Parc des Princes
Encyclopedia
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater
football stadium
located in the southwest of Paris
, France
. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed with a very avant-garde architecture for the period. Comfort and visibility were the key words of Roger Taillibert
, the architect in charge of the project. PSG became the resident club of the new stadium in June 1974 and its image and history has since been associated to Le Parc. Named after the Monarch's hunting grounds that it sits on, it was initially opened as a multi-purpose venue on 18 July 1897. It hosted athletics, cycling, football and rugby. The Parc des Princes is the third largest football stadium in France. Originally a velodrome
, it was the finish line of the Tour de France
from the first event in 1903 until General Charles de Gaulle
ordered to demolish the track in the late 1960s
. He decided in 1967 that the Parc des Princes should be dedicated to football and rugby games with a capacity of under 60,000 seats. Another venue devoted to athletics should be built at the old Stade Pershing
located at Vincennes
. The Parc des Princes was the national stadium
of the France football team
and the France rugby union team
until the construction of the Stade de France
for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
. The stadium and grounds are owned by the Paris city council and the Société d’Exploitation Sports-Evénements (SESE) holds the concession to the Parc des Princes since 1990.
A legendary stage, the Mecca of the sport and the French culture, the Parc des Princes is still an important monument in French sports. Initially a multi-task sports venue at first, it has hosted many major sports events. Le Parc was an Olympic site
in the 1900 Games of the II Olympiad
and has hosted two FIFA World Cups
, two Euro
finals, three UEFA Champions League
finals, two UEFA Cup finals, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
final, two Latin Cup
finals, four USFSA
championship finals, one Coupe Sheriff Dewar final, 128 matches of the France national football team, 33 French Cup
finals, three League Cup
finals, 30 Tournoi de Paris
editions, 31 Top 14 finals, 59 Five Nations Championships
, one UCI Track Cycling World Championships
and 54 Tour de France finishes. The stadium also witnessed the first live sports report in France and has even hosted boxing
championships and music concerts. In recent times, the Parc des Princes has refocused on more medium-sized events as compared to the larger Stade de France.
. During the first half of the 19th century
, the Parisian bourgeoisie adopted these pleasures once reserved for the nobility. Purely natural until 1855, the site knew its first urban planning with the drilling of a road to make way for the future district of the Parc des Princes. It seems that the name "Parc des Princes" made its appearance at this time by taking the terms Route des Princes and Porte des Princes, in use since the 18th century. Le Parc was not part of Paris
until the annexation of neighboring municipalities desired by Napoleon III in 1860, who straddled the territories of Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt
. A station for scientific study called "Physiological Station of the Parc des Princes" was installed on the site in 1881, close to the existing Stade Roland Garros
. Étienne-Jules Marey
conducted research on Chronophotography
. The institute was destroyed in 1979 to allow the extension of the Roland Garros stadium. Thus, the Parc des Princes was a vast space that was not limited to the few hectares of the current stadium.
), football and rugby. The name Parc des Princes was given to the surrounding area during the 18th century, when it was a forest used by the royal family for hunting. The original enclosure had 3,200 seats and was surrounded by a velodrome of 666,66 meters in length. Henri Desgrange
, then columnist of Le Vélo
and director of L'Auto
from 16 October 1900, was a prominent cyclist and owner with Victor Goddet of the velodrome at the Parc des Princes. Desgrange set up the Tour de France
in 1903. The velodrome of the Parc des Princes was the finish line of the Tour de France until 1967. Track cycling was also the sport featured at Le Parc and the trail of the Porte de Saint-Cloud
hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships
in 1900. The trail of the Parc des Princes was also used for motorcycle races.
Rugby
, called "football" or "football-rugby" at the time, made its debut on the lawn of the Parc des Princes on 14 November 1897 with an Anglo-French international poster: Union athlétique de 1er arrondissement against Swindon Rugby Football Club. Swindon won the match by 1 goal and 3 tries (14 points) to Nil. Photographs of both teams were taken before the match , which was reported in the sports sections of La Presse and a week later in Swindon's Evening Advertiser.
In football, called "association" or "football association", the first match held at Le Parc was on 26 December 1897 in front of 500 spectators. The English Ramblers prevailed 3-1 against Club Français
. The USFSA
championship finals of 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1910 were also held in Le Parc, as well as the Coupe Sheriff Dewar in 1905. The concept of a resident club of the Parc des Princes was born during the beginning of the 20th century
. Racing Club de France obtained exclusive use of the stadium for athletic sports such as athletics, rugby and football in particular. The newly re-founded Olympique briefly regained its resident club status for the athletic sports in 1902. Racing, however, absorbed Olympique and recovered Le Parc in September 1902. Le XV de France
, the French rugby team, played its first official match against the All Blacks on the lawn of the Parc des Princes in front of over 3,000 spectators on 1 January 1906. The first official match played by the French football team
on home soil was also held at Le Parc. Les Bleus defeated Switzerland
2-0 on 12 February 1905.
