Strasbourg

RACING CLUB DE STRASBOURG – STADE LE MEINAU – CAPACITY: 29,000 ALL SEATER

About the Stade Le Meinau
The relatively new Stade Le Meinau opened its doors to Strasbourg fans in 1984, being built as a venue for the European Championships. The stadium hosted a couple of matches including the game between West Germany and Portugal where a record attendance of 44,566 crammed in the stadium. Four years later the stadium hosted the 1988 European Cup Winner Cup final between Mechelen and Ajax. Since the mid 1990’s the capacity has been reduced from 45,000 down to 29.230 for safety reasons. The stadium is very common to many stadiums in France. It has four stands that join each other, with one single roof structure covering the whole stadium.

The home fans congregate on the terrace area behind the goal – which is the only stand were the rows go all the way to pitch side – the rest of the stadium has seats starting around 10 foot above the action.

Who plays there?
After winning the final promotion place in Ligue 2 in 2007, Racing Strasbourg returned to the top league after an absence of only one year. The club were originally formed in 1906 in the Neudorf area which was at the time in the German region of Alsace. After the end of World War 1 the region, and the city returned to the French, and they were accepted into the French leagues, winning the title of Alsacean Champions in 1926.

During the Second World War once again returned to the Germans, and the club played in the newly found Gauliga Elsass, winning the league in 1941. When the Allied armies retook the province in 1944, the club were able to recapture their Racing Club Strasboug name and return to the French leagues. They won their first ever honour in 1952 when they beat Valenciennes 3-0 in the French Cup final.

It took a number of relegations, and subsequent promotions before the club actually hit the top again. They finished in a best ever 3rd place in 1978, and in 1980 they won the Ligue 1 for the first time. Playing in the European Cup for their one and only time they reached the quarter finals, losing to Ajax on aggregate. This was to be the highpoint for the club as they returned to the second division in the early 1980’s where they remained for over 10 years.

In the 1990’s the club qualified for Europe on a number of occasions, including a good run in the UEFA Cup where they beat Glasgow Rangers and Liverpool before losing to Inter Milan 3-2 in the next round. The club won the 2005 French League Cup for the second time when they beat Caen 2-1, however in 2008/09 they will be back in the 2nd division after finishing 2nd from bottom in the league at the end of 2007/08.

How to get there
The stadium is located to the south of the historic centre, and can be reached on foot if you fancy a 20 minute walk. Alternatively, you can catch Tram Line A from Les Halles or Tram Line B from Republique to the stop at Krimmen Stade de la Meinau. Journey time from the city centre is 15 minutes.

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 for games at the Meinau go on sale two weeks before the game via their online sitehttp://www.boutique-rcstrasbourg.com as well as the club shop at the stadium and from stores in the areas including Aachen, FNAC and Virgin.

ickets can also be booked in advanced by calling the club on +39 8 92 67 68, and range in price from €12 behind the goal in the virages to €24 in the upper tier of the Centrales stands.

Getting around
The historic centre of Strasbourg is very small and compact and is easily transversed on foot. The tram network runs through the centre, crossing at a number of points. A single ticket costs €1.30 and a day pass which is valid for trams and buses costs €3.50. Tickets can be purchased from the machines at the main stops as well as onboard the trams.

Nearest Airport – Strasbourg Airport (SXB)
Telephone: +33 3 88 64 67 67
Website: http://www.strasbourg-aeroport.fr

Strasbourg sits in the eastern Alscae-Lorraine area of France, and is almost in the middle of an airport fest, with a dozen international airports within a 2 hour drive. The airport is linked to the city by a shuttle bus that runs to Baggersee tram station, where you can transfer to get to the city centre. A single ticket for this journey is €5.10. Tram line A is currently being built to the airport and should be finished at some point in 2008, allowing a direct route from airport to stadium. Currently there is only one direct flight from the UK to Strasbourg with Britair flying here from London City – the nearly alternative airport being Karlsruhe Baden Baden which is served by Ryanair from London Stansted.