Velodrome is the home of the Olympic Marseille football club and is one of the twenty most visited stadiums in the world. It was originally intended to host and compete in cycling, but today it is used exclusively for football matches.

Built for the 1938 World Cup, the Velodrome stadium was opened in 1937 with a friendly game between Olympique Marseille and Italy's Turino, in which the French won. During World War II, the stadium served as a warehouse for French military equipment, and then was used by the German and American armies.

Before the 1984 European Championship, cycle paths were removed at the stadium, and already by the 98 World Cup, its capacity was significantly increased - to sixty thousand seats instead of forty. The stands of the Velodrome were named after famous residents of Marseille - the athlete Jean Boisne, the cyclist Victor Ganet, the boxer Ray Grassi and the historical figure, Chevalier Rose, who saved people during the plague epidemic in 1720.

Currently, the stadium is undergoing a grandiose reconstruction related to the holding of Euro 2016. It is planned to build a visor over the stands, increase the number of spectator seats by another 10 thousand, modern arrangement of the adjacent territory, use of renewable energy sources and a unique system for collecting rainwater.

Open: June 13, 1937
Architect: Anri Plokin
Reconstruction: 1984, 1998, 2014
Last renovation cost: € 267 million
Capacity: 67394
Club: Marseille
Euro matches: 4 in group, one match 1/4 and semi-final

Less and less days are left before the start of the European Championship, already 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 - quite a few. But speaking about the participants and the abundant number of matches, the majority forgets about the most important thing - the stadiums where all the matches of Euro 2016 will be held.

We continue the cycle of materials about all arenas of the European Championship in France and today the legendary Velodrome of Marseille is next in line. The stadium was built on the site of the abandoned Turka-Meri automobile plant in 1935-37, and if not immediately, but forever became the home for the local Olympic.

The stadium will host six matches of Euro 2016, but the Marseille Velodrome still remembers the games of the 1938 World Cup. Then two games took place in Marseille - Italy - Norway and Italy - Brazil. Moreover, they 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 took place at the Marseille stadium, including the best match of the tournament - France - Portugal. But at the 1998 World Cup, 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.

In anticipation of Euro 2016, the Velodrome has finally acquired a roof, transforming from a legendary but long outdated stadium into a modern and truly comfortable structure. In addition, the lighting was overhauled, which allowed UEFA to place the Velodrome in the five-star stadium category.

Matches to be played at Velodrome:

The Velodrome was built specifically for the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Its official opening took place on June 13, 1937, when a friendly match between the team and Turin was played on its field. It is now the home stadium of the Olympique de Marseille, which moved here from the Ivan stadium, which has become too small for the club.

The Russian national team will play at the European Football Championship 2016. Tickets for this match can already be booked.

Initially, the Velodrome had jogging and cycling paths. They gradually disappeared due to the increase in the number of stands.

The Velodrome underwent a renovation for the first time in preparation for Euro 1984, during which the stadium hosted the semi-final game between France and Portugal. In 1998, the stadium was almost completely rebuilt for the next World Cup. Its capacity increased to 60,000, but many criticized the stadium for its too small roof.

European Championship in Marseille

For the upcoming European Championship 2016, the stadium has again undergone a major reconstruction and renovation, mainly they affected the unsuccessful roof and an increase in capacity (up to 67,000). The transport infrastructure around the facility has been improved. A number of important meetings of the tournament (quarterfinals and semi-finals) will take place at the Velodrome. Today it is a very beautiful and modern stadium.

How to get there?

The stadium is located in the south, 3.5 kilometers from the city center and 1 kilometer from Saint-Charles Central Station at 3 Boulevard Michelet. The stadium can be reached by metro line 2: the Rond-Point du Prado and Sainte Marguerite Dromel stops are located on opposite sides of the stadium.

Stadium "Velodrome" in Marseille

One of the popular sports venues in France is the Velodrome, the home arena of the Olympic football club from Marseille. The arena hosted such events as: World Championships in 1938 and 1998, European Championships in 1960 and 1984. The Velodrome is a gigantic stadium that can accommodate 67,394 people.

Now this stadium is used only for football matches. Previously, the Velodrome hosted rugby competitions and various music concerts. Initially, the stadium was conceived as an arena for competitions for cyclists, hence its name. But in the mid-1980s, the cyclist paths were replaced by stands.

The construction of the stadium began in 1933. However, it soon became clear that the construction required huge financial investments, so the 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 handsome "Velodrome" was ready to receive 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, Velodrome hosted two World Champion matches, including an exciting semi-final between Italy and Brazil.

