How many people can the stadium in Marseille accommodate? Stadium "Velodrome" in Marseille. Satellite map of the Velodrome Arena Marseille - France
Open: June 13, 1937
Architect: Henri Ploquin
Reconstruction: 1984, 1998, 2014
Cost of the latest renovation: 267 million euros
Capacity: 67394
Club: Marseille
Euro matches: 4 in group, one 1/4 match and semi-final
There are fewer and fewer days left before the start of the European Championship; on June 10, Romania and France will meet in the opening match. And in total during the tournament the teams will play 51 matches, frankly speaking, not a few. But speaking about the participants and the abundant number of matches, most people forget about the most important thing - the stadiums where all the matches of Euro 2016 will be held.
We continue the series of materials about all the arenas of the European Championship in France, and today the legendary Marseille Velodrome is next. The stadium was built on the site of the abandoned Turka Meri automobile plant in 1935-37, and although not immediately, it forever became the home of the local Olympic.
The stadium will host six Euro 2016 matches, but the Marseille Velodrome still remembers the 1938 World Cup games. Then two games took place in Marseille - Italy - Norway and Italy - Brazil. Moreover, they also played in Marseille at the 1960 European Championship; it was at the Velodrome that the USSR national team defeated the Czechoslovakians 3:0 and reached the final of the first European Championship.
In 1983, the stadium was first reconstructed on the eve of Euro 1984, then two games were held at the Marseille stadium, including the best match of the tournament - France - Portugal. But at the 1998 World Championships, the Velodrome was used to the maximum - seven matches. Therefore, it is not surprising that at Tvro 2016 the Velodrome will be one of the main arenas of the tournament.
On the eve of Euro 2016, the Velodrome finally acquired a roof, turning from a legendary but long-outdated stadium into a modern and truly comfortable structure. In addition, the lighting was completely redesigned, which allowed UEFA to classify the Velodrome as a five-star stadium.
Matches to be played at the Velodrome:
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Marseille, France
Opening:
Home team:
"Olympic"
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Story
One of the largest stadiums in France began its existence in the 1930s. Plans for the construction of a municipal arena had been hatched by the city authorities since the end of the previous decade, and the 1938 World Cup, which went to France, helped bring these plans to life.
The first stone of the stadium's foundation was laid on April 28, 1935. And already on June 13, 1937, the first match between Olympic and Torino took place here. The Marseilles, in the presence of 30,000 spectators, turned out to be stronger than the Italian guests with a score of 2:1. In addition to the football match, the opening ceremony of the arena included cycling and running competitions.
Name of the stadium (French - Stade Velodrome) is due to the fact that a cycling track was located around the field at the lower tier of the stands.
Initially, the stadium was able to accommodate 35,000 spectators.
Within World Championship 1938 Two matches took place at the Velodrome.
Even during the Second World War, the stadium did not stand idle, and, despite the fact that its infrastructure was somewhat damaged, it hosted competitions in various sports.
In the post-war period, the Velodrome continued to serve as a venue for various competitions, but football and rugby matches already played a dominant role.
During the first European Football Championship in 1960 The Velodrome was honored to host two matches (a total of four matches were held at the tournament).
The first more or less large-scale transformation of the stadium was the installation of 60-meter lighting masts in 1970 and the expansion of the stands to 55,000 seats by reducing the cycling track and dismantling the running tracks. True, such capacity was also facilitated by temporary stands that were installed behind the goal.
During reconstruction in preparation for reception EURO 1984 The turf at the Velodrome was replaced. Interestingly, with a nominal capacity of 42,000, the stadium attracted 54,848 spectators for the semi-final match between France and Portugal!
In 1985, the odious Bernard Tapie became the president of Olympic, and continued to improve the stadium. The cycle track was finally dismantled, two metro stations were opened near the arena, and the stands were expanded to 48,000 seats.
In 1998, 60 years later, France again received the right to host the world championship. Marseille, of course, as one of the largest cities, could not stay away from this event. But this required a radical restructuring of the Velodrome. Of the old stands, only one central one remained, the rest were dismantled and rebuilt.
True, the project, which cost almost 400 million francs, has been criticized more than once. The reason was, firstly, the lack of a roof over all the new stands, as well as the seemingly excessive capacity of 60,000 seats. Spectators also complained about poor acoustics.
But the stadium did not exist in this configuration for too long, because France again received the right to host a major tournament - its third European Championship, scheduled for the summer of 2016.
The work took place in stages from March 2011 to the summer of 2014. However, the stadium was never completely closed.
The result of the reconstruction was the appearance of a roof over all stands, an increase in capacity to 67,000 and an increase in the number of VIP seats.
Reconstruction costs amounted to €267 million.
During Euro 2016, 6 matches were held here.
