Multi-purpose arena in Lille - another Euro 2016 venue | The Football Stadiums.com

Lille - Stade Pierre-Mauroy 26.06.2016: In 2012 a new multi-purpose arena, with a capacity of 50,000 seats, was built in Lille. It will provide venue for the 2016 European Championship matches as well as the Lille OSC home matches. But that is not all. Thanks to its unique, movable pitch and retractable roof it can be used as a venue for various other sport matches. The construction of this multi-purpose arena, the size of a football stadium, cost 282 million EUR and it was done by the company Eiffage, which will be able to profit from using it for commercial purposes until 2043.

Inside the stadium there are three-tier stands, the middle tier being reserved for the VIP partners of the club. Thanks to its facilities and features, including the retractable roof, the Stade Pierre-Mauroy is one of the most modern stadiums in the world. The façade of the stadium is lit at night and its front part is equipped with two large screens and LED lamps, which can produce various colour effects. It is clear that the architects put a lot of thought into it.

The old name - Stade Lille Métropole: The stadium was soon renamed in honour of Pierre Mauroy, a former Prime Minister and mayor of Lille. It was done after his death in June 2013.

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, opended: 2012, capacity: 50,157:

Foto: Liondartois (CC BY-SA 3.0)

A unique pitch:

A really unique feature is the movable pitch. It is possible to slide one half of the pitch above the other and cover it, and then, after the roof is drawn, you have a smaller arena, where, with all possible comfort available, basketball and volleyball matches, tennis tournaments and concerts can take place. This is exactly why Eiffage decided to co-finance the project.