The sporting events ended during the Second World War. The stadium began to be used for parking French military equipment. But even the war did not become an obstacle to the holding of 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 to the French.

In 1984, during the European Football Championship, Velodrome was a hospitable host for several matches. Especially for this event, the stadium was updated and a new surface was laid on the field. The capacity has increased to 40,000 thanks to the removal of cycle paths. But during the legendary semifinals between France and Portugal, the arena was able to accommodate 58,848 people, who were able to watch Michel Platini put the decisive ball into the goal net in the 119th minute.

In 1998, on the eve of the World Cup, the arena was again awaiting change. Some of the stands were redesigned, the number of seats was increased to 60,000 people.

At the 2016 European Championships, 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 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 finals will be held at the Velodrome. The 2016 match calendar can be viewed here.

Now local residents often criticize their famous arena. They are unhappy with the fact that there is no visor over the stands, very weak acoustics and many more flaws. Plans for the reconstruction of the arena appear periodically, but so far none of them has been implemented. The last proposal was put forward in 2005. The plan was to build a roof and expand the Velodrome's capacity to 80,000 people.

Velodrome Stadium: Vœux 2016, video

The history of the world famous French stadium "Velodrome" begins in the late thirties of the twentieth century.

It was then that its construction was completed, timed to coincide with the start of the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Official opening, however, took place somewhat earlier - on June 13, 1937. On that day, teams from Olympique Marseille and Torino Turin entered the field. It is worth noting that it was Olimpik that some time later became the full-fledged owner of this arena.

The stadium is located in the south of Marseille, about three kilometers from the city center. Throughout its history, the stadium has changed quite often. Until 1980, the Velodrome was used not only as a football stadium, but also as a venue for all kinds of competitions in cycling, athletics and rugby. The Velodrome was originally designed in the shape of a bowl, and its two main stands were under a canopy. Its appearance did not change until the eighties, when after its major reconstruction associated with the holding of Euro 1984, the running and cycling paths had to be removed, and the stadium lost its former versatility.

The next reconstruction was awaiting Velodrome fourteen years later, when the stadium was actually completely rebuilt to host the next world championship. Its capacity has increased to sixty thousand seats. However, the acoustics were still very poor, and the roof was very small and this caused massive discontent. The "Velodrome" is also suitable for Euro-2016. The work lasted for three years - from 2011 to 2014. All efforts were mainly aimed at modernizing the previously unsuccessful roof (now it has become undulating, and its area is 65,000 square meters), as well as another increase in the stadium's capacity. Now "Velodrome" is ready to host sixty-seven thousand spectators. The entire infrastructure around the stadium has been improved especially for the upcoming European championship, since the issue of transport interchange at Euro will, as always, be very acute. Moreover, spectators in the stadium can now not be afraid of rain, since the updated roof will be able to protect well from bad weather.

The grand opening of the renovated Velodrome took place on October 16, 2014.
Today the Velodrome is the home stadium of Olympique Marseille, which moved here quite a long time ago from a stadium called Ivan, which seemed to the bosses of the French club not large enough and roomy enough.
The history of "Velodrome" is quite rich and eventful, because this stadium began to host major sports championships (football and not only) since 1938. It was then that the first round and semi-final matches of the FIFA World Cup were played at the Velodrome, where the Italians beat the Brazilians with a score of 2: 1. After that, the "Velodrome" has repeatedly become an arena where matches of the two most popular and large-scale football tournaments were held. It was a platform for the Euro in 1960 and 1984. It is interesting that in 84 it was at the Velodrome that the legendary semi-final between France and Portugal was held, where Michel Platini scored the winning goal in the penultimate minute of the extra half.
In 1998, when France hosted the second World Cup, the Marseille stadium hosted many more matches - seven. Four group stage matches, one 1/8 match, one 1/4 match and a semi-final.
It is already known that the new, modernized Velodrome will host meetings of the group stage (one of them with the participation of the French national team), the quarterfinals and semi-finals of Euro 2016.
It is curious that the four stands of the stadium are named after the honorary residents of Marseille. One - in honor of the athlete Jean Bois, who died during the First World War. Another (by the way, the largest one, which can accommodate twenty thousand spectators) is named after a cyclist (his name is Victor Ganu), who died during a race at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The north stand is named after the famous boxer ("Ray Grassi"), while the south stand is commemorated by Chevalier Rose, the doctor who saved lives during the plague epidemic of 1720.