Top facts about Stade Velodrome, the French FIFA World Cup venue

The Stade Velodrome, also known as the Orange Velodrome because of its sponsorship, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France.

It has been the home of the

football team Olympique de Marseille since 1937, and it has hosted the 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups, as well as 1960, 1984, and 2016 UEFA European Championships, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It periodically hosts the Top 14 rugby team RC Toulon. With a capacity of 67,394 people, it is France's largest club football stadium.

The stadium is also used by the France national rugby union team on a regular basis.

Before the renovations, the Stade Velodrome had a record attendance of 58,897 for a club game (for a UEFA Cup semi-final against

in 2004). Since its enlargement to 67,394, the stadium's record attendance is now 65,421 for a match against rivals Olympique Lyonnais on November 10, 2019. The inaugural match was played in 1937 between Marseille and Torino.

In the early 2000s, the French rugby union team began an amazing run of victories at the stadium. In November 2000, they overcame New Zealand 42–33, and in 2001, they defeated Australia by one point.

In 2002, they defeated South Africa, and in 2003, they defeated England. Their luck ran out in 2004, as they were defeated 14–24 by Argentina. In November 2009, France played a match versus New Zealand at the site. The stadium held its maiden Six Nations match in 2018 when France took on Italy.

A trip into top facts about Stade Velodrome, the French FIFA World Cup venue

We have tracked down the origin of this field will talk about it in this section of top facts about Stade Velodrome.

The architectural firm Pollack Ploquin was selected to design a stadium in Marseille in 1935. The stadium was created by Henri Ploquin (who also designed the Stade Municipal Louis Darragon with Charles Bouhana in 1932).

Only the Stade Vélodrome was completed due to financial constraints. Marseille Mayor Ribot laid the foundation stone for the Vélodrome on 28 April 1935, on military grounds owned by the city, between downtown and the suburbs of St. Giniez and Sainte-Marguerite.

The Stade Vélodrome first opened its doors on June 13, 1937, with a friendly match between Olympique Marseille and

(which ended 2-1 to Olympique Marseille). A match between OM and Cannes took place on August 29, 1937 (the second day of the French national football championship). This was the stadium's first official match.

One of the interesting top facts about Stade Vélodrome is that it was originally built to host cycling contests, but as these events grew less popular, the track that surrounded the stadium was replaced with seating.

The Stade Vélodrome has long been considered the "stadium of the City Council" by Olympique de Marseille. Between the wars, the main home of the Olympians was Stade de l'Huveaune, which was owned by Olympique de Marseille and partly funded by fans in the early 1920s. Marseille, on the other hand, no longer owned the Huveaune Stadium after WWII.

Chairman Marcel Leclerc had OM play at Huveaune from 1945 until 1960 in order to gain support from the city. The City Council eventually gave up, and the Olympique de Marseille relocated to the Vélodrome.

Early development

Velodrome was subjected to change throughout the years and the development of the stadium transformed it into what it is now. Let us talk about it in this section of

top facts about Stade Velodrome

.

The early changes to the Vélodrome occurred in 1970 when the floodlights on the Ganay and Jean-Bouin tribunes were replaced by four 60-meter towers for nighttime events.

With the demolition of the cinder running track and the shortening of the cycle track, the stadium's capacity was boosted by roughly 6000 seats in March 1971. This increased the stadium's total capacity to 55,000 spectators, including the standing section.

Because the Stade Vélodrome was under construction in preparation for the UEFA Euro 1984, Olympique returned to the Stade de l'Huveaune for the 1982–1983 season.

During this time, the playing surface was totally replaced. With 54,848 people, the semifinal between France and Portugal set a new record for attendance at an international competition. The stadium's capacity was later lowered to 42,000 after lodges were built.

When Bernard Tapie was elected president of OM in 1985, the cycling track was demolished completely. He elected to dismantle it and reorganize the stadium's corners, increasing the stadium's capacity to 48,000.

Vélodrome's status as a multi-use facility came to an end with this makeover. With the construction of the Palais des Sports adjacent and the creation of the second line of the metro, which served the stadium from two stations, the region surrounding the stadium was also altered.

Stade Velodrome recent changes

The Stade Vélodrome expanded its seating capacity in 2014 (in preparation for France's hosting of the

) and continues to host Olympique de Marseille games. It used to contain 60,031 people, but after renovations, it can now hold 67,000 people, including 7,000 VIP seats.

The project cost €267 million to complete. The French proposal to host Euro 2016 included the expansion and modernization of equipment. In addition, Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin's proposal included the formation of a new neighborhood.

has doubled the stadium's capacity and added a roof to meet UEFA requirements. The project also features several greeting spaces and media space, as well as improved accessibility and seats for the impaired. On October 16, 2014, the new stadium was officially opened.

The Ganay Esplanade has been restored and conserved. The RTM parking lot has been demolished and replaced by office buildings and residences. A larger underground parking garage is available to RTM customers. A new-neighborhood HQE is aided by trees and wind turbines (high environmental quality).

The total project cost is estimated to be €267 million, with €150 million going to the stadium and the rest going to the surrounding shopping mall, hotel, and housing.

The private sector will cover two-thirds of the cost, with the remaining 20 million euros split between the region, the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, MPM, and the city of Marseille.

The French government helped to improve the infrastructure in the area. The mayor chose the contract of partnership arrangements incorporated in a PPP after various research (public-private partnership).

Stade Velodrome structure

The pitch of the Vélodrome stadium has been encircled by four stands that are not connected to each other since the last remodeling in the late 1990s; another interesting fact of

top facts about Stade Velodrome

is that the field is impossible to enter the field from the stands.

The playing field measures around 106 meters in length and 65 meters in width, with a few meters of space on either side. From the 1998 refurbishment until the 2012-2014 renovation, a pit divides the bleachers from the lawn.

