Stade Vélodrome

Stade Vélodrome

Le Vel'
UEFA
Full name	Stade Vélodrome
Location	Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France
Coordinates	43°16′11″N 5°23′45″E
Owner	City of Marseille
Operator	AREMA
Capacity	67,394
Surface	AirFibr hybrid grass
Construction
Built	1937
Opened	June 1937
Renovated	1984, 1998, 2014
Architect	Henri Ploquin
Tenants
Olympique de Marseille (1937–present) RC Toulon (occasional matches)

The Stade Vélodrome (French pronunciation: [stad velɔdʁɔm]) is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It occasionally hosts RC Toulon rugby club of the Top 14. It is the largest club football ground in France, with a capacity of 67,344 spectators. The stadium is also used regularly by the French rugby union team.

The record attendance for a club game before renovation at the Stade Vélodrome was of 58,897 (for a UEFA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United in 2004). Since expansion to 67,300, the record attendance at the ground now stands at 65 148 for the match vs rivals PSG on April 5, 2015. The stadium was also featured as a Football World Cup venue when the 1938 finals were held in France. The first-ever match to be played was between Marseille and Torino in 1937.

The French rugby union team began an impressive run of victories at the stadium in the early 2000s. They defeated the All Blacks 42–33 in November 2000, and in 2001 defeated Australia by one point. They beat the Springboks in 2002, followed by a win over England in 2003. However, their run of luck was broken in 2004 when they lost 14–24 to Argentina. The venue was used by France in November 2009 when the French played the New Zealand All Blacks.

France is not the only rugby team to have used the Vélodrome in recent years. On April 18, 2009, Toulon took their home fixture in the Top 14 against Toulouse to the Vélodrome, drawing 57,039 spectators to see a 14–6 Toulon win which played a key role in the Toulonnais' successful fight against relegation in the 2008–09 season. Toulon has taken two home matches to the Vélodrome in each of the succeeding two seasons. The Vélodrome was also the venue for both semi-finals in the 2010–11 Top 14 season, and was used for the Toulon v Munster semi-final of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup.

History

In 1935, the architectural firm Pollack Ploquin was chosen to build a stadium in Marseille. Henry Ploquin (who designed the Stade Municipal Gingham for the Olympics three years earlier) designed the stadium. For economic reasons, only the Stade Vélodrome was built. On 28 April 1935, the foundation stone was laid for the Velodrome by Marseille Mayor Ribot, on a site between downtown and the suburban areas of St. Giniez and Sainte-Marguerite on military grounds belonging to the city. The Stade Vélodrome opened on 13 June 1937, when a friendly match was played between Olympique Marseille and Italian of Torino FC (which ended 2-1 to Olympique Marseille). On 29 August 1937 (the second day of the French national football championship) a match took place between OM and Cannes. This was the first official match at the stadium.

The Stade Vélodrome is aptly named, since cycling competitions were held there. Over the years, bleachers gradually replaced the bike path which circled the stadium. These races became less common, but the velodrome remained famous for fans of OM (Olympique Marseille) (since the sloped track which extended the bleachers served as a slide to invade the pitch at the end of matches).

OM was long hostile to the Stade Vélodrome, calling it the "stage of the City Council". For fans of the Olympians between the wars, the real home of OM was Stade de l'Huveaune, owned by OM and partly financed by fans in the early 1920s. After World War II, however, OM no longer owned the Stadium Huveaune. Seeking support from the city, Chairman Marcel Leclerc had OM play at Huveaune from 1945 to 1960. The City Council then relented, and OM moved to the Vélodrome. During the 1970s, OM shared the Stade with the Marseille XIII Rugby League.

First renovations

1970 marked the first modifications to the Vélodrome, with the replacement of the floodlights on the Ganay and Jean Bouin tribunes by four 60 meter towers for nighttime events. In March 1971, the capacity of the stadium was increased by nearly 6000 seats, with the reduction of the cycling track and the removal of the cinder running track. This brought the total capacity of the stadium to 55,000 people, including the standing area.

Olympique returned to the Stade de l'Huveaune for the 1982–1983 season as Stade Vélodrome was under construction in preparation for the 1984 European Football Championship. The playing surface was completely replaced during this time. The semifinal between the France and Portugal had set a record for attendance at an international match with 54,848 spectators. The capacity of the stadium was later reduced to 42,000 with the construction of lodges.

