FRANCE - Stadium and Arena Development News

[antigr12]

AS ( association sportive = sport association ) nancy lorraine ( asnl ) , not fc nancy .

[Neda Say]

I do like Parc des Prince better than SDF which is really cold from an atmosphere point of view. it's ok looking with the blue and read seats. Besides PSG fans are a shame and they don't deserve a better stadium... Sorry to say that but it's true. A few upgrades like adding two thousands seats near the pitch should do. They also need new reception areas and luxury suites and that's it. Tear the Parc des Prince down is almost impossible anyway as it's right above the péripherique... They might need a roof too, but it's way to pricey... The one stadium which is really likely to be destroyed in Paris is Charletty

[Mekky II]

Parc des Princes architect is the one that did the Olympic Stadium of Montréal, the stadium has an architectural value and also a relationship value between France and Quebec

25000 seats for Le Mans :

[Neda Say]

Paris SG new ownership is planning to improve seating capacities to +/- 54000 by lowering the pitch. Hey here is an idea.

[Breakwood]

Originally Posted by Neda Say

Paris SG new ownership is planning to improve seating capacities to +/- 54000 by lowering the pitch. Hey here is an idea.

Maybe PSG's new owners should worry about the Tigris and Boulogne killing each other first. Then once they fix that problem then they can worry about expanding

[BobDaBuilder]

Have to say I was really impressed with Monaco's Prince Louis stadium just down the hill from the Palace.

It blends in well with the neighbourhood and looks superb inside as well.

[Vilak]

I really think, with the one exception of the SDF, that the stadium expansion in France for the 98 world cup are far below average.

Ok, you probably know that I hate the SDf but I admit it is the big and beautiful stadium and we needed it.

Pris will never move of Prac des prince because they are home? like marseille is home in the veoldrome.
Both team coul very expand the capacity and lift the beauty of their stadium but will never move out.

I'm starting to be a little bit lost with Lyon.
First of all, 2/3 yeas ago, JM Aulas (lyon president and owner) wanted a 70.000 seats stadium. A year ago he pushed for a 60.000 one and from what i've heard on TV, it's seems that he would now be happy with a 55.000 one.
I'm really asking what he really want.
If lyon end up with a beautiful but expansive 45/50.000 stadium, it will be a lot of money spent for nothing because the only thing Lyon needs with the stadium is to improve the capacity by 15/20/25.000.
I thing 60.000 is the least we can accept.

For nice I agree that they should go directly to the second step of 40.000 instead of building a 32.000 with a stand unfinished that could fill 8.000 more people.

I hope Lens will also upgrade the look of its stadium because expansion of the capacity is not urgent.

And to conclude, I would say that Lille doesn't need a 50.000 stadium, even if I hope they will build it.

Lille is all about claude PUEL's magic and not a team that could be on top on the long term.

[antigr12]

true for lyon , aulas wants to finish with a new 35000 seats stadium with a giant shopping mall , that's good for him , not for the fans whom he does not care at all .

[Jack Rabbit Slim]

Good to see France is finally doing something about its stadium situation, but realisticly, it will be many many years before the French league is up to the standard of the English, Spanish or German!

[Breakwood]

Originally Posted by Jack Rabbit Slim

Good to see France is finally doing something about its stadium situation, but realisticly, it will be many many years before the French league is up to the standard of the English, Spanish or German!

I believe that French football is allready on par with Germany. With Lyon dominating the League, it will force the other clubs to improve, and in a couple years the French League will have passed Gemany, In my opinion.

[Neda Say]

Lyon new stadium will receive final approval before june 1st... the stadium will be a 55 to 60000 seats likely in venissieux or near Lyon international airport.
Lyon just annonced a big sponsoring contract with a major french firm for 45 millions euros over the next five years ... Which is a good 9 millions per year the total value of the OL jersey is now reaching around 15 million a year... The idea for Lyon is to have an hotel in the stadium the way Chelsea does and probably be surrounded by a mall.

Paris new ownership should annonce their plan regarding improvement for Parc des Prince before the next season starts. It is likely to be a 52000 seater with luxury suite improvement plan. Lens do have a plan to rebuild their oldest grand stand that would get them very close to a 50000+ configuration but they are in no hurry since they are now trying to rebuild a competitive team first.

