Montpellier: The Mosson Stadium

Located to the west of Montpellier in the de la Paillade quarter, the Mosson Stadium is named after the river that runs next to it. Unveiled in 1972, the old-fashioned stadium with wood stands looked just like any other municipal stadium. Its expansion can in fact be attributed to the destiny of the local football club.

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Stands were added when theLa Paillade Sport Club Littoral grew to become the Montpellier Hérault Sport Club. In 1977, thanks to an additional feat during the French Cup, the stadium was expanded and changing-rooms were built in less than three weeks, allowing 18,000 spectators to watch the Round of 32 opposing Montpellier and their neighbours from Nîmes. In 1988, when Montpellier's club rose to the top division, the stadium was completely renovated, with a new total of 23,500 seats. The enthusiasm of local supporters and the importance of Montpellier's département, the Hérault, on a national level, inspired the organisation committee of the 1998 World Cup to choose Montpellier as a host city. The municipality was responsible for finding the means to render the stadium worthy of the upcoming event. The result? A geometrically shaped gem holding some 35,500 seats.

In 2002 and 2003, the Mosson Stadium was devastated by exceptionally bad flooding. The pitch and changing rooms were awash in water - it took six months of repair work before it could be used again. During the Rugby World Cup, the structure will be ameliorated once again: a new playing field will be laid, two giant screens will be set up, the lighting will be improved, and the press box will be enlarged... Four matches will be played there: USA v Tonga (12 September), Samoa v Tonga (16 September), Australia v Fiji (23 September), and South Africa v USA (30 September). Montpellier is about to pulsate to the beat of the southern hemisphere and the Pacific Islands...