Stade Francis-Rongiéras

The Stade Francis-Rongiéras sits in the north-west corner of Périgueux, where the Isle river marks the boundary with Coulounieix-Chamiers. It opened in 1976 as the Stade Municipal, before the town decided to rename it after Francis Rongiéras, a former captain of the local rugby club who died in 1991. The structure was not built in one go; some records place an earlier version on the site in 1973, but the current stands date from the middle of the following decade.

The ground is a hybrid. A red athletics track runs around the natural grass pitch, keeping it separate from the rugby fields elsewhere in the city. It is a quiet corner of town, rarely filled to its 10,220 places.

Now the old track and field setup is being stripped out. The town is rebuilding the place as a dedicated home for the rugby club, CA Périgueux. The plan involves cutting capacity to 8,000 seated places, putting up glass facades on the stand, and laying geothermal heating under the stands.