Mayol stage

|- | colspan=" 2" style=" text-align: center; padding: 0.5em; " bgcolor=" white" | |- | initial Construction | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 1919 |- | Current form since | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 1983 |- | Capacity | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 13.700 sitted places |- | Colors of the Seats | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Blue |- | Platforms: | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| |- | Official | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Lafontan |- | Side | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| No-claims bonus |- | Popular south | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Delangre |- | Popular north | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Finale |- | Multitude record | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 18.000 spectators
(1985, SCT- ACE Monaco) |- | Address | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Stage Mayol
Quai Lafontan
83000 Toulon |- | Club resides | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| |}

The Stade Mayol is a stage located at Toulon, in full center town. Offered by the singer Felix Mayol to the Rugby Toulon-native club, it is now the property of the Town of Toulon. It accommodates the matches of the R.C.T. (and accommodated in the past those of the Sporting Toulon Var) as well as matches of the Festival Hopes of Toulon (of which the finale).

History

Mayol , located downtown full in the district of the port of Toulon, is one of the mythical stages of French Rugby. Cave of Rugby and the " minots of Rade" , it holds its name of a singer of the beginning of the XXe century, Felix Mayol, which offered the ground and the rights of its songs to the Rugby Toulon-native club in order to pay its installations because, as it explains it in its Memories:

With Toulon, where youth is particularly active and vigorous, we did not have the least ground usable… Only remained a closed down cycle-racing track, where no one never went, which was not used any more for nothing and which appeared to me to be bored as much as our candidates sportsmen… Then, my God, it was very simple, I bought the old cycle-racing track! I gave myself to it the first blow of pickaxe… . | Felix Mayol ||taille=65%

The stage was inaugurated the March 28th 1920 by a cross-country race, a meeting of football between the section round ball of the R.C.T. and the Raphaëlois Stage (victory of Saint-Raphaël, 4 to 0) and a meeting of Rugby between the R.C.T. and the T.O.E.C. (Toulouse) which will give place to a tie 3 to 3.

The Mayol Stage atypical because is located in full heart of Toulon. As " underlines it; The Life Sportive" : " the stage offered the example unique in France of stage also brought closer to the center town ". The Mayol stage occupies indeed a strategic position: close to the district of Besagne, large provider of players of the R.C.T., with range of drop of the Lafayette Course and coffees of the Port where the supporters crossed and discussed abundance, and hardly far away from the boulevard of Strasbourg and its breweries, seats of the Toulon-native sporting companies in this time there.

In 1921, the stage failed well to disappear. Indeed, a project of establishment of a cycle-racing track was presented as a municipal council and the first assistant Mr. Coulomb pointed out that the Mayol stage was not a final installation because it occupied a site under the terms of a tolerance granted by military Engineering under the Micholet municipality and that in more it was asserted by the Chamber of commerce to establish the railways which were to connect station PLM, the station of South-France and the commercial port. This project, although adopted by the municipal council, was never led to good and final, the " Large Omnisports" Park; town of Toulon will be built in Pre Font as of 1936.

Then, the Mayol stage underwent the pangs of the war (53 holes of bombs). it is rebuilt or renovated in 1947, then in 1965, 1983 and in the Nineties. It has today a capacity of 13.700 places and saw the size and the glory of the Rugby Toulon-native club, but also its vexations. During several seasons, the R.C.T. shared the stage with the footballers of the Sporting Club of Toulon, then in the first division. Moreover, the round ball is always of topicality at the Mayol stage since 1975 is held there the Festival Hopes of Toulon.

In April 1990, a shopping mall is set up on the site of Besagne right behind the stage and a carpark of 3.000 places is installed in basement of the stage. Of a surface of 50.000m ², this center will be joined by a Palate of the Congresses (the Neptune Palate) and a hotel for the congressmen, the whole on the place known as Besagne.

All the large teams came in Mayol, and the stage regularly accommodated international meetings at the time of rounds of teams such as the New Zealand (in 1986, 1990 and 1995), the South Africa, the Australia, the Canada, the Italy, the Russia, the Barbarians etc

A restoration of the stage is envisaged and should be finished at the beginning of 2009.

The platforms pay homage to players of Rugby Toulon-native club tragically deceased:

platform No-claims bonus (overhanging the old railway, skirting the Roosevelt avenue), in remembering Michel No-claims bonus deceased in August 1959 at the 44 years age of the continuations of an attack;
Lafontan platform (presidential), named thus in the honor of Jules Lafontan which, become resistant at the time of the Second world war, fell under the German balls to the release from Toulon in 1944;
Delangre platform (vis-a-vis Faron, back with the Roads), in remembering Eugene Delangre which died out in 1970;
Final platform (with the foot of Faron, vis-a-vis the Roads), in homage to Charles Finale, young pillar tragically deceased following a match more than surging between Toulon and Grenoble in Yves Challenge of the Manor in October 1964.

Some dates

July 26th 1919 : the first blow of pickaxe of the construction of the Mayol Stage is given in the presence of Dr.Busquet (President of the Rugby Toulon-native club) and of the various political authorities and soldiers.

March 28th 1920 : inauguration of the stage in the presence of M.Claude (Mayor of Toulon) and of Felix Mayol.

May 26th 1922 : the Stade Toulousain which has just been crowned Champion of France vis-a-vis the Bayonne Aviron comes to dispute a friendly match at the Mayol Stage. More than 20.000 spectators take seat around the lawn, the match completely eclipses the arrival of the President of the Republic, Alexandre Millerand, come to visit the Arsenal .

March 29th 1930 : the Municipal council decides a subsidy of 120.000 francs to replace the popular platforms carried by a storm. This subsidy was versed in three annual installments and was to be refunded by the Club by a taking away of 15% of the receipts of the sixteen great matches during five years " at least " (deliberation of the Municipal council of the May 20th 1930).

April 26th 1935 : the stage is chipped by the construction of a railway connecting the Station and the Port Commercial by decision of the Municipal council.

November 24th 1943 : first bombardment combined on Toulon at the time of the Second world war, the major part of the stage is touched: 53 holes of bomb are raised on the ground.

September 26th 1965 : the Rugby Toulon-native club is obliged to yield the stage to the Town of Toulon. It then is renovated and inaugurated with a match vis-a-vis the Welsh of Newbridge.

July 10th 1977 : Johnny Halliday gives a concert at the Mayol Stage.

June 25th 1980 : Bob Marley is in concert at the Mayol Stage in front of 15.000 people.

November 7th 1983 : inauguration of the new stage completely remade for a total of 55 franc million.

November 17th 2000 : the XV of France comes to be involved at the Mayol Stage before facing the New Zealand with Marseilles, nearly 5.000 spectators attended this drive.

Intersaison 2005 - 2006 : the Town hall of Toulon invests 750.000 Euros in order to give in state the platforms and the refitting of the cloakrooms.

August 23rd 2006 : Hubert Falco (Mayor of Toulon) announces that the stage will be renovated, thus carrying its capacity in 25.000 places. This restoration will make Mayol Stage the greatest stage of France exclusively devoted to the Rugby of club.

Reference

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

Official site of Rugby Toulon-native club
Mayol Stage, on worldstadiums.com

----

Random links: