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Ranked: The biggest stadiums in the Top 14
Faced with an ever-increasing demand for tickets, Stade Toulousain seems to be forced to expand Ernest-Wallon, as reported by La Dépêche du Midi on Wednesday, April 10.
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Although the Red and Blacks have gotten into the habit of relocating their big matches to the Stadium, a 33,150-seat stadium where Toulouse Football Club plays, they are also starting to feel cramped in the enclosure located at Sept Deniers.
The stadium, which has fewer than 19,000 seats and would be better suited to the club’s new needs with 5,000 more seats, is sold out for almost every match.
But did you know that Ernest-Wallon only has the fifth highest capacity in the Top 14? In other words, if Stade Toulousain increases its capacity by 5,000 seats by 2028, it will move from the Top 5 to the Top 3 of the highest capacities in the Top 14.
Here is the ranking of the stadiums* in the championship, from highest to lowest capacity. **
Matmut Stadium Gerland (Lyon) (35,052 seats)
Chaban Delmas Stadium (Bordeaux) (33,000 seats)
Jean Bouin Stadium (Stade Français Paris) (19,607 seats)
Marcel Michelin Stadium (Clermont) (19,357 seats)
Ernest Wallon Stadium (Toulouse) (18,784 seats)
Paris La Défense Arena (Racing 92) (16,840 seats)
Stade Mayol (Toulon) (16,437 seats)
Stade Marcel Deflandre (La Rochelle) (16,000 seats)
GGL Stadium (Montpellier) (15,697 seats)
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Hameau Stadium (Pau) (15,043 seats)
Aimé Giral Stadium (Perpignan) (14,727 seats)
Jean Dauger Stadium (Bayonne) (14,537 seats)
Pierre Fabre Stadium (Castres) (12,300 seats)
Charles Mathon Stadium (Oyonnax) (11,150 seats)
Unsurprisingly, the two old football stadiums – and not the least – occupy the first two places.
The stadiums that once hosted Olympique Lyonnais and Girondins de Bordeaux, former French football champions, now see LOU and UBB play.
Modern stadiums like those of Racing or Stade Français stand out more for their architecture than for their large capacity.
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As for stadiums like Marcel-Michelin or Jean-Dauger, renovated in 2021, they have stands close to the pitch and more vertical which generate a unique atmosphere. This is notably why Clermont and Bayonne are often cited as the best atmospheres in the Top 14.
If Ernest-Wallon, where TO XIII also plays, actually increases to 24,000 seats by 2028, as desired by president Didier Lacroix, it would be the first stadium entirely dedicated to rugby to pass the 20,000 seat mark in France.
This would also allow the five-time European champion to play in a stadium more in line with its ambitions, at a time when the enthusiasm generated by Stade Toulousain extends to a large part of the Occitanie region.
* Only the “home” stadiums of clubs involved in the Top 14 for the 2023/24 season are taken into account . Relocation stadiums, such as the Stadium de Toulouse or Anoeta in San Sebastian are not included in this ranking.
**Capacities are as displayed on the official Top 14 website.
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ST are five-time European champions as stated in the article, but six-time winners of the trophy. Because, you know, their 6th was won when the competition became trans-continental.
Nice comment about Occitanie region, so vocal few seem to realise this.
30k is a really nice stadium size, but it does bring in the conundrum that it loses appeal when the club turns to hard times, and isn't as popular. So 25k might be a nice middle ground. Where a lot of NZ stadiums sit.
true, an empty seated Ellis Park does not exude much charm ..... the challenge is, to fill the stadiums in the club rugby competitions ....