Following the success of the events presented at the Parc des Princes, the seating capacity was expanded to 10,000 spectators before World War I
. The first match of American football
was also played in the former Parc des Princes stadium in 1919 by American soldiers who remained on French territory after the war. The 1924 Summer Olympics
in Paris allowed Le Parc to be further enlarged to 20,000 seats. The Parc des Princes, the Stade de Colombes
and the Stade Pershing
were candidates for the status of main Olympic stadium. After heated debate, the French government designated Le Parc as the main stadium of the Olympic Games
in 1922, but the City of Paris refused to fund the work. For a while it was rumored that Lyon
would take Paris's place as hosts of the Olympic Games. On behalf of the "Grand Paris" policy and with funding from Racing Club de France, Colombes stadium was finally appointed. Colombes took the opportunity to be equipped with 60,000 seats, making the Parc des Princes obsolete. For half a century, Colombes was a strong competitor for Le Parc. In the wake of the 1924 Games, during which the Parc des Princes did not host any Olympic event, the City of Paris, owner of the venue, signed a concession agreement for 40 years with sports newspaper L'Auto. The rental amount was 4% of the revenues.
, who in 1903 founded the Tour de France
, was 666 metres round, egg-shaped and almost without banking. The cycle track was the main feature but the size of the inner field and meant that other sports could be held there and, as Paris's main sports stadium, after the seating was expanded to 20,000 places. Desgrange and his successor, Jacques Goddet
, later expanded capacity to 40,000. In fact there were 46,000 for the re-opening and the two were disciplined by the city authorities for overcrowding. At the same time, the track was reduced to 454 metres, given parallel straights and steeper bankings.
The second Parc des Princes hosted the final of the inaugural
Rugby League World Cup
in 1954, when Great Britain
defeated France
16–12.
The last man to win a race on the track was Raymond Poulidor
, when he won the last stage of the 1967 Tour de France
. Roger Pingeon
, the overall Tour winner, accepted his yellow jersey in a stadium in which demolition had already started.
welcomes concerts. Among them, Michael Jackson
, who was the first one in 1988, on June 27th and 28th for the tour Bad World Tour
and in 1997, on June 27th and 29th for the tour History World Tour
(more than 240 000 spectators for four concerts), the Rolling Stones which made two concerts in 1990, Johnny Hallyday
who celebrated his 50 years in 1993 ( three following evenings) and his 60 years in 2003 (for four evenings), U2
(53 519 spectators on September 6th, 1997), Robbie William, Prince
or Iron Maiden
there.
More recently, Metallica
(in June, 2004) and Muse
(in June 23rd, 2007), Genesis
(49 606 spectators on June 30th 200736) and Red Hot Chili Peppers
(in June 15th, 2004 and July 6th, 2007). In 2008 Bruce Springsteen
(in June 27th) and Mika
(in July 4th) were scheduled(programmed). On September 7th, 2009 it was in the tour(ballot) of the group Coldplay
to give it a concert (50 355 spectateurs37), which the group will remember as of " better than they never looked " 38, NTM
for their first concert in a stage(stadium) on June 19th, 2010, Green Day
on June 26th, 2010.
, to be built around Paris. Keeping the road to a straight line took it under one end of the track. Two of the Parc's four stands were demolished, and the rest stayed up for another two years before neglect meant they too had to come down.
Jacques Goddet, who had taken ownership of the track on the death of Henri Desgrange, fought the demolition order. He said:
A lawyer had found that the hiring agreement in the 19th century included a clause that children of a local school were allowed free use of the stadium on Thursday afternoons. The city of Paris claimed no tenancy agreement would include such a condition. A tenant had exclusive use of what he rented. Therefore Goddet had just a concession to use the land and could be evicted without compensation.
Goddet took the argument to appeal but failed. The velodrome became rubble to form the foundations of a soccer stadium. The track's shareholders received nothing in damages.
Roger Taillibert
and built by Bouygues
, was opened in June 1972 and is a true football and rugby stadium with no track around the pitch. It is currently the home of football team Paris Saint-Germain while the rugby union club Stade Français
competes across the road at the much smaller Stade Jean Bouin, but sometimes uses the Parc des Princes (although in recent years the club has used Stade de France as its secondary home).
