The Stade de France football stadium is considered the largest in France, it is a national sports heritage and pride. Here the French football team arranges its most important matches. Rugby matches are held at the same stadium. This multifunctional arena is located in Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of the French capital. In terms of capacity, this stadium ranks sixth on the European continent: it can accommodate more than 81,000 spectators.
History of the world famous stadium
The Stade de France was built in 1998. Its construction was timed to coincide with the World Cup. There is another arena in Paris - the Parc des Princes, but it is supposed to accept no more than 50 thousand guests. Therefore, it was decided to build a sports complex that would be able to accommodate 80 thousand or more people.
The construction of the Stade de France (Paris) began in 1995 - three years before the cherished date. It lasted over 30 months. At the end of January 1998, the grand opening of the arena took place. On thethe opening ceremony, journalists, fans, athletes and top officials of France saw that the country received an excellently equipped sports complex, which can also be a world-class concert venue.
The opening of the stadium "Stade de France" was accompanied by a friendly match between the national teams of Spain and France. It was during it that the only legendary goal in the match was scored by Zinedine Zidane. During the 1998 World Cup, the arena hosted nine matches, in addition, a couple of Champions League finals were held here. The 2016 European Football Championship was also held at this stadium.
Construction of the arena
In the vicinity of Paris it was extremely difficult to find a place to build an arena, so the stadium "Stade de France" was decided to build in the suburbs of the metropolis. It was originally planned to place the complex in Melun Senar, but the organizers of the World Cup received many complaints that it would be too far away. And so the decision was made to build a future landmark in the burial place of the French kings - in Saint-Denis.
On the territory of abandoned gas developments, construction work has begun on the construction of the stadium. Several French architects became the ideologists of the arena project. Their names are known to many. These are Rejambal Michel, Claude Constantine, Michel Macari and Eymeric Zublen. The design of the complex is influenced by the Roman Colosseum.
The designers did everything in such a way that, if necessary, one of the stands of the stadium can be dismantled. This is needed whenit is necessary to make room for the arrangement of running tracks and athletics sectors. The lower rows of stands in the arena are movable and can be easily removed. The stadium will have a capacity of 70,000 spectators. The architects also provided a collapsible roof over the stadium, which protects athletes and fans from various weather phenomena.
The stadium cost €285 million to build.
Interesting facts about the stadium
The Stade de France is the only arena on the planet that has hosted the Rugby and Football World Cups.
On May 9, 2009, a record attendance of the complex was recorded. Then the final of the French Cup between the teams "Guingamp" and "Rennes" took place. The game was watched by 80,056 fans.
Despite the fact that the stadium is located in the suburbs of Paris, it is very easy to get to it. Highways and a couple of metro stations are located nearby. Buses and trains also run here from the capital.
The stadium field is located 11 meters below ground level.
Stadium as a landmark
The Stade de France has already become a landmark, so excursions are regularly organized here. During a short trip, tourists can visit the presidential box, visit the locker rooms, where world sports stars change clothes before tournaments. Also, visitors have the opportunity to walk through the players' tunnel and visit the museum dedicated to the construction of the stadium and famous sportsworld championship events. The whole tour takes approximately one hour, and then tourists are allowed to walk around the museum for another half an hour.
From September 1st to March 31st, on all days except Mondays, sightseeing tours to the Stade de France arena are held. Tours are conducted in English, and you will have to pay 15 € for a ticket. Tourists are not allowed to come on excursions only one day before the upcoming sporting event and the next day after it.
If there was no football
Where the Stade de France is located, the reader already knows, but the question remains open about what happens in the stadium when there are no football matches. After all, they are arranged here infrequently. So, in the arena, motocross races of champions were once held. In 2003, the complex was the site for the World Championships in Athletics.
From time to time, the main Parisian rugby club holds home matches in the arena. A variety of show programs and concerts are also held at this stadium. Many pop stars performed here, including Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Mylene Farmer, U2 and others.
