The Stade Max Rousie is a multi-purpose stadium in

Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot (; in the Languedocien dialect of Occitan language: ''Vilanuèva d'Òlt'' ) is a town and commune in the southwestern French department of Lot-et-Garonne. The commune was formerly named ''Villeneuve-d'Agen''. Villeneuve-sur-Lot ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is currently used for

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

Villeneuve Leopards Villeneuve XIII RLLG originally called Sports Athletic Villeneuvois XIII are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the region of Aquitaine in southern France. Formed in 1934, the first French rugby league club, the ...

as their home ground in the

Elite One Championship Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worl ...

. The stadium has a 5,000 capacity with 1,434 of these seated in the main stand.

History

The Stade Max Rousie was built and opened in 1955 for the primary use of the local rugby league team US Villeneuve XIII. The stadium was initially called Myre Mory Stadium, named after a local soldier who fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was killed during World War II in 1940. Situated on the left bank of the river

Lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

, near the Lycee Georges Leygues, the stadium was given a major refurbishment in 2011. In addition, an indoor arena was built. At this time, the sports complex was renamed in honour of Max Rousie, a former SA Villeneuve XIII player and French international. The stadium currently hosts sports including rugby league, athletics, basketball, tennis, and pelote basque. It also has two training pitches and floodlights.

References

Rugby league stadiums in France Multi-purpose stadiums in France Sports venues in Lot-et-Garonne {{France-sports-venue-stub