Stade Louis II

For the former AS Monaco ground of the same name, see Stade Louis II (1939).

Stade Louis II

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Location	Fontvieille, Monaco
Capacity	18,523 (all-seater)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	early 1980s (current)
Opened	1939 (original) 25 January 1985 (current)
Tenants
AS Monaco Monaco national football team

The nine arches at Stade Louis II

The Stade Louis II (French pronunciation: ​[stad(ə) lwi ˈdø]) is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team. From 1998 - 2012 this was the location of the annual UEFA Super Cup match.

The stadium is also used for the Herculis, a track and field meet of the IAAF Diamond League. On 29 July 2008, Yelena Isinbayeva set the women's pole vault world record of 5.04 metres at the ground. From 2003 to 2005 it hosted the IAAF World Athletics Final, though certain events, such as the hammer, had to be held elsewhere, due to the stadium's relatively small capacity.

The original Stade Louis II was opened in 1939 as the home of AS Monaco. 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 36,371); it can seat almost half of its 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, who was the Sovereign Prince of Monaco when the original stadium was built.

On 1 July 2011, The Eagles played at the ground at the wedding of Prince Albert II to Charlene Wittstock.

Explosion

View of the pitch inside Stade Louis II

On 31 May 2004, an explosion, apparently deliberate, caused damage to the Stade Louis II and a neighbouring building, La Ruche, Fontvieille. 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 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 the principality'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 Monaco (IUM), which specializes in business education.

See also

• Geography of Monaco

External links

• monaco.net
• Stadium Guide Article

Preceded by Two-legged matches

UEFA Super Cup Single-match Venue 1998–2012

Succeeded by Eden Arena Prague