Stade de Sauclières, Sports stadium in Béziers, France.
The Stade de Sauclières is a stadium in Béziers with a rectangular grass pitch. A covered grandstand with a low, pale, slightly sloped roof over light blue seats and a white wall at ground level runs along one long side; to its right is an uncovered section of white terraced seating and concrete steps. Tall floodlight poles stand behind the far end, and a low chain-link fence and bare earth border the near side, where a blue flag leans on a pole.
The stadium hosted AS Béziers Hérault rugby and AS Béziers football until 1989, when the Stade de la Méditerranée was built. On 17 April 1921 it staged the French rugby championship final, which USA Perpignan won 5-0 against Stade Toulousain. Its capacity of 12,000, including 8,000 seats, was later cut to 2,004 because of the infrastructure's dilapidated state.
The stadium's name gave AS Béziers rugby coach Raoul Barrière the nickname "Sorcier de Sauclières" (wizard of Sauclières) in the late 1970s. Today the ground is used by lower-division XV rugby clubs and by the football team Avenir Sportif Béziers, and it has also hosted rugby league (XIII) matches in the past.
The stadium sits in the Sauclières area of Béziers, on the left bank of the Orb. Its capacity was cut to 2,004 places because of the ageing infrastructure, so the stands seen today are far smaller than the 12,000 the ground once held. The pitch is bordered by a low chain-link fence and bare earth on the near side.
In the 1970s, coach Raoul Barrière earned the nickname the wizard of Sauclières for his success developing rugby teams at this location. His legacy remains part of local sports history and is still remembered by residents today.
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