Stade Louis II: AS Monaco
By Georges Jansoone (JoJan) (Own work (Own photo)) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
AS Monaco, officially entitled Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, have played games in a ground called Stade Louis II since 1939. The stadium that they call home nowadays was built not far from the original ground with the same name, though as you’d expect the current ground is a lot more advanced than it was at the end of the ‘30s! Located in Fontvieille, a suburb of Monaco, it can hold 18,523 people, which is about 66% of the entire population of the country!
Despite being located in the sovereign-city state of Monaco, the football club actually plays its games in the French top-flight, Ligue 1. Founded in 1924, Monaco are one of French football’s most successful clubs. At the time of writing they have won seven league titles as well as five Coupe de Frances. Though they have never won a major European trophy they have finished as runners-up in both the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and in the UEFA Champions League in 2004.
Stats
| Stade Louis II Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1985 |
| Capacity | 16360 |
| Average Attendance | 11619 |
| Record Attendance | 18523 (Monaco v Chelsea (2004)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Owner | Prince of Monaco Rainier III |
| Clubs Hosted | AS Monaco, Monaco national football team |
| First Fixture | AS Monaco v RC Lens (26/01/1985) |
| AS Monaco Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1924 |
| Nickname | Les Rouges et Blancs |
| Club Mascot | Bouba |
| Rivals | OGC Nice, Marseille |
| Previous Stadiums | Stade Louis II |
| Kit | Red & White (Home) / Black (Away) / Cream & Red (Third) |
| Training Ground | Training Center La Turbie |
| Shirt Sponsor | eToro |
| Team Owner | Monaco Sport Investment Ltd, House of Grimaldi |
| Record Goalscorer | Delio Onnis (223) |
| Record Appearances | Jean-Luc Ettori (755) |
Stade Louis II Photos
By V&A Dudush (Panoramio) [CC BY 3.0]
By BrckoGOS (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
By cht! (Flickr: DSC_0267.JPG) [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Stade Louis II Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The stadium obeys the rules of similar grounds in Europe in that it has a ‘European Style’ of continuous seating that runs around the perimeter of the pitch. There is also a running track that separates the stands from the playing surface itself. The North Stand is the main stand in the ground, containing the dugouts, VIP areas and more. Along with The South Stand it runs along the full length of the pitch. The East and West Stands are found behind the two goals at either end of the pitch.
AS Monaco Ticket Prices
Perhaps because the club is one of the richest in Ligue 1, ticket prices are surprisingly cheap at the Stade Louis II. Prices start at around €7 for some games and can go up to around €65. Of course, should Monaco be up against one of their rivals like Paris Saint-Germain or Nice then expect the price to go up a little bit. Equally, if you’re a senior, a student or a child then you’ll be able to get tickets at the lower end of the spectrum.
How To Get AS Monaco Tickets
As with most major clubs, the best way of getting tickets for a Monaco match is via the club’s official website. You can also purchase tickets from any number of sellers around the city of Monaco. These include Digitick, Francebillet and Ticketnet. There’s also a ticket office at the stadium itself.
Where to Buy
Getting To Stade Louis II
Located in the South-East of France, Monaco is used to welcoming a huge number of visitors to its principality on a regular basis thanks to both the football and the Grand Prix. Here’s how you might want to get there:
Train – A train from London to Monaco will take about ten hours to complete its journey. You’ll head off from St. Pancras International to Paris-Gare-Du-Nord before switching to Paris-Gare-Du-Lyon. You’ll then get an internal TGV to Monaco itself. Once in the city you’ll have a twenty minute or so walk to the station from Gare de Monaco.
Bus – The nearest bus stop to the ground is Liberté that is around five minutes away and is served by the number 79 bus.
Car – Highway A8 is the one you’ll want to take to get close to the ground as it’s about 8km away.
By Air – The nearest international airport to the Principality of Monaco is the Airport of Nice Cote d’Azur. It’s about 22km from the centre of Monaco and there are bus routes into the city.
Taxi – A taxi from the main station in Monaco to the stadium will take about ten minutes and cost in the region of £5.