There have been two previous stadia on the site, which opened in 1897 and 1932, respectively. Both were essentially velodrome
s, and for many years (1904–1967) the stadium was the traditional finishing point for the Tour de France
cycling race. Taillibert's all-seater design has proven in retrospect to be well ahead of its time, requiring only cosmetic improvements to meet vastly increased comfort and safety regulations through the 1990s and early 2000s.
On 10 November 1973, Paris SG held their first match at the Parc des Princes during a Division 2
match against Red Star Saint-Ouen
. The capital club won the match 3–1. The following year, PSG left the Stade Georges Lefèvre and became Le Parc's sole tenant. The club had to play a few games at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
in Colombes
(once in 1974–75) and the Stade de Paris (once in 1977–1978 and twice in 1978–79) because Le Parc was unavailable due to work on the lawn.
Racing Club de Paris
played their home matches at the Parc des Princes from 1984 to 1990. In 1992, after the club was bought by Canal +, the TV channel took control of the SESE, company which holded the concession to the Parc des Princes since June 1988. The club now paid their rent to Canal +. On 28 June 1999, the City of Paris extended the concession from the Parc des Princes for another 15 years. On 18 February 2002, PSG fully appropriates the stadium and the headquarters of the club are moved to a new building. After the club was sold by Canal + to a consortium comprising American investment company Colony Capital
, French investment company, Butler Capital Partners
, and American investment bank, Morgan Stanley
on 11 April 2006, the City of Paris extended the concession until 2014.
Having acquired PSG in 2006, the international real estate investment firm Colony Capital announced a plan to upgrade the Parc des Princes, including the building of luxury amenities and a capacity expansion to 54,000. However, the dismal performance of the club since the takeover have caused this plan to be put on hold. Whether the proposed expansion has the approval of the Paris city council is unclear as of late 2007.
On 16 September 2009, the mayor
of Paris
, Bertrand Delanoë
, made official in a communiqué the will of the city to organise the UEFA Euro 2016
in Paris Saint-Germain's stadium, the Parc des Princes, which will be renovated. Delanoë has committed himself to "submit the Council of Paris (the municipal assembly), before new years eve, to a deliberation that allows to carry out the modernisation of the Parc des Princes, following the UEFA rules, before 2016". The mayor "reaffirms his total determination to make out of the renovated Parc des Princes an advantage for France
's candidature" in order to organize the competition.
Since the construction of the Stade de France
in 1998, that stadium has not enjoyed a regular tenant and there have been repeated attempts to convince a professional football or rugby team to move to there. Although occupancy was offered to PSG, the capital club remained at Parc des Princes under pressure from Canal +, its former parent company, and the Paris city government.
football
club
Paris Saint-Germain. It is known as the "most notorious stand in French football" due to its links with violence and far-right political groups and is a symbol for football hooliganism
and political extremism within French culture.
on 2 March 1983. The club's average attendance for the 2008–09
season was 40,902, the second highest in the Ligue 1.
Evolution of the average home attendance from Paris-SG since the 1970–71 season
This has not been without problems however. As early as the 1980s, hooliganism began to emerge in France in the Parc des Princes, especially within the Kop of Boulogne
, which had adopted the English supporter culture brought to the continent by Leeds United and Liverpool
. In the 1990s, the Kop of Boulogne developed a rivalry with another PSG supporters group, Auteil. Clashes between the two groups would go on to plague the club for the following 20 years.
In 2009 and 2010, then club President Robin Leproux took strict discipinary measures following another set of violent incidents. Those measures, while alienating ultra supporter and decreasing average attendances for home games, proved effective in cracking down the violence. With its new owners from Qatar arriving in 2011, it is expected that the club will try to attract a more family-oriented and corporate public to the stadium, following the same model as English club Arsenal
.
's greatest football achievements, the 2–0 victory over Spain in the 1984 European Championship final. It was also the scene of one of French football's most spectacular disasters on November 17, 1993, when Les Bleus were beaten 1–2 by Bulgaria in the last minute of play and thus failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
in the United States.
At the club level, the Parc des Princes has been the scene of some of Paris Saint-Germain's most memorable European games, in particular a 4–1 victory over Real Madrid
in the UEFA Cup
quarter-final in 1993 in which PSG scored the crucial last goal on the very last play of the game. Another landmark victory occurred two years later when the Parisians defeated F.C. Barcelona in the quarter finals of the Champions League, with a 2-1 scoreline.
Les Bleus have returned to the Parc des Princes only once since the opening of the Stade de France in 1998. On September 12, 2007, they were defeated 0–1 by Scotland
in a Euro 2008 qualifier, a result that was compared to the nightmare of 1993 against Bulgaria by French media.
