Stade du Hameau


Stade du Hameau is a rugby union and football stadium inn Pau, France, and the home of Section Paloise. With a capacity of 18,324, it is the largest stadium in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.
Stade du Hameau has been Section's home ground since 1990, although from 1991 to 2018 the club shared the stadium with the local football club Pau FC. Stade du Hameau underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2010s, including the addition and or renovation of new Stands, almost returning the stadium to its original capacity of 20,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a new Tribune Ossau, which would raise the capacity to around 20,000. The stadium's record attendance was recorded in 2017, when 18 324 spectators watched the Top 14 clash between Section Paloise and Union Bordeaux Bègles.

Development

In October 2015, François Bayrou, president of the Democratic Movement and mayor of Pau, presented plans for a renovation project with work starting March 2016 for delivery in September 2017. The Auchan Stand, now the new Teréga East Stand, was completely reworked to increase capacity from 2900 to 5500 seats while a completely new stand was built on the Northwest side of the field. When finished, the stadium increased capacity from 14,000 to nearer 18,500, with the cost of the work estimated at €15m. In 2020, Bayrou will build the final stand which would complete the enclosure. The structure's new capacity has yet to be revealed.
On 22 February 2019, it hosted a Six Nations Under 20s Championship match between France and Scotland with France winning 42–27.