Parc des Princes

The Parc des Princes (French pronunciation: ​[paʁk de pʁɛ̃s], literally "Princes’ Park" in English) is an all-seater football stadium in Paris, France.[1] The venue is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, in the immediate vicinity of the Stade Jean-Bouin (rugby venue) and within walking distance from the Stade Roland Garros (tennis venue).[1][2]

Parc des Princes
UEFA
Location24, Rue du Commandant-Guilbaud
75016 Paris, Île-de-France, France
Coordinates48°50′29″N 2°15′11″E
Public transit Porte de Saint-Cloud
OwnerParis City Council
OperatorParis Saint-Germain
Capacity47,929
Record attendance50,370 (Rugby: France vs Wales, 18 February 1989)
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrassMaster by Tarkett Sports
Construction
Built1967 (current)
Opened25 May 1972 (1972-05-25)
Renovated1997–1998, 2014–2016
Construction cost150 million FRF (1972)
ArchitectRoger Taillibert & Siavash Teimouri
Tenants
Paris Saint-Germain (1974–present)

The stadium, with a seating capacity of 47,929 spectators, has been the home of Paris Saint-Germain since 1974.[3][4] Before the opening of the Stade de France in 1998, it was also the home arena of the French national football and rugby union teams.[4] The Parc des Princes pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as Tribune Borelli, Tribune Auteuil, Tribune Paris and Tribune Boulogne.[5]

Conceived by architect Roger Taillibert & Siavash Teimouri, the current version of the Parc des Princes officially opened on 25 May 1972, at a cost of 80–150 million francs.[6][7] The stadium is the third to have been built on the site, the first opening its doors in 1897 and the second following in 1932.[2]

PSG registered its record home attendance in 1983, when 49,575 spectators witnessed the club's 2–0 win over Waterschei in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.[8] However, the French national rugby team holds the stadium's absolute attendance record. They defeated Wales 31–12 in the 1989 Five Nations Championship in front of 50,370 spectators.[9]

History

Original stadium (1897–1932)

Originally called Stade Vélodrome du Parc des Princes, the stadium was inaugurated on July 18, 1897. Situated in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the area was a forested parkland used by the royal family before the French Revolution. This gave Parc des Princes its name.[7][10]

The original Parc des Princes under the snow in 1908.

With more than 3,000 seats, the velodrome had a 728-yard track.[7][10] The director of the stadium, Henri Desgrange, was a former racing cyclist and founder of the cycling magazine L'Auto (predecessor of L'Équipe).[10] Le Parc marked the finish of the Tour from its first edition in 1903 until 1967.[4] The 1900 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was held at Parc des Princes.[10]

In 1903, an English side easily defeated a team composed by the best Parisian players (11–0) in front of 984 paying spectators, in what was the first international football played at the Parc des Princes.[7] In 1905, the French national football team contested its first ever home match against Switzerland, winning 1–0 at le Parc.[7][10] Subsequently, the stadium welcomed further prestigious friendly games, but also four USFSA French championship finals, as well as the 1919 Coupe de France Final between CASG Paris and Olympique de Paris in front of 10,000 spectators.[7]

PSG's home also boasts a long history as an international rugby venue.[2] In 1906, the French national rugby union team played their first international against the New Zealand national rugby union team. Other tenants included the Racing Club de France.[10]

The stadium capacity was increased to 20,000 by the start of the 1924 Summer Olympics, held in Paris. However, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, which had been expanded to 60,000 seats, hosted the event.[10]

Second stadium (1932–1972)
The second Parc des Princes in 1932.