The stadium hosted the 1981 European Cup Final. Liverpool FC beat Real Madrid CF 1-0 with Liverpool's Alan Kennedy scoring the winning goal. Since then the Parc des Princes is fondly remembered by Liverpool supporters, especially as it was the theatre where their club won a final they were widely expected to lose.
Parc des Princes also hosted various 2007 Rugby World Cup
matches including the Argentina-Ireland showdown.
Paris Saint-Germain at UEFA
News Sites Paris Saint-Germain News from Le Parisien
Paris Saint-Germain News from L'Equipe
Paris Saint-Germain News from Sky Sports
Paris Saint-Germain News from ESPN
All-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
football stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in the southwest of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed with a very avant-garde architecture for the period. Comfort and visibility were the key words of Roger Taillibert
Roger Taillibert
Roger Taillibert is a French architect, notable for designing the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada....
, the architect in charge of the project. PSG became the resident club of the new stadium in June 1974 and its image and history has since been associated to Le Parc. Named after the Monarch's hunting grounds that it sits on, it was initially opened as a multi-purpose venue on 18 July 1897. It hosted athletics, cycling, football and rugby. The Parc des Princes is the third largest football stadium in France. Originally a velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
, it was the finish line of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
from the first event in 1903 until General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
ordered to demolish the track in the late 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. He decided in 1967 that the Parc des Princes should be dedicated to football and rugby games with a capacity of under 60,000 seats. Another venue devoted to athletics should be built at the old Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing was a multi-purpose stadium in Vincennes, France. It was used mostly for football matches and hosted the final of the Coupe de France on four occasions. It also hosted some of the football and rugby matches during the 1924 Summer Olympics. The stadium was able to hold 29,000...
located at Vincennes
Vincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
. The Parc des Princes was the national stadium
National stadium
Many countries have a national football stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadium. Usually, a national stadium will be in or very...
of the France football team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and the France rugby union team
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
until the construction of the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. The stadium and grounds are owned by the Paris city council and the Société d’Exploitation Sports-Evénements (SESE) holds the concession to the Parc des Princes since 1990.
A legendary stage, the Mecca of the sport and the French culture, the Parc des Princes is still an important monument in French sports. Initially a multi-task sports venue at first, it has hosted many major sports events. Le Parc was an Olympic site
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in the 1900 Games of the II Olympiad
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
and has hosted two FIFA World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, two Euro
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
finals, three UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
finals, two UEFA Cup finals, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
final, two Latin Cup
Latin Cup
The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from the Latin European nations of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and launched their own club competition...
finals, four USFSA
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques is a former French sports governing body. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athletics, cycling, field hockey, fencing, croquet and swimming...
championship finals, one Coupe Sheriff Dewar final, 128 matches of the France national football team, 33 French Cup
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
finals, three League Cup
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...
finals, 30 Tournoi de Paris
Tournament of Paris
The Tournoi de Paris is an annual two-day pre-season football tournament hosted by Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain and held at the Parc des Princes, the club's home ground. From 1957 to 1976 it was held late in the season and since 1977 it is played before the start of the season...
editions, 31 Top 14 finals, 59 Five Nations Championships
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, one UCI Track Cycling World Championships
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
and 54 Tour de France finishes. The stadium also witnessed the first live sports report in France and has even hosted boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
championships and music concerts. In recent times, the Parc des Princes has refocused on more medium-sized events as compared to the larger Stade de France.
The site before 1897
The Parc des Princes was used as a place of relaxation, hunting and popular promenade by the king and the royal princes during the 18th century18th century
The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.During the 18th century, the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions. Philosophy and science increased in prominence. Philosophers were dreaming about a better age without the Christian fundamentalism of...
. During the first half of the 19th century
19th century
The 19th century was a period in history marked by the collapse of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Holy Roman and Mughal empires...
, the Parisian bourgeoisie adopted these pleasures once reserved for the nobility. Purely natural until 1855, the site knew its first urban planning with the drilling of a road to make way for the future district of the Parc des Princes. It seems that the name "Parc des Princes" made its appearance at this time by taking the terms Route des Princes and Porte des Princes, in use since the 18th century. Le Parc was not part of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
until the annexation of neighboring municipalities desired by Napoleon III in 1860, who straddled the territories of Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
. A station for scientific study called "Physiological Station of the Parc des Princes" was installed on the site in 1881, close to the existing Stade Roland Garros
Stade Roland Garros
Le Stade de Roland Garros is a tennis venue located in Paris, France. It hosts the French Open tennis tournament , a Grand Slam event played annually in May and June. The facility was constructed in 1928 to host France's first defense of the Davis Cup...
