Stade Marcel-Saupin

Before the redevelopment, this was a different place entirely. It opened in 1937 as Stade Malakoff and served as the home for FC Nantes until 1984. The club won six league titles and their first Coupe de France here. The pitch itself has seen more than just football matches: during the Second World War it was bombed in September 1943 and turned into a parking lot by German forces before reopening the following year. In 1954 it hosted Rugby League World Cup matches, including a final where France defeated Australia in front of spectators who filled every gap.

The decision to rebuild came in 2006, part of a larger urban renewal project. Three of the four original concrete stands were pulled down to make room for flats and offices. Only the North Stand survived, later renamed the Oscar Muller stand after a former club chairman. The capacity dropped from nearly 30,000 to a fraction of that number. The renovation was finished in 2009, and in 2020 a hybrid grass surface was laid down to replace the natural pitch.

Now it belongs to the women's team and the reserves, a training ground with a history it rarely gets to show. The orange walls behind the dugouts are bright against the grey concrete, and the road running alongside the stand is quiet between matches. When the stands were full, the air was thick with noise. Now they sit mostly empty, the coloured seats waiting for the next game.