I disagree with Vilak I think lille deserve a 50000 seater... if it could be like a mini stade de france with a retractable athletic track it would be great for both football and the track and field meating.

[Vilak]

Maybe Neda SAy... maybe.
Wathever they deserve it or not, i'm a little bit lost with this so much anticipated stadium. When? how big? where. Those questions need to be aswered now, not in few years when claude puel will be back in monaco.

I've heard in another topic that french can't bare themselve to build beautiful stadium. That's true for the big stadium like SDF, marseille, parc des prince and all the future stadium taht are going to be erected but frankly, the lens stadium, as well as other needs a real lifting.

Lens deserve a big stadium but i don't think they have the money to improve Bollaert.

I think the parc des prince could add between 3000/5000 places in reconstructing the two "behind the goal" stands and advancing them by 20 meters (a la nou camp).

[Zaqattaq]

I find Ligue 1 very enjoyable, I watch ever Sunday afternoon

[Jutcho]

Originally Posted by Neda Say

The one stadium which is really likely to be destroyed in Paris is Charletty

Why would they destroy Charletty??!! Paris is already lacking of decent stadiums and Charlety, by its size, is the third biggest stadium of Paris (20,000). Besides, it has just been refurbished recently.

[Neda Say]

Never said they were going to do it. I said it is the most likely... Charletty is not used except for the final of the French Championship of American football. A few years ago it welcomed track and field meetings and a dozen event a year now it is almost useless... I love Charletty, the design is great the seating is good but the Stade Français (Paris rugby team) just turn it down as future home... Besides it will not be Paris third stadium Stade Jean Bouin (Parc des Prince little brother is going to have an "extreme make over" to reach 20-22000 seats. So four stadiums above 20000... It would be ok in the UK cause you'd have a Paris fc in french ligue 2 but Paris fc is actually playing in 5th division.

Vilak: Parc des Prince could have 8000 additionals seats by setting the pitch 70 centimeter than it actually is, according to the architect ; the sidelines and the stands behing the goals would be restructured

[Vilak]

Never though it would go so far as 8000 Neda Say.

Great info thank you.

[titou]

Originally Posted by Neda Say

Parc des Prince could have 8000 additionals seats by setting the pitch 70 centimeter than it actually is, according to the architect ; the sidelines and the stands behing the goals would be restructured

Really?

How can they do it? Such a gain seems a little too much.

[mauritius gunner]

French football is a vastly untapped sport with huge potential.
Just kick out the yobs and market it to the public the same as the premiership has brought success to England.
The fat that this league can draw players from throughout the Francophonie world makes for fantastic football.
If I was a wealthy businessman, I'd by a french club like Nantes or Bordeaux and develop it beyond imagination, take Arsene Wenger as appointed Chairman with Robert Pires as player-coach

[Neda Say]

for the parc des prince I belived that they could do only 4000 seats but the plan is actually really clever.
First you take the pitch off then you dig the ground about 1 meter deep all around the pitch.Then you get the new pitch to stand on a 30 centimeter ground layer, the stand standing directly on the new ground. you get an old trafford configuration the sidelines seats are going to be very very close to the action just like in Highbury.

[Anthony]

Paris
80000 Stade de France
54000 Parc des Princes - PSG - expansion

Lyon
65000 New OL Stadium - OL - new
42000 Gerland - LOU (rugby club)

Marseille
80000 Stade Vélodrome - expansion

Lille
60000 New LOSC Stadium - LOSC - new
25000 Villeneuve d'asques

Bordeaux
35000 Chaban Delmas - maybe a new stadium

Nice
33000 Stade du Ray - new

Lens
50000 Stade Bolleart - expansion

Nantes
38000 La Beaujoire

Other cities :
Le Mans 25000 - new
Troyes 25000
Rennes 30000
Strasbourg 30000
Nancy 20000
Metz 25000
Auxerre 20000
Grenoble 20000 - new (+ 10000 - expansion)
Valenciennes 23000 - new
Amiens 20000 - expansion
Toulouse 35000
Saint-Etienne 35000 - maybe a new expansion