Concerning French national team in football, she held more than three dozen matches at the Vélodrome, which makes Marseille the most visited city by the national team after Paris.
Structure
The stands of the Velodrome are designed for 67,394 spectators. All places are covered with a roof, the area of which is 65 thousand square meters. m.
Each of the four stands bears the name of a significant figure for the city or club.
Tribune of Gustave Ganu. Named after a cyclist who died during a race at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris in 1926. Designed for 22,398 spectators. Of these, 258 places are intended for people with disabilities. Also, 1,882 seats have a VIP category. The height of the stand is 43 meters, including the roof – 61 meters.
Tribune of Jean Bouin. The central stand of the stadium is named after a French athlete who died at the front during the First World War. Can accommodate 18,726 spectators, includes 3,329 VIP seats, 1,016 corporate box seats, 322 press box seats and 163 official seats. The guest sector is located here, the capacity of which can vary from 2,337 to 3,723 seats. At the same time, a separate underground entrance is provided for guest fans for security reasons.
Tribune of Patrice de Peretti. Named in memory of a club fan who died in 2000 at the age of 28 from cancer. Previously bore the name of boxer Ray Grassi. Designed for 13,106 seats, has a height of 24 meters, including the roof - 40 meters.
Tribune Chevalier Rose bears the name of the doctor who made a huge contribution to the fight against the plague epidemic in 1720. It has a capacity of 12,997 seats and is home to the Marseille fan section.
Also in front of the entrance to the Velodrome are statues of Gustave Ganou and Jean Bouin, memorial plaques dedicated to the 15 victims of the grandstand collapse at the Bastia-Olympique match on May 5, 1992, and Patrice de Peretti.
On the wall at the entrance to the club museum there are slabs with footprints of famous Marseille players in the past - Fabien Barthez, Youri Djorkaeff, Jean-Pierre Papin and others.
Location and transportation
The Velodrome is located in the southern part of Marseille, 3.5 km from its center.
You can get to the stadium using the metro - lines 1 and 2, as well as two tram and numerous bus routes.
1938 World Cup matches:
- 06/05/1938, 1/8 finals, Italy – Norway – 2:1, 19,000 spectators
- 06/16/1937, 1/2 finals, Italy – Brazil – 2:1, 33,000 spectators
EURO 1960 matches:
- 07/06/1960, 1/2 finals, Czechoslovakia - USSR - 0:3, 25,184 spectators
- 07/09/1960, match for 3rd place, Czechoslovakia - France - 2:0, 9,438 spectators
EURO 1984 matches:
- 06/17/1984, 2nd round, group “B”, Portugal – Spain – 1:1, 24,364 spectators
- 06/23/1984, 1/2 finals, France – Portugal – 3:2, 54,848 spectators
1998 World Cup matches:
- 06/12/1998, 1st round, group “C”, France – South Africa – 3:0, 55,000 spectators
- 06/15/1998, 1st round, group “G”, England – Tunisia – 2:0, 55,000 spectators
- 06/20/1998, 2nd round, group “E”, Netherlands – South Korea – 5:0, 55,000 spectators
- 06/23/1998, 3rd round, group “A”, Brazil – Norway – 1:2, 55,000 spectators
- 06/27/1998, 1/8 finals, Italy – Norway – 1:0, 55,000 spectators
- 07/04/1998, 1/4 finals, Netherlands – Argentina – 2:1, 55,000 spectators
- 07/07/1998, 1/2 finals, Brazil - Netherlands - 1:1, on penalties - 4:2, 54,000 spectators
EURO 2016 matches:
- 06/11/2016, 1st round, group “B”, England – Russia – 1:1, 62,343 spectators
- 06/15/2016, 2nd round, group “A”, France – Albania – 2:0, 63,670 spectators
- 06/18/2016, 2nd round, group “F”, Iceland – Hungary – 1:1, 60,842
- 06/21/2016, 3rd round, group “C”, Ukraine – Poland – 0:1, 58,874 spectators
- 06/30/2016, 1/4 finals, Poland – Portugal – 1:1, on penalties – 3:5, 62,940 spectators
- 07/07/2016, 1/2 finals, Germany – France – 0:2, 64,078 spectators
Stadium Velodrome- home stadium of the Olympique Marseille football club. This is the largest club stadium in France. The Velodrome hosted matches of the FIFA World Cup (1938, 1998) and the European Championship (1960, 1984) over the years. Euro 2016 will be the fifth big tournament for this stadium. The Olympique football club is one of the most titled in France; it has won the national championship 9 times. In 1993, Olympique became the first French club to win the Champions League. Olympic has been playing at the Velodrome stadium since 1937.
The size of the field is 105 by 68 meters (natural surface), the capacity of the stadium after reconstruction for Euro 2016 is 67,394 spectators.
