Parc des Princes Totally Explained

Everything about Parc Des Princes totally explained

UEFA | caption = | fullname = Parc des Princes | location = Paris, France | built = 1897 | opened = 18 July 1897 | renovated = 1932, 1972 | closed = | demolished = | owner = City of Paris | operator = SESE | surface = Grass | construction_cost = | architect = Roger Taillibert | former_names = | tenants = Paris SG | seating_capacity = 48,712 | dimensions = |}} The Parc des Princes, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France was originally a velodrome, the finish of the Tour de France from its start in 1903 until the track's demolition. It is now the 48,712-seat home of football team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). It was the national stadium until the Stade de France was built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The Parc des Princes stadium and grounds are owned by the City of Paris. The name Parc des Princes ("Princes' Park") was given to the surrounding area during the 18th century, when it was a forest used by the royal family for hunting.

Velodrome

In one corner of the 19th-century Parc des Princes was a laboratory. That was demolished in 1897 and the site became a sports stadium. It was so quickly and badly built that spectators were denied access to the stands when it opened on July 18. There were fears that the stands would give way under the weight of spectators.
   The track, managed by Henri Desgrange, who in 1903 founded the Tour de France, was 666 metres round, egg-shaped and almost without banking. The cycle track was the main feature but the size of the inner field meant other sports could be held there and, as Paris's main sports stadium, it accommodated the Olympic Games in 1924. By then the seating had expanded to 20,000 places. Desgrange and his successor, Jacques Goddet, then expanded capacity to 40,000. In fact there were 46,000 for the opening and the two were disciplined by the city authorities for overcrowding., was opened in June 1972 and is a true football/rugby stadium with no track around the pitch. There have been two previous stadia on the site, which opened in 1897 and 1932, respectively. Both were essentially velodromes, and for many years (1904–1967) the stadium was the traditional finishing point for the Tour de France cycling race. Taillibert's all-seater design has proven in retrospect to be well ahead of its time, requiring only cosmetic improvements to meet vastly increased comfort and safety regulations through the 1990s and early 2000s. Having acquired PSG on April 10, 2006, the international real estate investment firm Colony Capital has announced a plan to upgrade the Parc des Princes, including the building of luxury amenities and a capacity expansion to 54,000. However, the dismal performance of PSG since the takeover have caused this plan to be put on hold. Whether the proposed expansion has the approval of the Paris city council is unclear as of late 2007.
   The football club Racing Club de Paris played its home games at the Parc des Princes from 1984 to 1990. The rugby union club Stade Français competes across the road at the much smaller Stade Jean Bouin, but sometimes uses the Parc des Princes.
   The modern Parc des Princes hosted one of France's greatest football achievements, the 2-0 victory over Spain in the 1984 European Championship final. It was also the scene of one of French football's most spectacular disasters on November 17, 1993, when Les Bleus were beaten 1-2 by Bulgaria in the last minute of play and thus failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. At the club level, the Parc des Princes has been the scene of some of Paris Saint-Germain's most memorable European games, in particular a 4-1 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Cup quarter-final in 1993 in which PSG scored the crucial last goal on the very last play of the game. Les Bleus have returned to the Parc des Princes only once since the opening of the Stade de France in 1998. On September 12, 2007, they were defeated 0-1 by Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier.
   Parc des Princes also hosted various 2007 Rugby World Cup matches including the Argentina-Ireland showdown.
   The second Parc des Princes hosted the final of the inaugural Rugby League World Cup in 1954, when Great Britain defeated France 16–12.

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