. Étienne-Jules Marey
Étienne-Jules Marey
Étienne-Jules Marey was a French scientist and chronophotographer.His work was significant in the development of cardiology, physical instrumentation, aviation, cinematography and the science of labor photography...
conducted research on Chronophotography
Chronophotography
Chronophotography is an antique photographic technique from the Victorian era , which captures movement in several frames of print. These prints can be subsequently arranged either like animation cels or layered in a single frame...
. The institute was destroyed in 1979 to allow the extension of the Roland Garros stadium. Thus, the Parc des Princes was a vast space that was not limited to the few hectares of the current stadium.
The first Parc (1897-1932)
The Stade-vélodrome Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 18 July 1897. It was so quickly and badly built that spectators were denied access to the stands when it opened. There were fears that the stands would give way under the weight of spectators. The Parc de Princes was for so long the jewel in French sports grounds, boasting the biggest capacity and best facilities. It was originally opened in the late 19th century as a multi-purpose venue and hosted athletics, cycling (it has been used for the final stages of the Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
), football and rugby. The name Parc des Princes was given to the surrounding area during the 18th century, when it was a forest used by the royal family for hunting. The original enclosure had 3,200 seats and was surrounded by a velodrome of 666,66 meters in length. Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
, then columnist of Le Vélo
Le Vélo
-External links:*...
and director of L'Auto
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
from 16 October 1900, was a prominent cyclist and owner with Victor Goddet of the velodrome at the Parc des Princes. Desgrange set up the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
in 1903. The velodrome of the Parc des Princes was the finish line of the Tour de France until 1967. Track cycling was also the sport featured at Le Parc and the trail of the Porte de Saint-Cloud
Porte de Saint-Cloud (Paris Metro)
Porte de Saint-Cloud is a station of line 9 the Paris Métro. The station opened on 28 September 1923 with the extension of the line from Exelmans. It was the terminus of the line until 1934, when it was extended to Pont de Sèvres. As a result it still has four platforms...
hosted the UCI Track Cycling World Championships
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
in 1900. The trail of the Parc des Princes was also used for motorcycle races.
Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, called "football" or "football-rugby" at the time, made its debut on the lawn of the Parc des Princes on 14 November 1897 with an Anglo-French international poster: Union athlétique de 1er arrondissement against Swindon Rugby Football Club. Swindon won the match by 1 goal and 3 tries (14 points) to Nil. Photographs of both teams were taken before the match , which was reported in the sports sections of La Presse and a week later in Swindon's Evening Advertiser.
In football, called "association" or "football association", the first match held at Le Parc was on 26 December 1897 in front of 500 spectators. The English Ramblers prevailed 3-1 against Club Français
Club Français
Club Français was a French association football team based in Paris which was founded in 1890. Club Français won the Coupe de France Final 1931, its only major honour.The club played the first ever Division 1 season in 1932–33 but was relegated in Division 2...
. The USFSA
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques is a former French sports governing body. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athletics, cycling, field hockey, fencing, croquet and swimming...
championship finals of 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1910 were also held in Le Parc, as well as the Coupe Sheriff Dewar in 1905. The concept of a resident club of the Parc des Princes was born during the beginning of the 20th century
20th century
Many people define the 20th century as running from January 1, 1901 to December 31, 2000, others would rather define it as beginning on January 1, 1900....
. Racing Club de France obtained exclusive use of the stadium for athletic sports such as athletics, rugby and football in particular. The newly re-founded Olympique briefly regained its resident club status for the athletic sports in 1902. Racing, however, absorbed Olympique and recovered Le Parc in September 1902. Le XV de France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, the French rugby team, played its first official match against the All Blacks on the lawn of the Parc des Princes in front of over 3,000 spectators on 1 January 1906. The first official match played by the French football team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
on home soil was also held at Le Parc. Les Bleus defeated Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
2-0 on 12 February 1905.
Following the success of the events presented at the Parc des Princes, the seating capacity was expanded to 10,000 spectators before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The first match of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
was also played in the former Parc des Princes stadium in 1919 by American soldiers who remained on French territory after the war. The 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
in Paris allowed Le Parc to be further enlarged to 20,000 seats. The Parc des Princes, the Stade de Colombes
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
and the Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing was a multi-purpose stadium in Vincennes, France. It was used mostly for football matches and hosted the final of the Coupe de France on four occasions. It also hosted some of the football and rugby matches during the 1924 Summer Olympics. The stadium was able to hold 29,000...
were candidates for the status of main Olympic stadium. After heated debate, the French government designated Le Parc as the main stadium of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1922, but the City of Paris refused to fund the work. For a while it was rumored that Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
would take Paris's place as hosts of the Olympic Games. On behalf of the "Grand Paris" policy and with funding from Racing Club de France, Colombes stadium was finally appointed. Colombes took the opportunity to be equipped with 60,000 seats, making the Parc des Princes obsolete. For half a century, Colombes was a strong competitor for Le Parc. In the wake of the 1924 Games, during which the Parc des Princes did not host any Olympic event, the City of Paris, owner of the venue, signed a concession agreement for 40 years with sports newspaper L'Auto. The rental amount was 4% of the revenues.