Parking Near Stade Louis II
There are forty car parking areas at the stadium itself that can be used but they do fill up fast.
Useful Resources
Stade Louis II Hotels
As one of the most beautiful and attractive cities in the South of France, Monaco is ready to welcome tourists at any time. Here are some of our favourite hotels:
Best Western Hotel Prince De Galles - £65+
Hotel Regency - £80+
Princess et Richmond - £100+
Pubs and Bars Near Stade Louis II
Monaco is a destination for the rich and famous. There are any number of amazing places to go for a drink or a bite to eat, though not all of them are the cheapest. Here are some places you might want to have a look at:
Stars 'N' Bars
Ship and Castle
Slammers Bar
Facilities
Monaco is one of the richest clubs in France. It’s also in an idyllic location and the stadium takes advantage of the beautiful weather often experienced in that part of the world. The facilities are great and the views are pretty special from all over the ground.
Hospitality
As you’d expect from a club of Monaco’s standing, there are a number of excellent hospitality packages on offer at Stade Louis II. A private box is probably the top drawer option, with Le Club offering an elegant experience and Le Salon Honneur promising a slightly more down-to-earth location from which to watch the game. The most convivial choice of all is Le Pub Rouge & Blanc, an up-market take on a sports bar and pub.
Private Hire
The Stade Louis II is capable of holding any number of unique events aside from merely football. The stadium’s special and elegant lodges and rooms can be used for conferences, presentations, business meetings and more. If that’s something that you’re interested in then your best bet is to get in touch with the club directly.
Stadium Tours & Museum
Tours of Stade Louis II take place every weekday from the 1st of April until the 30th of September, apart from on public holidays and any days of protest. They are run in English, French and Italian and are really cheap compared to similar experiences in other stadiums. It costs €5 for an adult and €2.50 for a reduced ticket. They normally run at 10am, 11.30am, 2.30pm and 4pm, but change depending on the time of year. At the time of writing there is no museum at the stadium itself but there are a number in Monaco itself, should you be after a bit of culture.
About AS Monaco
AS Monaco are known as Les Rouges et Blancs because they play in a red and white striped kit. The club was originally formed in 1919 when numerous clubs based in both France and the principality of Monaco were unified. They bounced around lower levels of French football, riding with reasonable rapidity until they were asked to turn professional by the French Football Federation in 1933. They only last one year before being relegated back to the amateur leagues, but by 1953 they had reached the French top-flight for the first time.
Monaco won their first Coupe de France trophy in 1960, winning a league and cup double three years later. Their most successful decade was probably the 1980s when they picked up some form of silverware pretty much every other year. Their second period of success came in the 1990s when a then unknown manager named Arsene Wenger became manager. Players such as Glenn Hoddle, Jürgen Klinsmann and Thierry Henry played for the club in that time. In December 2011 the Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev became principle owner of the club and propelled them back to the top of Ligue 1.
Stade Louis II History
The Stade Louis II is obviously mostly used to host football matches, with AS Monaco being the main team to play there. The Monaco national team also play matches in the ground on a regular basis and from 1998 until 2012 it was used to host the UEFA Super Cup final. The facilities of the stadium allow it to be used for numerous things including athletics meets. The Herculis, which is an IAAF Diamond League track and field event, is held in the ground every year. Interestingly the small size of the stadium means that longer events such as the hammer need to be held elsewhere.
The location of the current Stade Louis II is actually on ground that was reclaimed from the sea and is located very close to the original stadium of the same name. It opened for the first time in 1985 and features an indoor arena underneath the stands that allows basketball, volleyball and handball to be played. There’s also a large office section that houses the IUM, which is the International University of Monaco. On the 31st of May 2004 there was an explosion at the stadium. It was deliberate and did damage to the ground as well as nearby buildings. There were no injuries and no one ever took responsibility for it.
Future Developments
Though the club is cash rich, they still often fail to sell-out the stadium. This means that further developments to the ground are unlikely in the near future apart from slight cosmetic alterations. That said, they are investing in other areas having completed work on new housing for academy players and 3 new training pitches in 2019.