The turf is not heated because the Mediterranean climate does not require it; in fact, summer is the most difficult season for the Vélodrome stadium's gardeners. Arema was selected to retrofit the Vélodrome stadium with AirFibr hybrid grass technology in June 2014 to improve the turf's resistance and user safety.

Primary stand

The primary stand of the Vélodrome stadium is the Jean-Bouin stand, which faces the Ganay stand. It was the enclosure's only covered stand from 1998 to 2013, and it houses the presidential stand and boxes, which are dedicated to particular for the greeting of VIPs attending meetings.

On this side of the stadium, there is also a press box. The Jean Bouin stand is the least visible on television because television cameras are also stationed there.

The television studios are located at the grandstand's southern end. The benches have been converted into armchairs and are located in the center of the Jean Bouin stand, at a lower level than the field. The administration offices, lounges, catering offices, the Olympique de Marseille museum shop, and the command and security post are all located within the structure.

The sports changing facilities, referees' quarters, anti-doping facility, FIFA offices, press access, conference room, technical rooms, television studios, and even the players' infirmary are all located beneath the grandstand.

With a capacity of slightly over 16,000 people, this grandstand is named after a long-distance runner from Marseille, who won a silver medal in the 5,000 m at the 1912 Summer Olympics. The grandstand was dismantled in April 2013 for a complete refurbishment as part of the Vélodrome's renovation.

Other stands

What about the other 3 stands? Well, we did not forget about them and here in this section of top facts about Stade Velodrome, information about these stands has been provided.

With 22,398 seats available, the Gustave-Ganay stand is the stand in the stadium that can contain the most fans. It is named for a Marseille cyclist who was the French middle-distance champion. In the bottom section of the stand, there is a 258-seat section allocated for disabled supporters. It is also the stadium's highest stand, reaching a height of 27 meters from 1998 until 2013.

On April 5, 2013, the new Ganay stand, which was built in preparation for Euro 2016, was inaugurated. It reaches a height of 43 meters, with a 61-meter-high roof. This grandstand has refreshments, lounges, and 1,882 VIP seats.

The Patrice de Peretti North bend, also known as the Depé bend, is named for an iconic supporter of Olympique de Marseille who died at the age of 28.

He was the founder of the supporters' organisation MTP (Marseille Trop Puissant). The turn was previously called after Ray-Grassi, a boxer from Marseille. There are roughly 13,800 parking places on the bend. There are supplementary changing rooms, an infirmary, and free premises beneath the curve.

The South bend, also known as the Chevalier-Roze South bend, has nearly the same number of spaces as the North bend (13,800 spaces 51) and is built in the same style. During the plague outbreak in Marseilles in 1720, this bend was named for a nobleman who distinguished himself by removing the city's corpses, managing the city's supply, and establishing a hospital.

Stade Velodrome other uses

Besides football events, this stadium also has been used for concerts and other non-sport events about which we would talk in this section of top facts about Stade Velodrome.

The Vélodrome has held concerts since the 1980s. Julio Iglesias (1983), Joan Baez (1984), Metallica (1984), Pink Floyd (1989), The Rolling Stones (1990, 2003, and 2018), U2 (1993), Johnny Hallyday (2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009), Luciano Pavarotti (2002), The Police (2008), AC/DC (2009 and 2016), Paul McCartney (2015), Céline Dion (2017), Soprano (2017 and 2019), or Muse (2019) were among the artists Following the breakdown of one of the four winches used to hoist the stage construction, its 60-tonne roof crashed, crushing one of the cranes and killing two people and injuring ten others on July 16, 2009, during preparations for a Madonna concert.

In the 1950s, the stadium hosted concerts such as Holiday on Ice.

The Vélodrome has also hosted political gatherings, including that of socialist Georges Marchais on April 11, 1981, and National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen on April 17, 1988.

Since then, Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin has refused to utilize the Vélodrome stadium for political purposes, stating that it "must remain a site of consensus, a place for sport, culture, celebration, and the togetherness of all populations."

Thousands of Marseille schoolchildren assemble at the Vélodrome at the end of each year for the traditional school festival, which is a show put on by students and planned during the school year. The Vélodrome stadium will host a political event on October 15, 2020. On France 2, you get the floor to speak about the Covid-19 pandemic in France.

The Vélodrome is also used for movie and music video shoots. A scene from the film Stillwater is shot at the Vélodrome during a match between OM and Lyon in 2019; a scene from Taxi 4 with Djibril Cissé is also shot there.

In Marseille, Mano Negra shot the films for Santa Maradona (1994), Halla, Halla by Soprano in 2007, and even Organized Band in 2020.

Stade Velodrome transportation

For this last section of top facts about Stade Velodrome, we will talk about the location of this field and the transportation means that would assist the fans in getting to the stadium.

The stadium is located four kilometers from Marseille's Old Port, in the Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Giniez neighborhoods in the city's southern portion.

It is bordered on the south by the Huveaune River and on the north by the Parc Chanot and the headquarters of France 3 Provence-Alpes, a regional public television station. The Boulevard Michelet runs to the west, and the Marseille Palais des Sports and the Delort stadium are to the east.

The Vélodrome is served by the Régie des transports de Marseille's bus and metro networks. Aside from various bus routes in the region, the stadium is near two Marseille Metro line 2 stations.

The Ganay and North stands are served by the Sainte-Marguerite Dromel station, while the South stand and the Jean-Bouin stand are served by the Rond-Point du Prado station. On matchdays, this route, which also serves the Marseille Saint-Charles train station, gets extra trains. The Vélodrome is thirty kilometers from Marseille Provence Airport.

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top facts about Stade Velodrome

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