Velodrome
The track, managed by Henri DesgrangeHenri Desgrange
Henri Desgrange was a French bicycle racer and sports journalist. He set 12 world track cycling records, including the hour record of 35.325 kilometres on 11 May 1893. He was the first organiser of the Tour de France.-Origins:Henri Desgrange was one of two brothers, twins...
, who in 1903 founded the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, was 666 metres round, egg-shaped and almost without banking. The cycle track was the main feature but the size of the inner field and meant that other sports could be held there and, as Paris's main sports stadium, after the seating was expanded to 20,000 places. Desgrange and his successor, Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
, later expanded capacity to 40,000. In fact there were 46,000 for the re-opening and the two were disciplined by the city authorities for overcrowding. At the same time, the track was reduced to 454 metres, given parallel straights and steeper bankings.
The second Parc des Princes hosted the final of the inaugural
1954 Rugby League World Cup
The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954 and officially known as the "Rugby World Cup". The prime motivators behind the idea of holding a rugby league world cup were the French, who were short of money following the seizing of their assets by the rugby union in World War II.The...
Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
in 1954, when Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
defeated France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
16–12.
The last man to win a race on the track was Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor , is a former professional bicycle racer. He was known as the eternal second, because he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times, including his final Tour at the age of 40...
, when he won the last stage of the 1967 Tour de France
1967 Tour de France
The 1967 Tour de France was the 54th Tour de France, taking place June 29 to July 23, 1967. It consisted of 22 stages over 4780 km, ridden at 35.018 km/h...
. Roger Pingeon
Roger Pingeon
Roger Pingeon is a retired professional road bicycle racer from France. He raced as a professional from 1964 to 1974. In 1967, Pingeon won the Tour de France. In 1969, Pingeon won the Vuelta a España and came second behind Eddy Merckx in the Tour de France.-Major achievements:19641965...
, the overall Tour winner, accepted his yellow jersey in a stadium in which demolition had already started.
Artists
Since the 1980s, Parc des PrincesParc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
welcomes concerts. Among them, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, who was the first one in 1988, on June 27th and 28th for the tour Bad World Tour
Bad World Tour
The Bad World Tour was the first solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson that visited Japan, Australia, the United States and Europe. Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries...
and in 1997, on June 27th and 29th for the tour History World Tour
HIStory World Tour
The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts and was attended by approximately 4.5 million fans, beating his previous Bad Tour...
(more than 240 000 spectators for four concerts), the Rolling Stones which made two concerts in 1990, Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
who celebrated his 50 years in 1993 ( three following evenings) and his 60 years in 2003 (for four evenings), U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
(53 519 spectators on September 6th, 1997), Robbie William, Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
or Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
there.
More recently, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
(in June, 2004) and Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
(in June 23rd, 2007), Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
(49 606 spectators on June 30th 200736) and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
(in June 15th, 2004 and July 6th, 2007). In 2008 Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
(in June 27th) and Mika
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
(in July 4th) were scheduled(programmed). On September 7th, 2009 it was in the tour(ballot) of the group Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
to give it a concert (50 355 spectateurs37), which the group will remember as of " better than they never looked " 38, NTM
NTM
NTM SOFT may refer to the following:* National Translation Mission, a Govt of India initiative to make knowledge-based texts accessible in all 22 Indian languages listed in the VIII schedule of the Constitution through translation...
for their first concert in a stage(stadium) on June 19th, 2010, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
on June 26th, 2010.
Demolition
The cycle track was demolished to make room for a bypass, the PériphériquePériphérique (Paris)
Boulevard Périphérique is a controlled-access dual-carriageway ring road in Paris, France. One of the busiest highways in Europe, the Périphérique is the generally-accepted boundary between the city proper of Paris and its suburbs...
, to be built around Paris. Keeping the road to a straight line took it under one end of the track. Two of the Parc's four stands were demolished, and the rest stayed up for another two years before neglect meant they too had to come down.