In the 1930s, L'Auto founder Henri Desgrange and his business partner Victor Goddet carried out a thorough reconstruction of Parc des Princes and expanded it so that the sports arena had seats for 45,000 visitors, including 26,000 covered.[7][10] The new stadium opened on April 19, 1932.[2][7] Its capacity, however, was quickly reduced to 38,000 seats to improve comfort.[7] Le Parc hosted the opening match of the 1938 FIFA World Cup between Switzerland and Germany as well as the victory of Hungary in the semi-final against Sweden. But Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir continued to be more important, hosting the 1938 FIFA World Cup Final in which Italy beat the Hungarians 4–2 to claim its second consecutive world title.[10]

Following the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the end of World War II in September 1945, the French football championship returned, with big Parisian clubs Stade français-Red Star and Racing Paris regularly playing at the Parc des Princes. Still equipped with a cycling track of 454 metres, the Tour de France was not the only major sporting event hosted at this stadium.[4][7] Le Parc also hosted the 1954 Rugby League World Cup Final, which saw Great Britain defeat hosts France in the inaugural staging of the Rugby League World Cup;[11] Real Madrid's win over Stade de Reims in the first ever European Cup final in 1956;[4] and the 1960 European Nations' Cup Final, which saw the Soviet Union claim the first edition of the tournament after beating Yugoslavia.[2]

Current stadium (since 1972)

Design

Conceived by French architect Roger Taillibert and Iranian artist Siavash Teimouri, the design of the third and current Parc des Princes was innovative for the time, allowing spectators to enjoy excellent sight-lines, with no seat being further than 45 metres from the pitch.[1][10] It was also the first stadium with lighting systems integrated onto its elliptical roof, and to this day is praised for its unique acoustics and its distinctive concrete ribs or razors.[1]

The current Parc des Princes with its iconic razors.

Described in French as a 'caisse de résonnance' ('box of sound') due to its tight dimensions and the pressure-cooker atmosphere created by its home fans, it is one of the continent's most emblematic and historic venues.[4][10] Its raw concrete exterior may not be as extraordinary today, in the era of multimedia stadiums. But the razors supporting the concrete shell remain an icon of local skyline and the structure has aged with grace. It is a landmark and legally protected icon of French architecture.[12]

Furthermore, the seating bowl provides two continuous tiers without obstructed views, though some obstructions were introduced due to additional fencing of the away enclosure. Distance of end zones from the field is a disadvantage, because the stadium was designed with rugby in mind and left too much room for a football configuration.[12]

Opening and PSG

The inauguration of the Parc des Princes took place on 25 May 1972 on the occasion of the football match between France and USSR. The new stadium hosted the 1972 Coupe de France Final between Olympique de Marseille and Bastia on June 4, 1972.[7][10] That same year, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – a fusion between Paris Football Club (PFC) and Stade Saint-Germain – went through a bitter divorce. Paris FC remained in Ligue 1, while PSG kept their name but were administratively demoted to Division 3.[13][14]

PSG played their first game at the Parc des Princes against Ligue 2 promotion rivals Red Star on 10 November 1973, as a curtain-raiser for that season's league season between PFC and Sochaux. PSG won 3–1 as Othniel Dossevi scored the club's first goal at the stadium.[15] PSG returned to Ligue 1 in 1974, ironically the same year that Paris FC (PFC) were relegated. They immediately moved into the Parc des Princes, which up until that point had been the home stadium of PFC.[13][14] Before that, PSG had been playing at several grounds including the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre, the Stade Jean-Bouin, the Stade Bauer, and even the Parc des Princes a few times that season despite the reluctance of PFC.[16][17] Thereafter, Paris FC and Racing Paris also played at Parc des Princes while they were in Ligue 1 (until 1990), but never reaching the numbers of attendance leaders PSG.[7]

Following its opening, Parc des Princes finally became France's biggest stadium.[10] This was where the national and international cup finals took place, including every single Coupe de France from 1972 to 1997, and three European club finals: the 1975 European Cup Final, the 1978 European Cup Winners' Cup Final and the 1981 European Cup Final.[2][10] Most importantly, le Parc saw France defeat Spain in the UEFA Euro 1984 Final to claim its first-ever title. In 1992, France was named to host the 1998 World Cup. It was the country's first since 1938 and construction of a new arena began in May 1995, at the same time that Parc des Princes hosted the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.[10]

The lawn of Parc des Princes in April 2017.

