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Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is a multi-use stadium in Saint-Étienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the 1984 European Football Championship, the Football World Cup 1998 and the Confederations Cup 2003. It is also used for rugby union, and will be a venue at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is nicknamed "le Chaudron" (the Cauldron), or "l'enfer vert" (the Green Hell), an allusion to the colours worn by the local football team, the AS Saint-Étienne, given during the team's heyday of the 1960s and 1970s when spectators were very numerous (the peak was reached in 1985 with more than 47,000 spectators).
The stadium opened on September 13, 1931, and AS Saint-Étienne's first match there took place on September 17 against FAC Nice. The stadium was named after Geoffroy Guichard, founder of the Casino retail group, who purchased the site on which it was built.
[edit] Description
The stadium was built in 1931 and is able to hold 35,616 people. It is built in the "English style", meaning that there are no corner stands. The four stands are named:
- Charles Paret : 8541 seats
- Jean Snella : 8767 seats
- Pierre Faurand : ±7500 seats, including 18 boxes and 1200 VIP seats
- Henri Point : 10315 seats, including 1200 for away fans
The stadium has been renovated at several points during its history. The biggest renovations came in 1984 (for the European Football Championships) and in 1998 (for the World Cup). The stadium's capacity over time has been as follows:
- 1800 (1931)
- 5000 (1935)
- 15000 (1938)
- 25000 (1957)
- 39570 (1968)
- 48274 (including 22200 seated) (1984)
- 35616 (all seated) (1998)
[edit] References
- ^ www.asse.fr
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 45°27′38.76″N, 4°23′24.42″E