Jacques Goddet, who had taken ownership of the track on the death of Henri Desgrange, fought the demolition order. He said:
A lawyer had found that the hiring agreement in the 19th century included a clause that children of a local school were allowed free use of the stadium on Thursday afternoons. The city of Paris claimed no tenancy agreement would include such a condition. A tenant had exclusive use of what he rented. Therefore Goddet had just a concession to use the land and could be evicted without compensation.
Goddet took the argument to appeal but failed. The velodrome became rubble to form the foundations of a soccer stadium. The track's shareholders received nothing in damages.
Football stadium
The current Parc des Princes, designed by architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Roger Taillibert
Roger Taillibert
Roger Taillibert is a French architect, notable for designing the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada....
and built by Bouygues
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
, was opened in June 1972 and is a true football and rugby stadium with no track around the pitch. It is currently the home of football team Paris Saint-Germain while the rugby union club Stade Français
Stade Français Paris
Stade Français CASG is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era....
competes across the road at the much smaller Stade Jean Bouin, but sometimes uses the Parc des Princes (although in recent years the club has used Stade de France as its secondary home).
There have been two previous stadia on the site, which opened in 1897 and 1932, respectively. Both were essentially velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
s, and for many years (1904–1967) the stadium was the traditional finishing point for the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
cycling race. Taillibert's all-seater design has proven in retrospect to be well ahead of its time, requiring only cosmetic improvements to meet vastly increased comfort and safety regulations through the 1990s and early 2000s.
On 10 November 1973, Paris SG held their first match at the Parc des Princes during a Division 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
match against Red Star Saint-Ouen
Red Star Saint-Ouen
Red Star Football Club 93 is a French association football club based in Saint-Ouen located in the northern suburbs of Paris. The club was founded in 1897 and currently play in the Championnat National, the third level of French football...
. The capital club won the match 3–1. The following year, PSG left the Stade Georges Lefèvre and became Le Parc's sole tenant. The club had to play a few games at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
in Colombes
Colombes
Colombes is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On 13 March 1896, 17% of the territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of Bois-Colombes ....
(once in 1974–75) and the Stade de Paris (once in 1977–1978 and twice in 1978–79) because Le Parc was unavailable due to work on the lawn.
Racing Club de Paris
RCF Paris
Racing Club de France – Levallois 92 is a French association football club formerly based in Colombes, a suburb of Paris. In 2009, the club moved to nearby Levallois-Perret after the club reached a financial agreement with the commune. Racing was founded in 1882 as a sports club and is one of the...
played their home matches at the Parc des Princes from 1984 to 1990. In 1992, after the club was bought by Canal +, the TV channel took control of the SESE, company which holded the concession to the Parc des Princes since June 1988. The club now paid their rent to Canal +. On 28 June 1999, the City of Paris extended the concession from the Parc des Princes for another 15 years. On 18 February 2002, PSG fully appropriates the stadium and the headquarters of the club are moved to a new building. After the club was sold by Canal + to a consortium comprising American investment company Colony Capital
Colony Capital LLC
Colony Capital is a private, international investment firm based in Los Angeles, California. The company, founded in 1991, has over 250 employees operating in 11 offices around the world. The company focuses on real estate opportunities around the world either on its own, through funds run by the...
, French investment company, Butler Capital Partners
Butler Capital Partners
Butler Capital Partners is a European private equity focusing primarily on investments in France and Europe. The firm operates in a variety of business sectors including distribution, logistics, advertising, information technology, publishing and market research.The firm was founded in 1990 by...
, and American investment bank, Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
on 11 April 2006, the City of Paris extended the concession until 2014.
Having acquired PSG in 2006, the international real estate investment firm Colony Capital announced a plan to upgrade the Parc des Princes, including the building of luxury amenities and a capacity expansion to 54,000. However, the dismal performance of the club since the takeover have caused this plan to be put on hold. Whether the proposed expansion has the approval of the Paris city council is unclear as of late 2007.
On 16 September 2009, the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë is a French politician, and has been the mayor of Paris since 2001. He is member of the Socialist Party . Delanoë was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a French-Tunisian father and a French mother...
, made official in a communiqué the will of the city to organise the UEFA Euro 2016
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2016, will be the 15th European Championship for national football teams sanctioned by UEFA. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation was announced to be France on 28 May 2010...
in Paris Saint-Germain's stadium, the Parc des Princes, which will be renovated. Delanoë has committed himself to "submit the Council of Paris (the municipal assembly), before new years eve, to a deliberation that allows to carry out the modernisation of the Parc des Princes, following the UEFA rules, before 2016". The mayor "reaffirms his total determination to make out of the renovated Parc des Princes an advantage for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's candidature" in order to organize the competition.
