Stade Vélodrome

1970 marked the first modifications to the Vélodrome, with the replacement of the floodlights on the Ganay and Jean-Bouin tribunes by four 60 meter towers for nighttime events. In March 1971, the capacity of the stadium was increased by nearly 6000 seats, with the reduction of the cycling track and the removal of the cinder running track. This brought the total capacity of the stadium to 55,000 people, including the standing area.

Olympique returned to the Stade de l'Huveaune for the 1982–1983 season as Stade Vélodrome was under construction in preparation for the UEFA Euro 1984. The playing surface was completely replaced during this time. The semifinal between France and Portugal had set a record for attendance at an international match with 54,848 spectators. The capacity of the stadium was later reduced to 42,000 with the construction of lodges.

The cycling track was removed altogether once Bernard Tapie was appointed president of OM in 1985. He chose to remove it and rearrange the corners of the stadium, bringing the capacity up to 48,000. This renovation marked the end of the era of Vélodrome as a multi-use facility. The area around the stadium was also transformed with the creation of the second line of the metro which served the stadium from two stations and with the construction of the Palais des Sports nearby.

The Stade Vélodrome in its 1998-2011 configuration.

The Stade Vélodrome was completely renovated for the 1998 World Cup; its capacity increased from 42,000 to 60,031 seats (equivalent to 51 km or 32 mi of seats). The Vélodrome hosted the final draw, which took place on 4 December 1997 (the first time the final draw was held in an outdoor venue) and seven matches, including France's first match against South Africa, the quarterfinal between Argentina and the Netherlands and the semifinal between Brazil and the Netherlands. As of 2011, the record attendance for a football game (58,897 spectators) was the Newcastle United UEFA Cup semifinal on 6 May 2004 (2–0). During the 2007 Rugby World Cup the Vélodrome hosted six games, including two quarter-finals: Australia versus England (which holds the overall attendance record with 59,120 spectators) and South Africa versus Fiji. On 16 July 2009, during preparations for a Madonna concert, one of four winches used to hoist the structure failed; the 60-ton roof fell (leaving two dead, eight wounded and crushing a crane).

Widely criticized and unloved by the Marseillais for its architecture (no roof, exposure to strong mistral winds and poor acoustics), the Stade Vélodrome has since 2003 been the subject of several projects to modernize and enlarge it. In July 2009, following an extraordinary council of the City of Marseille concerning the City Hall renovation project, a motion was passed launching a public-private partnership (PPP). On 21 June 2010, following France's winning bid for UEFA Euro 2016, Marseille announced that the stadium would receive another renovation (a roof and an increase in capacity from 60,031 to 67,000), making it a UEFA Elite Stadium. Works began in the spring of 2011 and were completed in summer 2014.

The Vélodrome hosted 6 games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup which was hosted by France including two quarter-final games.

Date	Competition	Home team		Away team		Attendance
8 September 2007	2007 Rugby World Cup Pool C	New Zealand	76	Italy	14	58,612
12 September 2007		Italy	24	Romania	18	44,241
22 September 2007	2007 Rugby World Cup Pool D	Argentina	63	Namibia	3	55,067
30 September 2007		France	64	Georgia	7	58,695
6 October 2007	2007 Rugby World Cup Quarter-finals	Australia	10	England	12	59,102
7 October 2007		South Africa	37	Fiji	20	55,943

The Vélodrome hosted six games at UEFA Euro 2016, including a semi-final. In 2016, the stadium became the first in Europe to have hosted three European Championship semi-finals after France's previous hosting of the tournament in 1960 and 1984.

Date	Time (CEST)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
11 June 2016	21:00	England	1–1	Russia	Group B	62,343
15 June 2016	21:00	France	2–0	Albania	Group A	63,670
18 June 2016	18:00	Iceland	1–1	Hungary	Group F	60,842
21 June 2016	21:00	Ukraine	0–1	Poland	Group C	58,874
30 June 2016	21:00	Poland	1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–5 pen.)	Portugal	Quarter-finals	62,940
7 July 2016	21:00	Germany	0–2	France	Semi-finals	64,078

Over three separate tournaments, the Vélodrome also hosted games of the Rugby League World Cup.

Date	Competition	Home team		Away team		Attendance
7 November 1954	1954 Rugby League World Cup group stage	Australia	34	New Zealand	15	20,000
28 October 1972	1972 Rugby League World Cup group stage	France	20	New Zealand	9	20,748
17 October 1975	1975 Rugby League World Cup group stage	France	12	New Zealand	12	10,000

List of rugby league test matches played at Stade Vélodrome.[11]

Test#	Date	Result	Attendance	Notes
1	16 January 1938	Australia def.  France 16–11	23,100	1938 France vs Australia series
2	18 January 1947	France def.  Wales 14–5	24,500	1946–47 European Rugby League Championship
3	11 April 1948	England def.  France 25–10	32,000	1947–48 European Rugby League Championship
4	9 January 1949	Australia def.  France 29–10	15,796	1949 France vs Australia series
5	10 April 1949	France def.  Wales 11–0	30,000	1948–49 European Rugby League Championship
6	15 January 1950	France def. Other Nationalities 8–3	30,000	1949–50 European Rugby League Championship
7	15 April 1950	France def.  Wales 28–13	16,860	1950–51 European Rugby League Championship
8	25 November 1951	France def.  England 42–13	31,810	1951–52 European Rugby League Championship
9	23 November 1952	France def. Other Nationalities 29–10	17,611	1949–50 European Rugby League Championship
10	13 December 1953	France def.  Wales 23–22	25,000	1953–54 European Rugby League Championship
11	15 November 1965	France def.  New Zealand 14–3	30,431	1965 France vs New Zealand series
12	17 December 1967	France drew with  Australia 7–7	5,193	1967–68 France vs Australia series
13	20 December 1981	France def.  Great Britain 19–2	6,500
14	24 November 1985	New Zealand def.  France 22–0	1,492	1985 France vs New Zealand series

Marseille has increased the stadium's capacity and installed a roof, as required by UEFA standards. The project also includes multiple reception areas and media space, better access for the disabled and better seating. The new stadium has been officially inaugurated on 16 October 2014.

The esplanade Ganay has been preserved and refurbished. The RTM car park has been replaced with office towers and housing. RTM users benefit from a larger underground car park. Trees and wind turbines contribute to a new-neighbourhood HQE (high environmental quality).

The total project estimate is €267 million, with €150M for the stadium and the remnant for the surrounding shopping mall, hotel and housing, the private sector to cover two-thirds of the investment; the remainder will be shared by the region, the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, MPM and the city of Marseille for 20m euros. The French government contributed to upgrade the area's infrastructure. After several studies, the mayor selected the contract of partnership arrangements included in a PPP (public-private partnership).

"Olympique de Marseille will be closely associated with the project", said Jean-Claude Gaudin. The club remains a tenant of the stadium. Elected officials want ticket prices to be controlled.

The naming rights for the stadium were bought by French telecommunications multinational Orange.[15] The 10-year-deal was announced on 3 June 2016 by the Mayor of Marseille. The deal is reported to be worth €2.7 million annually.[16]