Inaugurated in January 1998, Stade de France was the stadium of the future, while le Parc hosted its last international final that same year: the 1998 UEFA Cup Final.[10] Les Bleus have only played twice at Parc des Princes since 1998: against Scotland during the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers in September 2007, and versus Australia in a friendly match in October 2013.[18] Nonetheless, the stadium has still staged games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2007 Rugby World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[2][4]

Renovation and expansion

In November 2013, PSG reached an agreement with the Paris City Council, owner of Parc des Princes, to extend their stadium lease for a further 30 years until 2043, based on a fixed rent plus a variable share of their income.[10][19][20] Subsequently, under the guidance of American architect Tom Sheehan, PSG completed a three-year €75 million upgrade of the Parc des Princes (2012, 2013–2014, 2015–2016) ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016 in France.[12][20]

Two additional rows of seats were added, allowing the ground to remain at a capacity of 48,000, despite now boasting larger and more comfortable seats.[20] Hospitality capacity went from 1,200 to 4,500, and new substitutes' benches and spacious, modern changing rooms that include warm-up and treatment rooms were installed.[4][20] Carrying out this renovation work saw PSG's stadium revenue swell from €20m to €100m.[20]

PSG are also looking to increase the capacity of their home to 60,000 in the coming years.[20] From the start of their ownership at the capital club, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) made it clear that a larger stadium is one of the means to establish PSG as one of leading European clubs. Originally, there were two options under consideration: move to the Stade de France or expand Parc des Princes. The former was discarded following the redevelopments made to le Parc ahead of the Euro 2016. Expansion before the tournament proved impossible, but according to PSG deputy CEO Jean-Claude Blanc the club's plans have not changed.[21] There have also been rumours that QSI are interested in buying Parc des Princes for a fee believed to be around €150m.[10]

Major tournament matches

1938 FIFA World Cup matches
Date Time (WEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
4 June 193817:00  Switzerland1–1 (a.e.t.) GermanyFirst Round27,152
9 June 193818:00 Germany2–4  SwitzerlandFirst Round replay20,025
16 June 193818:00 Hungary5–1 SwedenSemi-finals20,000

1954 Rugby League World Cup matches
Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
30 October 1954 France22–13 New ZealandFirst round13,240
13 November 1954 France12–16 Great BritainFinal30,368

1960 European Nations' Cup matches
Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
6 July 196020:00 France4–5 YugoslaviaSemi-finals26,370
10 July 196021:30 Soviet Union2–1 (a.e.t.) YugoslaviaFinal17,966

1972 Rugby League World Cup matches
Date Time (CET) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
1 November 1972 Australia9–5 New ZealandFirst round8,000

UEFA Euro 1984 matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
12 June 198420:30 France1–0 DenmarkGroup 147,570
20 June 198420:30 West Germany0–1 SpainGroup 247,691
27 June 198420:00 France2–0 SpainFinal47,368

1991 Rugby World Cup matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
19 October 1991 France10–19 EnglandQuarter-finals48,500

1998 FIFA World Cup matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
15 June 199821:00 Germany2–0 United StatesGroup F45,500
19 June 199817:30 Nigeria1–0 BulgariaGroup D45,500
21 June 199817:30 Argentina5–0 JamaicaGroup H45,500
25 June 199816:00 Belgium1–1 South KoreaGroup E45,500
28 June 199821:00 Brazil4–1 ChileRound of 1645,500
11 July 199821:00 Netherlands1–2 CroatiaThird place match45,500

2007 Rugby World Cup matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
9 September 200716:00 South Africa59–7 SamoaPool A46,575
19 September 200720:00 Italy31–5 PortugalPool C45,476
28 September 200721:00 England36–20 TongaPool A45,085
30 September 200717:00 Ireland15–30 ArgentinaPool D45,450
19 October 200721:00 France10–34 ArgentinaBronze final45,958

UEFA Euro 2016 matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Result Team #2 Round Spectators
12 June 201615:00 Turkey0–1 CroatiaGroup D43,842
15 June 201618:00 Romania1–1  SwitzerlandGroup A43,576
18 June 201621:00 Portugal0–0 AustriaGroup F44,291
21 June 201618:00 Northern Ireland0–1 GermanyGroup C44,125
25 June 201618:00 Wales1–0 Northern IrelandRound of 1644,342