Architecture and history of construction
The stadium was built in the 1930s and officially opened on June 13, 1937, before the 1938 home World Cup. Initially, the stadium was intended for 35,000 spectators and to host cycling competitions, which was reflected in its name (Velodrome). Subsequently, the stadium was reconstructed and expanded several times (1971, 1983, 1998 and 2014); the bicycle paths were finally abandoned in favor of additional seating during the 1983 reconstruction.
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In 1938, the stadium hosted 2 World Cup matches, including the Italy-Brazil semi-final, which ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of the future champions, the Italians. During the Second World War, the stadium was mainly used as a location for military equipment (French, German and then American). Nevertheless, several matches still took place there, in particular in 1942, 39,000 spectators were present at the match between France and Switzerland.
Following the renovation of the stadium for Euro 1984, the stadium's capacity was increased to 40,000 seats. Nevertheless, at the semi-final match between France and Portugal, the stadium was able to accommodate, according to various sources, from 55 to 59 thousand spectators. In this historic match, France won in extra time with a score of 3:2, in the 119th minute Michel Platini scored the winning goal (later France won the home European Championship).
The stadium was once again reconstructed for the 1998 World Cup (the stands were increased to 60,000 spectators). The latest renovation for Euro 2016 brought the stadium's capacity to 67,394 seats.
The stands of the stadium are named after famous residents of Marseille:
- North Stand "Patrice de Perretti" (also called Virage Depé), 13,800 spectators (dedicated to a fan who was one of the founders of the Olympique fan movement and died at the age of 28), was previously named after the Marseille boxer Ray Grassi.
- East stand "Gustave Ganay", 22,398 spectators (in honor of the famous Marseille cyclist - French champion)
- South stand "Chevalier Roze", 13,800 spectators (in honor of the nobleman Chevalier Roze, who built a hospital and saved many lives during the plague epidemic in 1720)
- West stand "Jean Bouin", 12,300 spectators (in honor of the athlete Jean Bouin, killed at the front in 1914)
Address: 3 Boulevard Michelet, 13008 Marseille, France
Phone(s): +33 4 13 64 64 64
Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille
One of the most popular sports venues in France is the Vélodrome, home of Olympique Marseille. The arena hosted events such as the World Championships in 1938 and 1998, the European Championships in 1960 and 1984. The Velodrome is a gigantic stadium and can accommodate 67,394 people.
Now this stadium is used only for football matches. Previously, the Velodrome hosted rugby competitions, as well as various music concerts. Initially, the stadium was conceived as an arena for cycling competitions, hence its name. But in the mid-80s, the bike paths were replaced with stands.
Construction of the stadium began in 1933. However, it soon became clear that construction required huge financial investments, so construction was suspended. The impetus for the resumption of construction was the opportunity to host the 1938 FIFA World Cup games at the Velodrome. And in April 1935, work on the construction of the arena began to boil again; after 26 months, the beautiful Velodrome was ready to welcome spectators.
On June 13, 1937, the arena opened. The opening ceremony was watched by 30 thousand people. They witnessed bicycle races and track and field races. The opening ended with a match between Olympic and Torino. The match ended with a score of 2:1, the owners of the new stadium won.
In 1938, the Velodrome hosted two world championship matches, including a thrilling semi-final between Italy and Brazil.
The hosting of sporting events ended during the Second World War. The stadium began to be used to park French military equipment. But even the war did not become an obstacle to holding football matches in the arena. One of the most significant was the match in 1942 between France (Vichy club) and Switzerland (national team). This match was attended by 39,000 spectators, and it ended in a loss for the French.
In 1984, during the European Football Championship, the Velodrome hosted several matches. Especially for this event, the stadium was renovated and a new surface was laid on the field. Capacity increased to 40,000 due to the removal of bike lanes. But during the legendary semi-final between France and Portugal, the arena was able to host 58,848 people who were able to watch Michel Platini put the decisive ball into the net in the 119th minute.
In 1998, on the eve of the World Cup, the arena was again faced with changes. Part of the stands was redone, the number of seats was increased to 60,000 people.
At the European Championships in 2016, the arena hosted 7 matches: 4 in the group stage - fights between England and Russia, France and Albania, Ukraine and Poland, Iceland and Hungary. In addition, the Velodrome will host the 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 final matches. The 2016 match calendar can be viewed here.
Now local residents often criticize their famous arena. They are dissatisfied with the fact that there is no canopy over the stands, very poor acoustics and many other shortcomings. Plans for reconstruction of the arena appear periodically, but none of them have been implemented yet. The last proposal was put forward in 2005. It was planned to build a roof and expand the capacity of the Velodrome to 80,000 people.
Stade Velodrome: Vœux 2016, video
