Public Works Office....
. No injuries were reported and responsibility for the attack remained unclear. The damage, while relatively extensive to portions of the fabric of the buildings, was verified as not having affected the buildings' respective structures. On 1 June the Government of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
announced that it would assume responsibility for repairs to the damage caused by the explosion, without preempting the results of expert investigations, which continued. This explosion constituted a rare exception to Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
's long-established reputation for safety and absence of violence.
IUM
Stade Louis II, containing a large office complex, also houses the International University of MonacoInternational University of Monaco
The International University of Monaco is an English-language school in Monaco, specializing in business education. IUM is operated by the Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales group of schools, which is owned by Career Education Corporation a US-listed professional education...
(IUM), which specializes in business education.
See also
- Geography of MonacoGeography of MonacoWith a total area of a land border of and a coast measuring the Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after the Vatican City. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east of Nice, France, and is surrounded on three sides by France and on the fourth...