The cycling track was removed altogether once Bernard Tapie was appointed president of OM in 1985. He chose to remove it and rearrange the corners of the stadium, bringing the capacity up to 48,000. This renovation marked the end of the era of Vélodrome as a multi-use facility. The area around the stadium was also transformed with the creation of the second line of the metro which served the stadium from two stations and with the construction of the Palais des Sports nearby.

1998 World Cup and beyond

The Stade Vélodrome was completely renovated for the 1998 World Cup; its capacity increased from 42,000 to 60,031 seats (or 32 miles of seats). The Vélodrome hosted the final draw, which took place on 4 December 1997 (the first time the final draw was held in an outdoor venue) and seven matches, including France's first match against South Africa, the quarterfinal between Argentina and the Netherlands and the semifinal between Brazil and the Netherlands. As of 2011, the record attendance for a football game (58,897 spectators) was the Newcastle United UEFA Cup semifinal on May 6, 2004 (2–0). During the 2007 Rugby World Cup the Vélodrome hosted six games, including two quarterfinals: Australia versus England (which holds the overall attendance record with 59,120 spectators) and South Africa versus Fiji. On July 16, 2009, during preparations for a Madonna concert, one of four winches used to hoist the structure failed; the 60-ton roof fell (leaving two dead, eight wounded and crushing a crane).

Widely criticized and unloved by the Marseillais for its architecture (no roof, exposure to strong mistral winds and poor acoustics), the Stade Vélodrome has since 2003 been the subject of several projects to modernize and enlarge it. In July 2009, following an extraordinary council of the City of Marseille concerning the City Hall renovation project, a motion was passed launching a public-private partnership (PPP). On June 21, 2010, following France's winning bid for UEFA Euro 2016, Marseille announced that the stadium would receive another renovation (a roof and an increase in capacity from 60,031 to 67,000), making it a UEFA Elite Stadium. Works began in the spring of 2011 and were completed in summer 2014.

Attendance

In 2002, Division 1 was renamed Ligue 1. Olympique de Marseille's average attendance for each season since 2000-01 is listed below:

Season	Average	Division
2000–01	50,755	Division 1
2001–02	50,030
2002–03	48,233	Ligue 1
2003–04	51,785
2004–05	52,996
2005–06	49,731
2006–07	49,005
2007–08	52,601
2008–09	52,276
2009–10	50,045
2010–11	51,081
2011–12	40,445
2012–13	33,473
2013–14	38,129
2014–15	53,130

1938 FIFA World Cup matches

Date	Time (CET)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
5 June 1938	17:00	Italy	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Norway	First	18,000
16 June 1938	18:00	Italy	2–1	Brazil	Semifinal	30,000

1960 European Nations' Cup matches

Date	Time (CET)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
6 July 1960	21:30	Czechoslovakia	0–3	Soviet Union	Semifinal	25,184
9 July 1960	18:00	Czechoslovakia	2–0	France	Third place	9,438

UEFA Euro 1984 matches

Date	Time (CET)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Spectators
17 June 1984	20:30	Portugal	1–1	Spain	Group B	24,364
23 June 1984	20:00	France	3–2 (a.e.t.)	Portugal	Semifinal	54,848

1998 FIFA World Cup matches

Date	Time (CET)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
12 June 1998	21:00	France	3–0	South Africa	Group C	55,077
15 June 1998	14:30	England	2–0	Tunisia	Group G	54,587
20 June 1998	21:00	Netherlands	5–0	South Korea	Group E	55,000
23 June 1998	21:00	Brazil	1–2	Norway	Group A	55,000
27 June 1998	16:00	Italy	1–0	Norway	Round of 16	55,000
4 July 1998	16:00	Netherlands	2–1	Argentina	Quarterfinal	55,000
7 July 1998	21:00	Brazil	1–1 (4–2 pen.)	Netherlands	Semifinal	54,000

UEFA Euro 2016 matches

The Velodrome will host six games at UEFA Euro 2016, including a semi-final. In 2016, the stadium will become the first in Europe to have hosted three European Championship semi-finals after France's previous hosting of the tournament in 1960 and 1984.

