Continuing our look at the homes of French football, Ligue1.com takes you to the Orange Vélodrome, the architecturally stunning home of Olympique de Marseille.
When the stadium is packed to it's 67,000 capacity it produces an unrivalled atmosphere. It also boasts an unrivalled setting, From Boulevard Michelet you can reach the Plage du Prado beach on the Mediterranean coast in under half an hour on foot. Matchdays are something to behold as noisy OM fans throng the streets, providing wonderful pre-match atmosphere as they fill the restaurants and bars located close to the ground. As a city with one major club, OM is the focal point of an entire city and everybody you meet will be up to date with the latest club news.
It's a stadium with a famous history and OM have played there since it was inaugurated in 1937 when it had a capacity of 35,000. From the start it welcomed cycling events hence the Vélodrome appellation. The stadium was used for many sports but football remained its primary purpose and in 1938 Italy beat Brazil 2-1 there in the World Cup semi-final.
After the war OM shared the ground with the city's rugby league team, while the likes of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, the stars of Formula 1 and the Tour de France graced the stadium in the 1950s. In 1970 floodlights were installed and the following year the capacity was increased to 55,000.
With France hosting EURO 1984 work took place on the stadium meaning OM played at Stade de l'Huveaune during the 1982-1983 season. France beat Portugal 3-2 after extra-time in a thrilling semi-final on their way to lifting the title on home soil. Player of the tournament Michel Platini scored a dramatic 119th minute winner to delight the overwhelming majority in a 54,848 crowd.
When Bernard Tapie became president in 1985 he decided to build over the unused cycling track, ending the multi-purpose nature of the stadium, even if the Vélodrome did play host to matches during the 2007 rugby union World Cup and Toulon rugby club have played home games there. With France again hosting a major tournament, the 1998 World Cup, the Vélodrome was redeveloped again, with the new capacity 60,000. The record attendance in that configuration in the roofless stadium was 58,897 as Didier Drogba inspired OM to the UEFA Cup final in 2004 at the expense of English club Newcastle United.
As EURO 2016 was looming, modernisation was again required and what emerged was the remarkable current stadium with the first game played in the completed venue being a 2-0 home loss to Montpellier at the start of the 2014-2015 season. Again the Vélodrome proved to be France's lucky ground as Antoine Griezmann starred in the EURO 2016 semi-final victory over Germany.
Also used for major concerts, the Vélodrome is firmly anchored in popular culture with its renown spreading well beyond the Marseille region and, indeed, France. The stadium is the real star of the Netflix series Marseille, featuring Gérard Depardieu and it remains the must-visit venue in French football.
