Stade de Marville

The ground at 22 Avenue de Marville does not shout for attention. It opened in 1999 with a capacity of 2,350, but the architecture tells you more than the numbers.

The pitch itself is natural grass, a standard surface for the lower leagues, but the layout is what defines the evening matches.

It is easy to confuse this venue with the Parc des sports de Marville in La Courneuve, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000 and a history dating back to 1932. The Saint-Malo stadium is a different entity altogether, serving as the home for US Saint-Malo. It lacks the historic weight of its namesake, but it has its own rhythm.

The players walk out onto the grass, and the match begins. It is a functional space, designed for the local league, where the focus is on the football rather than the architecture.