Date	Time (CET)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
11 June 2016	21:00	England	v	Russia	Group B
15 June 2016	21:00	France	v	Albania	Group A
18 June 2016	18:00	Iceland	v	Hungary	Group F
21 June 2016	21:00	Ukraine	v	Poland	Group C
30 June 2016	21:00	Winner Match 37	v	Winner Match 39	Quarter-final
7 July 2016	21:00	Winner Match 47	v	Winner Match 48	Semi-final

Structure

1	Tribune Jean Bouin
2	Virage Sud Chevalier Roze
3	Tribune Ganay
4	Virage Nord De Peretti
5	Disabled seating (258 seats)
6	Press gallery
7	Loges
8	Rostrum
9	VIP hall
10	Projectors
11	Local
12	Closets
13	Offices
14	TV studio
15	Big screens

The four stands in the stadium are named after athletes (runner Jean Bouin and 1920s cyclist Gustave Ganay), a historical figure of the 1720 plague epidemic (Chevalier Roze) and a popular bear (Patrice De Peretti, nicknamed "Depe", who died suddenly in July 2000).

Situation and accessibility

The stadium is located four kilometres away from the Old Port of Marseille, within the neighbourhoods of Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Giniez in the southern part of Marseille. It is bound to the south by the Huveaune river and to the north by the Parc Chanot and the local headquarters of regional public TV station, France 3 Méditerranée. To its west runs the Boulevard Michelet and to the east, one can find the Marseille Palais des Sports as well as the Delort stadium, which will be converted into a rugby arena during the Vélodrome renovation projects.

The Vélodrome is serviced by the bus and metro networks of the Régie des transports de Marseille. Besides several bus services operating in the area, two stations of the Marseille Metro line 2 can be found close to the stadium. Supporters wishing to reach the Ganay or North stands must alight at the Sainte-Marguerite Dromel station whereas the Rond-Point du Prado station caters for the South stand and the Jean Bouin stand. This line, which also serves the Marseille Saint-Charles train station, benefits from additional trains on matchdays.

Marseille Provence Airport is thirty kilometres away from the Vélodrome.

Current Situation

The Stade Vélodrome has increased its seating capacity in 2014 (in prevision of the UEFA Euro 2016 hosted by France), and continues to host games for Olympique de Marseille. Previously it held 60,031 spectators; following its renovation, it is now able to hold 67,000, including 7,000 VIP seats. The cost of the project was €267 million. The expansion and modernization of equipment was part of the French bid to organize Euro 2016. Marseilles mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin's bid also provided for the creation of a new district.

Construction

Marseille has increased the stadium's capacity and installed a roof, as required by UEFA standards. The project also includes multiple reception areas and media space, better access for the disabled and better seating. The new stadium has been officially inaugurated on October 16, 2014.

Approaches

As seen in the picture above, the esplanade Ganay has been preserved and refurbished. The RTM parking lot has been replaced with office towers and housing. RTM users benefit from a larger underground car park. Trees and wind turbines contribute to a new-neighborhood HQE (high environmental quality).

Cost

The total project estimate is €267 million, with €150M for the stadium and the remnant for the surrounding shopping mall, hotel and housing, the private sector to cover two-thirds of the investment; the remainder will be shared by the region, the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, MPM and the city of Marseille for 20m euros. The French government contributed to upgrade the area's infrastructure. After several studies, the mayor selected the contract of partnership arrangements included in a PPP (public-private partnership).

Time frame

The project has been completed in summer 2014. During construction, OM continued to play at the Vélodrome, with a maximum capacity of 42,000.

Olympique de Marseille

"Olympique de Marseille will be closely associated with the project", said Jean-Claude Gaudin. The club remains a tenant of the stadium. Elected officials want ticket prices to be controlled.

No naming rights

"I am not the mayor who will sell the Vélodrome or the one who will change its name", said Gaudin. For the time being, the selling of naming rights has been rejected.

Pictures

• 
  OM-Lille OSC 2004
• 
  Photo of the Virage Sud – OM-Lille OSC 2004
• 
  OM-OL 2007 – quarterfinal of the Coupe de France

External links

• Stadium page on official club website (in French)
• Destination Marseille – rugbyworldcup.com

• Webcam of the new stadium construction (in French)