Parc des Sports
Roanne, Rhône-Alpes, France
Parc des Sports, Roanne, France — opened Not confirmed as a venue; first recorded rugby league use in 1935, 11 rugby league games hosted, home of RC Roanne XIII (Racing Club de Roanne XIII).
Sourcing caveat: Capacity, floodlight status and playing surface could not be confirmed. This site's 11th and final recorded fixture (France v Scotland) could not have its exact year confirmed from the sources checked this round.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed as a venue; first recorded rugby league use in 1935 (Also referred to locally as "Stade du Parc"; French rugby league itself was only founded in the early-mid 1930s, making this ground's earliest matches among the sport's first ever played in France.) |
| Home club | RC Roanne XIII (Racing Club de Roanne XIII) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 11 |
| Top recorded crowd | 6,000 |
| Capacity | Not confirmed |
| Test matches hosted | 1 |
| Surface | Not confirmed |
| First rugby league match | 20 January 1935 — Roanne XIII 6-24 English League (Northern Rugby League tour side) |
| Years used | 1935–2015 |
| Location | Roanne, Rhône-Alpes |
Name history
- Parc des Sports — used throughout, alongside the informal local name "Stade du Parc" — these appear interchangeable rather than distinct sponsored eras, though exact date ranges for each are not confirmed
Rugby league history
A municipal sports ground in Roanne, France, notable for its outsized role hosting full international rugby league far beyond what its modest scale (today a public multi-sport park with a playground and fitness equipment) would suggest: a full France v Australia Test (1960) plus multiple Kangaroos and Kiwis touring-side matches against representative French and regional sides (1938, 1953, 1961, 1964, 1980, 1982). This makes it one of the more historically significant lower-tier venues in this site's database, in the same spirit as England's Boothferry Park and Burnden Park.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 20 Jan 1960 — France 8-16 Australia
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Group B, 1 Nov 2013 | 2013 Rugby League World Cup | New Zealand 48-0 France |
| World Cup Table, 16 Feb 1986 | 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup | France 10-10 Great Britain |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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