Stade Vélodrome

• Olympique Marseille

• Football World Cup 1938
• Rugby League World Cup 1954
• European Football Championship 1960
• Rugby League World Cup 1972
• Rugby League World Cup 1975
• European Football Championship 1984
• Football World Cup 1998
• Rugby Union World Cup 2007
• European Football Championship 2016

The Stade Vélodrome is a currently under renovation befindliches stadium in Marseille, France, and until then had a capacity of 60 301 spectators. During the 2013/14 season the stadium for 48,000 visitors is approved before it completed to provide 67,000 places. This makes it the largest stadium in France, where a club plays. Even bigger is the French national stadium, Stade de France in Saint- Denis. The Stade Vélodrome is part of the city of Marseille and is home to the football players of Olympique Marseille. It is also still a venue for the French national rugby team and was the venue for the Football World Cup in 1998 and the Rugby Union World Cup 2007. Moreover, the stadium venue was at the World Championships in 1954, 1972 and 1975 Rugby League.

History

The original stadium with 30,000 seats was built for the World Cup in 1938 and inaugurated on 13 June 1937. For the 1998 World Cup, the stadium was renovated and expanded to its present size. Although the eponymous velodrome was demolished between stands and pitch in the course of this remodeling, its traditional name was retained.

In December 2005, a model for a further expansion of capacity was introduced at 80,000 spectators by the mayor of Marseilles. These plans came under severe criticism but in the population, as the construction costs were considered too high. Because of this criticism and unsecured financing the plans were stopped. In the Champions League match against Marseille Liverpool on December 11, 2007 was the Stade Vélodrome first completely sold out ( 60,031 spectators ); until then was the record at 58 897 from the year 2004.

Expansion to European Championship 2016

For the European Football Championship 2016, the Stade Vélodrome to be reconsidered and expanded to 67,000 seats. The construction was started in March 2011, the completion of the stadium is scheduled for the summer of 2014. In addition to 2016 a new " coat development " are built with a shopping center.

In summer 2009, the city council majority agreed, despite considerable concerns a contract, according to which it should be in the form of a public-private partnership between Marseille and a consortium called Arema, which consists of the construction company GFC Construction ( a subsidiary of Bouygues ), Eiffage and Vinci composed and part of the funding - at this time the total cost was estimated at 120 to 160 million euro - provides to the heavily indebted city would not have been able alone. However, had turned out in 2010 that the total cost would actually amount to 267.5 million euros; which the public authorities have to raise (from the French government about the different regional authorities to the municipality ) 135 million plus the estimated at about 30 million euros waiver of building permit fees, Arema, however, only about 100 million euros. The reasons of cost explosion, the condition was that the conversion must take place during running game operation by Olympique Marseille, called the desire for an additional adjacent, small stadium, and also originally not scheduled consideration of earthquake-resistant construction.

Considering that Arema occurs financially for the cost of construction in template, the consortium receives from 2013 to 2044 23.5 million euros a year, a total of almost 730 million euros from the sale of naming rights, the entrance fees of various events, as well - it intends at least the city government - from the main tenant Olympique Marseille; would then have the clammy municipality to pay anything. For the club, this would mean completion of the stadium from an annual rental payment of 8 million euros, thus more than five times as much as before ( 1.5 million euros per year). To this end, the association, which was not involved in the drafting of contracts in advance, not ready. He also points out that he has to accept a massive drop in revenue from admissions during the reconstruction phase: , the mean number of audience at point games in the 2010/11 season still around 51,000 visitors, it is in the 2012/13 season to just over 33,000 declined. Over the three-year construction phase extrapolated, this corresponds to a revenue decline of around 30 million euros net of 4.35 million, which saves Olympique because it has to pay during which only symbolic 50,000 euros per year rent to the city.

Gallery

The Stade Vélodrome in April 2013

Exterior in August 2013