| Stade de la Meinau | |
|---|---|
| La Meinau | |
| Location | 12, rue de l'Extenwoerth Strasbourg, France |
| Broke ground | 1906 |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Expanded | 1921, 1931, 1951, 1979–1984 |
| Owner | Town of Strasbourg |
| Operator | RC Strasbourg |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 29,320 overall (24,000 seated)[1] |
| Field dimensions | 110 x 68 m |
| Tenants | |
| RC Strasbourg (1914–present) | |
The Stade de la Meinau, commonly known as "La Meinau" is a football stadium in Strasbourg, France. It is the home ground of RC Strasbourg and has also hosted international matches, including one game of World cup 1938, two games of Euro 1984 and the final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1988. La Meinau has also been used as a venue for concerts and a mass by John Paul II in 1988. The stadium is owned by the Strasbourg municipality and is rented by the RC Strasbourg. The club is planning to move to a new ground provisionally known as EuroStadium in 2013, which means that La Meinau's future is uncertain.
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On 1 April 1914, as Strasbourg was still part of Germany following the Franco-Prussian War, RC Strasbourg, then called FC Neudorf, signed a 300 Deutsche Mark lease to use the Haemmerlé Garten, essentially a pitch surrounded by the woods in the then mainly rural district of Meinau. This would eventually serve as the ground where the stadium was constructed. Between 1906 and 1914, the pitch had been used by another team, FC Frankonia, and several lawsuits were necessary to evict that team from the ground.[2] Construction eventually proceeded and was completed in 1921 with a capacity of 30,000. During the 1938 FIFA World Cup, La Meinau hosted a first round game that saw Brazil eliminate Poland 6–5 after extra-time thanks to a triple by Leônidas who scored one of the very first Bicycle kicks in the history of football. The stadium was rebuilt from the ground up in 1984 for the European Championship and hosted a record 44,566 for the West Germany vs. Portugal match (0–0). La Meinau is a compact, fully rectangular stadium with quarter-corners between the four mains stands (North, South, West and East). In 1988 La Meinau hosted the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final that saw K.V. Mechelen defeat Ajax Amsterdam 1–0. After the tragic events of Heysel, Hillsborough and Furiani, safety regulations were reinforced, progressively limiting the number of standing places. This change of regulation severely limited la Meinau's capacity since the stadium had large terraces all-around the pitch. Hence, in 1996, RC Strasbourg had to limit the attendance to 26,000 (seated only) in a stadium originally built for 45,000 when they hosted AC Milan for the 1995–96 UEFA Cup.[3] In 1993, La Meinau was considered as a strong potential candidate to host games for World Cup 1998 by Michel Platini, who organized the tournament, especially because of its proximity to Germany and Central Europe in general. However, the municipality was unwilling to assume the cost of the works necessary to host the World Cup – estimated at 200 millions Francs[4] – citing the other costly projects under way, especially the tram.[5] Since Metz also declined an invitation to host the cup, there were no games in 1998 in the whole Northeastern France. La Meinau was last refurbished in 2001, its current capacity for league games is 29,320.[1]
| 14 June 1984 17:15 |
West Germany | 0 – 0 | Portugal | La Meinau, Strasbourg Attendance: 44,566 Referee: Romualdas Yushka (Soviet Union) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| 20 November 1992 20:00 |
RC Strasbourg | 2 – 2 | Olympique Marseille | La Meinau, Strasbourg Attendance: 39,033 Referee: Lartigot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Leboeuf 64' Jean-Jacques Etamé 85' |
(Report) | Alen Bokšić 17' Franck Sauzée 49' |
The France national football team have played three games in Strasbourg.
| 6 November 1968 20:45 |
France | 0 – 1 | Norway | La Meinau, Strasbourg Referee: Francescoo Francescon (Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Odd Iversen 67' |
| 18 April 1984 20:45 |
France | 1 – 0 | West Germany | La Meinau, Strasbourg Referee: Vincenzo Barbaresco (Italy) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Genghini 79' | (Report) |
| 29 May 1996 20:45 |
France | 2 – 0 | Finland | La Meinau, Strasbourg Referee: Edgar Steinborn (Germany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrice Loko 15' Reynald Pedros 18' |
(Report) |
The France women's national football team has played two games in Strasbourg.
| 15 April 1995 18:00 |
France | 0 – 3 | United States | La Meinau, Strasbourg Attendance: 19,535 Referee: Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Carin Jennings-Gabarra 3' Kristine Lilly 55' Mia Hamm 65' |
| 20 April 2002 15:00 |
France | 4 – 1 | Czech Republic | La Meinau, Strasbourg Referee: Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandrine Soubeyrand 5' Marinette Pichon 31' Stéphanie Mugneret-Beghé 39' Gaëlle Blouin 49' |
(Report) | Pavlína Ščasná 90' |
The French national rugby union team has played one game in Strasbourg.
| 4 November 1989 20:00 |
France | 15 – 32 | Australia | Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg Attendance: 29,568 Referee: Burger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pen: Cambérabéro (4/4) 4', 18', 21', 41' Drop: Cambérabéro 10' |
(Report) | Tries: Horan 36', 79' Williams 46' Campese 64 Con: Lynagh (2/4) 46', 64' Pen: Lynagh (4/4) 8', 13', 53', 56' |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 9 October 1988 | Pope John Paul II mass[6] On the occasion of Strasbourg's 2000th Anniversary |
| 23 June 1993 | U2 Concert[7] Supported by The Velvet Underground[8] |
| 9 September 1994 | Pink Floyd Concert[9] |
| 22 June 2003 | Johnny Hallyday Concert[10] Supported by Yannick Noah[11] |
| Preceded by Spiros Louis Stadium Athens |
European Cup Winners Cup Final Venue 1988 |
Succeeded by Wankdorf Stadium Berne |
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