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| 1. Tribune Jean Bouin -12,000 places 2. Virage Sud -14,000 places 3. Tribune Ganay -20,000 places 4. Virage Nord -14,000 places 5. Handicapped Places -258 places 6. Balcony -1,800 places (Mass Media) | 7. Executive Boxes 8. Official Saloon 9. VIP Public Hall 10.Mats d'eclairage 11.Locaux Spectacles 12.Changing Rooms 13.Organization Offices 14.TV Studio, Press Conference 15.Panneaux d'affichages |
The Stade Velodrome History
The Stade Vélodrome was constructed for the 1938 World Cup.
30,000 people attended the opening ceremony of the ground on June 13th 1937.
The Petit Marseillais said "At last Marseille has a worthy stadium."
Rebuilding work started in 1996 and the ground was ready to host seven
matches in France's second World Cup, sixty years later.
Since its opening in 1937, the Vélodrome has hosted all OM's important matches,
including such famous encounters as OM v Ajax Amsterdam in 1971 which had the then record attendance of over 55,000,
OM v Benfica in 1990 and OM v AC Milan in 1991.
However, not all of OM's matches have been played at the Vélodrome, nor have the Olympiens been the only
tenants of the famous stadium. During the 1980s, OM were forced to play several games at the Stade de l'Huveaune,
and other sports including boxing, athletics, rugby, bowling and cycling have taken place at the velodrome, as well as childrens'
events and concerts (notably Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones).
The Vélodrome was chosen to host one of the semi-finals in the 1984 European Championships in France.
Thanks to an overhaul, the ground hosted 54,848 spectators for France's 3-2 victory over Portugal. That was the last time the
Marseille public witnessed their national side playing at the Velodrome until 1998 when France again hosted the World Cup.
Work had started on the renovation in 1996, and the finished article holds 60,000 fans - the largest capacity
in France except for the national stadium. Lesser work had already been carried out, including the removal of the cycling circuit
and the installation of seats in certain parts of the stadium.
The Stands
The Vélodrome's stands are named after famous Marseille citizens. The Jean Bouin Stand honours the athlete Jean Bouin, killed on the Front in September 1914. The Victor Ganay Stand is named after the cyclist who died during a race at Paris's Parc des Princes in 1926. The Virage Nord is also known as the Virage Ray Grassi, named after a boxer and the Virage Sud honours the memory of the Chevalier Roze, who saved many people's lives in the Great Plague of 1720.