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup matches
Date Time (CEST) Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Attendance
7 June 201921:00 France4–0 South KoreaGroup A45,261
10 June 201918:00 Argentina0–0 JapanGroup D25,055
13 June 201921:00 South Africa0–1 China PRGroup B20,011
16 June 201918:00 United States3–0 ChileGroup F45,594
19 June 201921:00 Scotland3–3 ArgentinaGroup D28,205
24 June 201921:00 Sweden1–0 CanadaRound of 1638,078
28 June 201921:00 France1–2 United StatesQuarter-finals45,595
  • Entrance to the Parc des Princes.
  • Panorama view of the stadium.
  • View of the pitch during UEFA Euro 2016.
  • PSG ultras seen from the Boulogne stand, in 2006.
gollark: Offload ethics to Delphi or other ethics machines.
gollark: I have now put it on YouTube. Fear it.
gollark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aArI8sKbiOY
gollark: The images aren't loading for me. A shame.
gollark: ddg! Clotheshanger reflex

See also

    References
    1. "PARC DES PRINCES". Paris2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    2. "Parc des Princes". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    3. "Parc des Princes". PSG.fr. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
    4. "The lowdown on the Parc des Princes". Real Madrid CF. 21 October 2015. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    5. "Plan du Parc". PSG.fr. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
    6. "PSG firmly in the pantheon". FIFA.com. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
    7. "Le Parc des Princes". Info PSG. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    8. "PSG-OM, record d'affluence au Parc des Princes en L1". Paris.canal-historique. 24 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
    9. "Parc des Princes Paris". Stadium and Attendances. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    10. "Parc des Princes". The Blizzard. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
    11. "World Cup 1954". Rugby League Project. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
    12. "Euro 2016: Parc des Princes". StadiumDB.com. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    13. "Histoire du Paris Saint Germain". PSG70. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
    14. "A brief history: Paris FC". thefootballcult – Medium. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
    15. "Millième au Parc des Princes : ces dix matches qui ont fait l'histoire du PSG". Europe1. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
    16. "1973 - 1978 : Paris se replace sur la scène française". Paris United. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    17. "Le PSG et Manchester City, les faux jumeaux". Le Monde. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
    18. "Le grand retour des Bleus au Parc des Princes". Sport24 - Le Figaro. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
    19. "Paris: PSG confirm next 30 years at Parc des Princes". StadiumDB.com. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    20. "Paris Saint-Germain finish Parc des Princes renovation but eye expansion". Goal.com. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
    21. "Paris: 2024 Olympics could accelerate Parc des Princes expansion". StadiumDB.com. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.

    Official websites
    Preceded by
    All 8 venues used for
    the 1934 FIFA World Cup,
    matches on the first day were
    all played at the same time    		 FIFA World Cup
    Opening match venue
    1938    		 Succeeded by
    Estádio do Maracanã
    Rio de Janeiro
    Preceded by
    first stadium    		 European Cup
    Final venue
    1956    		 Succeeded by
    Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
    Madrid
    Preceded by
    first stadium    		 European Nations' Cup
    Final venue
    1960    		 Succeeded by
    Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
    Madrid
    Preceded by
    Heysel Stadium
    Brussels    		 European Cup
    Final venue
    1975    		 Succeeded by
    Hampden Park
    Glasgow
    Preceded by
    Olympisch Stadion
    Amsterdam    		 European Cup Winners' Cup
    Final venue
    1978    		 Succeeded by
    St. Jakob Stadium
    Basel
    Preceded by
    Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
    Madrid    		 European Cup
    Final venue
    1981    		 Succeeded by
    De Kuip
    Rotterdam
    Preceded by
    Parken Stadium
    Copenhagen    		 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
    Final venue
    1995    		 Succeeded by
    King Baudouin Stadium
    Brussels
    Preceded by
    Two-legged final    		 UEFA Cup
    Final venue
    1998    		 Succeeded by
    Luzhniki Stadium
    Moscow
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