Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium

Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is a multi-purpose stadium in Saint-Etienne, France. It is used primarily for football matches, and tournaments such as the UEFA Euro 1984 and 2016, the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. It is also used for rugby union, and was 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, AS Saint-Etienne, given during the team's heyday when it drew particularly large crowds (the record being set in 1985, with more than 47,000 spectators). More recently, its current capacity was 35,616 before the current renovations, which began in 2011 and have temporarily reduced this figure to 26,747. When the renovations are finished, the stadium will hold 42,000 seated spectators.

The stadium opened on 13 September 1931, and AS Saint-Etienne's first match there took place on 17 September 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.

History

• The stadium in Saint-Etienne is named after the founder of the Casino stores, headquartered in Saint-Etienne. Geoffroy Guichard was also owner of the land bought from the family "In Rochetaillee" on the site Estivaliere on which the stadium was built.
• The construction of the stadium began in 1930 through the contribution of Saint-Etienne, responding to a subscription launched by Pierre Guichard, son of Geoffrey. The plans for the original stadium were devised by architects Etienne Thierry Meyer and Michael Saidoun. The stadium consisted of a field surrounded by a 400m running track and a 1,000 seat stand. Underneath the stand were the changing rooms, showers and offices. The total stadium capacity then was about 1,800 people.
• The stadium was opened on 13 September 1931 ( "large" defeat against AS Cannes semi-finalist of the Cup of France: the score was 1 - 9).

  This page also has a version in other languages :  Жоффруа Гишар Стадион (russian)