Since the construction of the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
in 1998, that stadium has not enjoyed a regular tenant and there have been repeated attempts to convince a professional football or rugby team to move to there. Although occupancy was offered to PSG, the capital club remained at Parc des Princes under pressure from Canal +, its former parent company, and the Paris city government.
Kop of Boulogne
The Kop of Boulogne (KOB) is an area in the Parc des Princes which houses supporters groups associated with the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
Paris Saint-Germain. It is known as the "most notorious stand in French football" due to its links with violence and far-right political groups and is a symbol for football hooliganism
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
and political extremism within French culture.
Attendance
The highest average home attendance of the club was registered during the 1999–2000 season with 43,185 spectators per game. 49,575 spectators is the attendance record and was registered in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals match between PSG and SV Waterschei ThorK. Waterschei S.V. Thor Genk
K. Waterschei S.V. Thor Genk was a Belgian football club from the city of Genk, Limburg .It was created in 1919 as Waterschei's Sport Vereeniging Thor with Thor being the acronym of Tot Herstel Onzer Rechten . It registered to the FA only in 1925 and received the matricule n°533...
on 2 March 1983. The club's average attendance for the 2008–09
2008–09 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was French football club Paris Saint-Germain's 36th professional season, their 36th season in Ligue 1 and their 35th consecutive season in French top-flight. PSG was managed by Paul Le Guen - in his second season since replacing Guy Lacombe. The capital club was chaired by...
season was 40,902, the second highest in the Ligue 1.
Atmosphere
In a country not usually reputed for the quality of its stadia, the Parc des Princes, along with the Vélodrome in Marseille has become an example of a vibrant atmosphere. Unlike the Vélodrome however, the Parisian stadium has benefited from the presence of a roof and great acoustics. It is often described by French sports journalists as a "caisse de résonnance" ("soundbox") for the deafening noise that Paris Saint-Germain supporters are known to produce on matchdays, especially when they chant "Ici c'est Paris".This has not been without problems however. As early as the 1980s, hooliganism began to emerge in France in the Parc des Princes, especially within the Kop of Boulogne
Kop of Boulogne
The Kop of Boulogne is a stand in the Parc des Princes which mainly housed the Boulogne Boys, a supporters group associated with the club. It is known as the "most notorious stand in French football" due to its links with violence and far-right political groups...
, which had adopted the English supporter culture brought to the continent by Leeds United and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. In the 1990s, the Kop of Boulogne developed a rivalry with another PSG supporters group, Auteil. Clashes between the two groups would go on to plague the club for the following 20 years.
In 2009 and 2010, then club President Robin Leproux took strict discipinary measures following another set of violent incidents. Those measures, while alienating ultra supporter and decreasing average attendances for home games, proved effective in cracking down the violence. With its new owners from Qatar arriving in 2011, it is expected that the club will try to attract a more family-oriented and corporate public to the stadium, following the same model as English club Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
Memorable matches
The modern Parc des Princes hosted one of FranceFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
's greatest football achievements, the 2–0 victory over Spain in the 1984 European Championship final. It was also the scene of one of French football's most spectacular disasters on November 17, 1993, when Les Bleus were beaten 1–2 by Bulgaria in the last minute of play and thus failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
in the United States.
At the club level, the Parc des Princes has been the scene of some of Paris Saint-Germain's most memorable European games, in particular a 4–1 victory over Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
quarter-final in 1993 in which PSG scored the crucial last goal on the very last play of the game. Another landmark victory occurred two years later when the Parisians defeated F.C. Barcelona in the quarter finals of the Champions League, with a 2-1 scoreline.
Les Bleus have returned to the Parc des Princes only once since the opening of the Stade de France in 1998. On September 12, 2007, they were defeated 0–1 by Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in a Euro 2008 qualifier, a result that was compared to the nightmare of 1993 against Bulgaria by French media.
The stadium hosted the 1981 European Cup Final. Liverpool FC beat Real Madrid CF 1-0 with Liverpool's Alan Kennedy scoring the winning goal. Since then the Parc des Princes is fondly remembered by Liverpool supporters, especially as it was the theatre where their club won a final they were widely expected to lose.
Parc des Princes also hosted various 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
matches including the Argentina-Ireland showdown.
External links
Official Websites PSG.fr Paris Saint-Germain at Ligue 1Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
Paris Saint-Germain at UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
News Sites Paris Saint-Germain News from Le Parisien
Le Parisien
Le Parisien is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It was established as Le Parisien libéré by Émilien Amaury in 1944, and the name was changed to the current one in 1986...
Paris Saint-Germain News from L'Equipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
Paris Saint-Germain News from Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
Paris Saint-Germain News from ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
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