Stade de Gerland facts for kids
|
|
| Full name | Stade de Gerland |
|---|---|
| Location | 353, Avenue Jean-Jaurès, 69007 VIIè Arrondissement, Lyon, France |
| Coordinates | 45°43′26″N 4°49′56″E / 45.72389°N 4.83222°E |
| Public transit | Stade de Gerland–Le LOU |
| Owner | City of Lyon |
| Operator | Lyon OU |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
| Field size | 105 x 68 m |
| Surface | Artificial |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1914 |
| Opened | 1926 |
| Renovated | 2017 |
| Expanded | 1960, 1980, 1998 |
| Construction cost | 32.7m € (including renovations) |
| Architect | Tony Garnier René Gagis (renovation) |
| Tenants | |
| Olympique Lyonnais (1950–2015) Lyon OU (2017–present) |
|
The Stade de Gerland is a famous stadium in Lyon, France. It is also known as Matmut Stadium de Gerland for sponsorship reasons. This stadium is currently the home of the Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It can hold up to 25,000 people.
The stadium is in the Gerland area of Lyon. It used to be the home of the professional football club Olympique Lyonnais. They moved to a new stadium, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, in 2016. The local rugby club, Lyon OU, moved into Stade de Gerland in early 2017. They replaced their smaller stadium, Matmut Stadium. The stadium's seating capacity was also made smaller, from 43,000 to 25,000.
Stade de Gerland is a top-rated stadium by UEFA, which is the European football governing body. It has hosted many big sports events. These include the 1954 Rugby League World Cup, UEFA Euro 1984, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Many famous music artists have also held concerts at the stadium. These include The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and Genesis.
Contents
Building the Stadium: A Look Back
In 1910, the mayor of Lyon, Édouard Herriot, had an idea. He wanted to build a large sports stadium for the city. It would have a track for athletics and a velodrome for cycling. In 1912, the city officially approved the stadium project. A local architect named Tony Garnier was chosen to design and build it.
Construction started in 1914. The goal was to finish the stadium before the International Exhibition of 1914. However, World War I caused construction to stop. Work started again after the war ended in 1919. Many German prisoners of war helped with the building. By 1920, the stadium was ready to be used. Mayor Herriot officially opened the Stade de Gerland in 1926.
Changes Over Time
The stadium first had a cycling track. This track was later removed to add more seats. This increased the stadium's capacity to 50,000. In 1984, some smaller updates were made by architect Rene Gagis. These changes helped the stadium meet the standards for UEFA Euro 1984. This included building the Jean Bouin and Jean Jaurès stands.
More big changes were needed for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. By then, FIFA (the world football governing body) required all stadiums for international matches to have only seats. The north and south stands were completely taken down and rebuilt. The Jean Jaurès and Jean Bouin side stands stayed the same. The athletics track, which was still there even after the cycling track was removed, was also taken out. Architect Albert Constantin led these updates. After these changes, the stadium could hold 40,500 people.
From 1950 to 2015, the stadium was the home of the French football club Olympique Lyonnais. They moved to the stadium after separating from the Lyon Olympique Universitaire sports club. The highest number of fans ever at a Ligue 1 football match here was 48,552. This happened during a game between Olympique Lyonnais and Saint-Étienne in 1982.
Concerts and Events
Stade de Gerland is not just for sports. It can also host big events with many people, like music concerts. Many famous artists have performed here. These include the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, and Genesis.
Major Tournaments Hosted
Stade de Gerland has been chosen to host many important international sports tournaments.
Rugby League World Cups
The stadium was one of the places for the very first Rugby League World Cup in 1954. It hosted a group game between Great Britain and Australia. Great Britain won that match 28–13.
In 1972, France hosted the tournament again. Stade de Gerland was chosen to host the 1972 Rugby League World Cup final. This final was also between Great Britain and Australia. Great Britain won the World Cup after the game ended in a 10–10 tie, even after extra time. They won because they had finished higher in the group stage.
UEFA Euro 1984
The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 1984 football tournament. It hosted these matches:
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 June 1984 |  Denmark |
5–0 |  Yugoslavia |
Group 1 | 24,736 |
| 24 June 1984 |  Spain |
1–1 (5–4 pen.) | Denmark |
Semi-finals | 47,843 |
1998 FIFA World Cup
Stade de Gerland was also a venue for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It hosted several exciting matches:
| Date | Team #1 | Res. | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 June 1998 |  South Korea |
1–3 |  Mexico |
Group E | 39,100 |
| 15 June 1998 |  Romania |
1–0 |  Colombia |
Group G | 39,100 |
| 21 June 1998 |  United States |
1–2 |  Iran |
Group F | 39,100 |
| 24 June 1998 |  France |
2–1 | Denmark |
Group C | 39,100 |
| 26 June 1998 |  Japan |
1–2 |  Jamaica |
Group H | 39,100 |
| 4 July 1998 |  Germany |
0–3 |  Croatia |
Quarter-finals | 39,100 |
2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
The stadium was a host for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Here are the matches it held:
| Date | Team #1 | Result | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 June 2003 | France |
1–0 | Colombia |
Group A | 38,541 |
| 20 June 2003 | Colombia |
3–1 |  New Zealand |
22,811 | |
| 21 June 2003 |  Brazil |
1–0 | United States |
Group B | 20,306 |
| 23 June 2003 | United States |
0–0 |  Cameroon |
19,206 | |
| 26 June 2003 | Cameroon |
1–0 | Colombia |
Semi-finals | 12,352 |
During the semi-final match between Cameroon and Colombia on June 26, 2003, a sad event occurred. A player named Marc-Vivien Foé collapsed on the field. Doctors tried to help him right away, but he sadly passed away shortly after. Later, it was found that he had a heart condition that can cause sudden problems during exercise.
2007 Rugby World Cup
The stadium hosted three group matches in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. These included games like Australia vs Japan, Argentina vs Georgia, and New Zealand vs Portugal.
See also
- Parc de Gerland
