Lens Things to Do

4 more images

The Stade Bollaert is one of the more famous stadiums in France. With a capacity of about 41,000 it's also one of the largest, and was host to several World Cup '98 matches.

I saw a Ligue 1 match here in 2003, with the home side RC Lens hosting Nice. The match itself ended in a 0-0 draw, however I thoroughly enjoyed myself. French fans aren't known for being particularly boisterous (compared with their English counterparts, for example) but much of
stadium was on its feet shouting loud (and vulgar) cheers throughout the entire 90 minutes. All in all, the Stade Bollaert provided an excellent sporting atmosphere.

To put all this in perspective for my fellow Americans, I would equate soccer in Lens to Packer NFL football in Green Bay: it's the only show in town, which makes the fans just that much more passionate.... and downright crazy.

Cost: For my great seats near midfield about 10 rows up, I paid 24 euro. A relative bargain, considering equivalent seats for a San Francisco 49ers (my favorite NFL team) regular season game would cost about $300.

Bottom-line: For any American soccer fans, attending a high level match in Europe is an absolute MUST. Let's be honest, watching American pro soccer is a lot like watching Italian pro basketball: sure there are some decent players, but overall it just can't compare.