NFR: Who owns football stadia?

[FC Silver Fox]

We've discussed football finances and debt a number of times but I don't think we've discussed ground ownership. We all know how close Fulham came to losing their ground to property developers. There is a fundamental difference between England and France on ground ownership. All (or almost all) Ligue 1 grounds in France are owned by the municipality and not by the clubs. This, of course, has its risks as Lille have seen. The club only have limited autonomy on the development of their grounds and other services. This is why Lyon are currently building a new ground. I don't think there are any Premiership grounds owned by municipalities, are there?  I was wondering how ground ownership is structured in other countries?

Quick pub quiz question:  Which French Ligue 1 club has a ground capacity bigger than the population of its town?

[sipwell]

In Belgium a lot of municipalities own the stadium too but the stadiums were used for other sports as well. Now they are evolving towards a public-private ownership. AA Gent is building a new stadium together with the city and the city of Antwerp is considering to build one for its two clubs too.


To answer the pub quiz question: It can only be the Flemish town of Lens

[FC Silver Fox]

Well played Sipwell. It is Lens.  The stadium's capacity is 41000 and the population of Lens is 35000.