There are many weird and wonderful stadia around the world, across a range of sports. A stadium might be remarkable due to its historical significance, its geography, design, location, grand size or even the way it is used. Football alone has no end of unusual grounds, and few can match the visual impression created by the so-called “Crocodile Stadium” in Bursa, Turkey. Officially called the Centennial Atatürk Stadium, it features a crocodile’s head and is truly a sight to behold.
Some of the stadia planned for Saudi Arabia may challenge that in terms of the jaw-dropping design, while there are various grounds in places like Norway and the Faroe Islands that are spectacular simply due to their setting, often among rugged mountains and beautiful coastlines. In the Premier League, Everton’s new home, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, to use its sponsored name, has attracted a lot of plaudits. It is a beautiful stadium for sure, but what makes it especially incredible is that it is essentially built on the River Mersey, on land reclaimed from a disused dock.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have older grounds that are often mocked, sometimes even by fans of the club that call them home. Old Trafford, with its infamously leaky roof, is the classic example of that, though if Man United do manage to fulfil their early plans for a new stadium, their ground will no doubt fall under the category of spectacular football stadia.
Then perhaps somewhere in between there are stadia that can perhaps best be described as quirky. Some may love them, others may loathe them, but there is no denying the fact that they have character. Luton’s Kenilworth Road definitely falls into that category, with its Oak Road End having the entrance built into a row of terraced houses!
Another that we would put alongside Kenilworth Road is the more grandly named Stade Louis II. The home of Monaco, who play in the French league, despite Monaco itself being a principality and microstate, is relatively new, having been built in the 1980s. It has various interesting architectural features, but is perhaps best known for the fact that there is a huge car park directly under the pitch!
History of Monaco’s Stadia
Somewhat confusingly, Monaco’s current home replaced the stadium of the same name that was originally built in the 1930s. That one opened in 1939, with work having begun in 1936. The original stadium was Monaco’s first and held 12,000 fans.
Over the years, that ground was used for some notable boxing matches. However, in the 1970s plans were discussed to build a new, bigger stadium that could also be used to host athletics meetings. The district of Fontvieille was chosen for the new stadium and that area was, long before Dubai’s “The World” and Palm Islands, and Everton’s grand new home, an example of land being reclaimed from the water.
Monaco is one of the tiniest, yet richest “countries” on earth, with land at a premium. In the 1960s, work began to reclaim land and in the decades that followed, Italian engineer Gianfranco Gilardini helped build the district. Prince Rainier III, known as the “Builder Prince”, was the Prince of Monaco from 1949 to 2005, when he died.
He played a key role in both the creation of the Fontvieille and the building of a new stadium there. He commissioned architects from Paris to design and build a new sports complex. This took place between 1981 and 1984, with the Prince himself opening the project in January 1985, after thousands of tonnes of iron, steel and concrete had been used to create the new facility and land underneath it. The new stadium retained the name of the original, which was given as Louis II was the Prince of Monaco when it was built.
32 Million in Wembley?
England’s national stadium, Wembley, would need to hold around 32 million people if it were to house the same proportion of the English population as the Stade Louis II does for Monaco. While the ground currently holds around 16,000, its record attendance is reportedly 20,000, back in 1990. Monaco has a population of under 40,000, so it is a huge stadium in proportion to the population.
Impressive as it is above ground, and it has hosted Champions League ties, international football matches, world title fights in boxing and athletics meetings, including in the Diamond League, one might argue that the magic really happens underneath the pitch.
With land at a premium in Monaco, developers chose to build the open-air aspects of the development on top of everything else. This was to facilitate greater square footage, and one cannot build on top of a football stadium. Part of the complex includes the 5,000 capacity Salle Gaston Médecin, where basketball (it is the home of AS Monaco basketball team), volleyball and handball matches are staged. The complex also holds concerts and competitions in other sports, such as weightlifting and gymnastics.
And What About the Car Park?
There is so much that is distinctive about the Stade Luis II, with its famous and rather beautiful nine arches that dominate the away end. Less beautiful, but perhaps just as well known, is the huge car park that sits underneath the ground. The pitch is over 8m above street level and is built atop the largest car park in the country.
The population of Monaco is around 38,000, and yet the Parking Stade Louis II offers 1,700 spaces. Cram five people into each car and that’s enough parking for over 20% of the country. The giant car park is spread over four floors, and if you’ve ever parked there, there is a chance that somewhere above you, Kylian Mbappe, who played for Monaco 60 times, has scored a goal. Before him, Thierry Henry strutted his stuff above the car park for several years in the 1990s.
So, if you’re looking for the perfect place to watch some footy by the sea, hemmed in by steep rock faces to create an amphitheatre around the football theatre, why not check out the iconic, unique Stade Louis II? With handy parking aplenty, it’s convenient, and you can even go for a swim in the Olympic-sized pool beneath the pitch, too.