Stade Marie-Marvingt

Stade Marie-Marvingt, home of Le Mans FC, is a multipurpose stadium with 25,064 seats, expandable to about 40,000 for concerts or rugby matches. Located in the Antarès district, south of Le Mans, right in the middle of the Circuit de la Sarthe (the historic circuit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans), it stands out for its 105 x 68 m hybrid pitch, its two giant screens of 45 m² each, its 32 private suites and its 11,000 m² roof combining opaque panels and translucent polycarbonate.

Accessible by tram (Antarès - Stade Marie Marvingt stop), the stadium has free parking reserved for people with reduced mobility (125 spaces), for bicycles, motorcycles and buses, as well as accessible restrooms and food service. Gates open 1.5 hours before each match. Tickets are available at La Pincenardière, online, and at several partner outlets. Beyond soccer, the venue also hosts rugby, American football, concerts and corporate events (seminars, conventions).

A bit of history

Construction of the stadium began on August 18, 2008, as a public-private partnership between the City of Le Mans and the Vinci group, which financed half of the 104 million euro total cost in exchange for a 35-year operating concession. Designed by the architecture firm Cardete Huet, known for its aeronautical projects, the building was inaugurated on January 29, 2011, at a Le Mans FC victory over AC Ajaccio (3-0), in the presence of Prime Minister François Fillon and 24,375 spectators.

Known as the MMArena for ten years after its title sponsor, the insurer Mutuelles du Mans Assurances (MMA), the first naming-rights contract of its kind in France, the stadium changed its name on July 27, 2022, when that contract expired. The City, the owner of the venue, renamed it in tribute to Marie Marvingt (1875–1963), an aviator and pioneering athlete nicknamed “the bride of danger” for her aeronautical feats. It became the first French stadium of more than 20,000 seats to bear a woman's name.

The stadium replaced the Léon-Bollée stadium as Le Mans FC's home and has marked the history of the club and the city with several major events: a stage start of the Tour de France in 2011, rugby and American football matches, and a record crowd of 24,425 spectators on December 18, 2019, for a League Cup match against Paris Saint-Germain.