Stade Vélodrome
Encyclopedia
The Stade Vélodrome is a 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...

 in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...

, 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...

. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

 football club of Ligue 1
Ligue 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....

, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 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,...

. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators, although the current capacity is 42,000 due to the ongoing renovations ahead of 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...

. The stadium is also used regularly by the French 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...

.

The record attendance for a club game at the Stade Vélodrome was of 58,897 (for a 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...

 semifinal against Newcastle United in 2004). The stadium was also featured as a Football World Cup venue when the 1938 finals
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...

 were held in France. The first-ever match to be played was between Marseille and Torino in 1937. As of 2011 there are plans to increase its capacity to 67,000 and build a roof to cover all four grandstands, contingent on the sale of the Olympique de Marseille football club.

The French rugby union
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...

 team began an impressive run of victories at the stadium in the early 2000s. They defeated the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....

 42–33 in November 2000, and in 2001 defeated Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...

 by one point. They beat the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

 in 2002, followed by a win over England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...

 in 2003. However, their run of luck was broken in 2004 when they lost 14–24 to Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...

. 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
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...

 took their home fixture in the Top 14 against Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...

 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
2010–11 Top 14 season
The 2010–11 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . Home-and-away play began on August 13, 2010 and continued through April 2011. The regular season was followed by a three-round playoff starting in May that involved the top...

.

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 Stadium 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 1945–1960. The City Council then relented, and OM moved to the Vélodrome. During the 1970s, OM shared the Stade with the Marseille XIII Rugby League.

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
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...

 first match against South Africa, the quarterfinal between Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 and the semifinal between Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 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
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 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
Mistral (wind)
The mistral is a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind in France, coming from the north or northwest, which accelerates when it passes through the valleys of the Rhone and the Durance Rivers to the coast of the Mediterranean around the Camargue region. It affects the northeast of the plain...

 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
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 winning bid for 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...

, Marseille announced that the stadium would receive another renovation (a roof and an increase in capacity from 60,031 to 67,000), making it an UEFA Elite Stadium. Works began in the spring of 2011 and are expected to end in summer 2014.

Attendance

In 2002, Division 1 was renamed Ligue 1
Ligue 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....

. The average attendance for each season from 2000–01 to 2008–09 was:
Season Average Division
2000–01
Division 1 season 2000-01
FC Nantes won Division 1 season 2000/2001 of the French Association Football League with 68 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 2001/2002** FC Sochaux-Montbéliard : champion of Ligue 2...

50,755
Division 1
Ligue 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....

2001–02
Division 1 season 2001-02
Olympique Lyonnais won Division 1 season 2001/2002 of the French Association Football League with 66 points. The title was decided in the very final game of the season when Lyon received erstwhile championship leaders Lens at Stade Gerland...

50,030
2002–03
Ligue 1 season 2002-03
The French Division 1 renamed as Ligue 1. Olympique Lyonnais won Ligue 1 season 2002/2003 of the French Association Football League with 68 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Ligue 1 season 2003/2004...

48,233
Ligue 1
Ligue 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....

2003–04
Ligue 1 season 2003-04
Olympique Lyonnais won Ligue 1 season 2003/2004 of the French Association Football League with 79 points.- 20 participating clubs :* AC Ajaccio* AJ Auxerre* SC Bastia* Girondins de Bordeaux* En Avant de Guingamp* Le Mans Union Club 72* RC Lens...

51,785
2004–05
Ligue 1 season 2004-05
The 2004/2005 season of Ligue 1 was a very close-run battle. Separating fourth placed Rennes, who enter the UEFA Cup and 18th placed Caen, who get relegated to Ligue 2, were 13 mere points. Lyon were long time leaders and had won the league back in April 2005...

52,996
2005–06 49,731
2006–07 49,005
2007–08
Ligue 1 2007-08
The 2007–08 Ligue 1 season is the seventieth since its establishment, and started in August 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. The fixtures were announced in June 2007. Lyon became French champions, having won a record seventh consecutive title ....

52,600
2008–09 52,276

1938 FIFA World Cup matches

Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
5 June 1938 17:00 Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 
2–1 (a.e.t.) Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 
First 18,000
16 June 1938 18:00 Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 
2–1 Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 
Semifinal 30,000

1998 FIFA World Cup matches

Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
12 June 1998 21:00 France
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...

 
3–0 South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...

 
Group C 55,077
15 June 1998 14:30 England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 
2–0 Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...

 
Group G 54,587
20 June 1998 21:00 Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 
5–0 South Korea  Group E 55,000
23 June 1998 21:00 Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 
1–2 Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 
Group A 55,000
27 June 1998 16:00 Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 
1–0 Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...

 
Round of 16 55,000
4 July 1998 16:00 Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 
2–1 Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 
Quarterfinal 55,000
7 July 1998 21:00 Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 
1–1 (4–2 pen.
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...

)
Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...

 
Semifinal 54,000

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
Old Port of Marseille
The Old Port of Marseille is located at the end of the Canebière. It has been the natural harbour of Marseille since antiquity.- History :...

, 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
Huveaune
The Huveaune is a river in France. It is 48 kilometres long and rises in the Castelette cave at 590 m in the Sainte-Baume mountain range. It flows through Auriol, Roquevaire, Aubagne, and the metropolitan area of Marseille. It discharges into the Mediterranean Sea at...

 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
Marseille Metro
The Marseille metro serves the City of Marseille. It is a rubber-tyred metro derived from the technology developed by the RATP for Paris Metro and opened at the end of 1977...

 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
Marseille Provence Airport
Marseille Provence Airport or Aéroport de Marseille Provence is an airport located 27 km northwest of Marseille, on the territory of Marignane, both communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of France...

 is thirty kilometres away from the Vélodrome.

Future

The Stade Vélodrome will increase its seating capacity by 2014 (when France hosts UEFA Euro 2016), and will continue to host games for Olympique de Marseille. Currently it holds 60,031 spectators; following its renovation, it will be able to hold 67,000. The expected cost of the project is €267 million. The expansion and modernization of equipment was part of the French bid to organize Euro 2016. Even if France did not submit the winning bid "the project will of course be pursued", said Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin
Jean-Claude Gaudin
Jean-Claude Gaudin is a French politician. He has been Mayor of Marseille since 1995 and Vice-President of the Senate since 1998; additionally, he has been Vice-President of the Union for a Popular Movement since 2002.-Early life:...

. Gaudin's bid also provided for the creation of a new district.

Construction

Marseille will increase the stadium's capacity and install a roof, as required by 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....

 standards. The project also includes multiple reception areas and media space, better access for the disabled and better seating.

Approaches

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

Cost

The project estimate is €150 million. Plans call for the private sector to cover two-thirds of the investment; the remainder will be shared by the region, the department of Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...

, MPM and the city of Marseille. The French government will also contribute to upgrade the area's infrastructure. The city hopes to contribute at least €20 million. After several studies, the mayor selected the contract of partnership arrangements included in a PPP (public-private partnership).

Time frame

The project is expected to be completed in summer 2014. During construction, OM will continue to play at the Vélodrome.

Olympique de Marseille

"Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...

 will be closely associated with the project", said Jean-Claude Gaudin
Jean-Claude Gaudin
Jean-Claude Gaudin is a French politician. He has been Mayor of Marseille since 1995 and Vice-President of the Senate since 1998; additionally, he has been Vice-President of the Union for a Popular Movement since 2002.-Early life:...

. The club will remain 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
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...

 has been rejected.

External links

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