Lorient

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FC LORIENT – MOUSTOIR YVES ALLAINMENT STADIUM – CAPACITY: 17,370 SEATED

About the Le Moustoir-Yves-Allainmat
The compact Stade du Moustoir is one of the biggest in the region, and actually when compared to the small population of the town, is more than adequate for their needs.  They currently average just over 13,500.

The stadium was originally opened in July 1959 and actually played host to the Tour du France.  The original stadium had 6,000 seats in one simple stand, and the stadium stayed like this until the 1990’s when the club finally made it out of League D1.

Since then the remaining stands have been added, with eth Tribune Nord behind the goal being the final part of the stadium to be added.  There are plans underway to replace the open Virage Sud behind the goal that curves away from the pitch, although no firm timescales have been set for this work to commence.  The views from the main stand are excellent and give spectators a close up feel to the action.

Who plays there?
The stadium is home to Lorient, one of Brittany’s most passionate teams.  The club have had a quiet history, until the turn of the century when they were promoted as runners up from the 2nd division in 2001.  The following season under the leadership of Yvon Pouliquen they won the French Cup, and were runners up in the French League Cup.  The following season, despite being relegated back to the 2nd division they competed in the UEFA Cup for the only time in their history.

After a 3rd place finish in 2006 they returned to the top league, finishing in a relatively safe 14th place at the end of the 2007 season, which is an amazing achievement for a team who only turned professional in 1995.

How to get there
The stadium is located just to the north west of the main town centre, and is no more than a five minute walk from the main railway station.  Simply head over the main road to the west of the station and follow the road southwards and you will see the stadium straight ahead.  From the town centre head northwards until you reach the FNAC store.  You will see the stadium straight ahead from there.  There is a special bus service put on on match days, with vehicles leaving regularly before the game from the l’hôtel de ville from 2 hours before the kick off.

For a better overview of football in France, go to Footiemap.com to view their excellent and comprehensive graphical overview of French football.

Getting a ticket
Tickets can be purchased either online from the club’s website at http://www.fclboutique.fror from the club shop in Rue Léo-le-Bourgo.  Ticket prices start from €14 for a seat in the visages behind the goals at a low category game to €20 for a game versus Rennes or Nantes whilst a ticket in the Tribune D’Honneur starts from €26 and range in price all the way up to €53 in the Presidentielle Centrale.  On a match day tickets are available at the turnstiles for most games, although the matches versus Nantes, Rennes, PSG and Marseille tend to sell out in advance of the game.  Tickets are also sold in the local FNAC stores and in the Carrefour supermarkets in the region.

Getting around
Lorient is a small town and apart from a couple of bus routes to neighbouring towns, the best way to get around is on foot.  A single ticket for any bus is €1.25 and a day pass is €3.70.

Nearest Airport – Lorient Bretagne Sud (LRT)
Telephone:              +33 8 2 97 87 21 50
Website:                  http://www.lorient.aeroport.fr

Lorient’s airport is located 5km north west of the town centre.  The size of the airport is immense compared to the fact it is only served by a dozen flights per day – in terms of geographical area it is half the size of Chicago O’Hare.  The only flights from the UK are from London Luton and operated by Aer Arann. A Taxi to the town centre costs no more than €20.

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