Stadium
Stade de Gerland (1950–2015)
Olympique Lyonnais played at the Stade de Gerland between 1950 and 2015. In 1910, the then-mayor of Lyon, Édouard Herriot, wanted to develop and build a sports stadium with both an athletics track and a velodrome in the city.[45] In 1912, the stadium was officially mandated and local architect Tony Garnier was given the reins in designing and constructing it. Construction began in 1914 with the hope that the stadium would be completed before the International Exhibition of 1914. Construction was halted due to the First World War, but construction was eventually completed in 1919. By 1920, the stadium was completely functional.
In 1926, the Stade de Gerland, with a capacity of 35,000, was inaugurated by Herriot.[46] In 1967, the stadium was listed as a Monument historique.[47] As well as hosting Lyon's home games, the stadium hosted matches for the Euro 1984, 1998 World Cup and the 2003 Confederations Cup.[48]
The stadium's cycling track was eventually removed to increase the seating capacity to around 50,000. In September 1980, the stadium would see its record attendance of 48,552 during a derby game between Lyon and Saint-Étienne.[49] In 1984, minor renovations were made to the stadium by architect René Gagis.[50] This included construction of the Jean Bouin and Jean Jaurès stands. Further renovations were needed to prepare the stadium for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, as by that time FIFA had mandated that all stadiums used for international matches had to be all-seater. These renovations, planned by architect Albert Constantin, included the Jean Jaurès and Jean Bouin stands being demolished and rebuilt as well as removing the remaining athletics track. This new incarnation of the stadium had a maximum capacity of 40,494.
On 5 December 2015, Lyon played their final game in the Stade de Gerland in a 2–0 defeat against Angers.[51] The stadium is now the home of Lyon OU Rugby and currently holds a capacity of 35,000 spectators.[52]
Parc Olympique Lyonnais (2016–present)
On 1 September 2008, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas announced plans to create a new 60,000-seater stadium, tentatively called OL Land, to be built on 50 hectares of land located in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon. Over a month later, on 13 October 2008, the project was agreed upon by the State, the General Council of Rhône, the Grand Lyon, SYTRAL and the municipality of Décines-Charpieu for construction with approximately €180 million of public money being used, with between €60–80 million coming from the Urban Community of Lyon.[53] After the announcement, however, the club's efforts to get the stadium off the ground were hindered mainly due to slow administrative procedures, political interests and various opposition groups, who viewed the stadium as financially, ecologically and socially wrong for the taxpayers and community of Décines-Charpieu. The official name of the stadium was provisionally to be Le Stade des Lumières.[54][55]
On 22 September 2009, French newspaper L'Équipe reported that OL Land had been selected by the French Football Federation (FFF) as one of the 12 stadiums to be used in the country's bidding for UEFA Euro 2016.[56] The FFF officially made their selections on 11 November 2009 and the city of Lyon was selected as a site to host matches during the tournament.[57]
On 9 January 2016, Lyon played their first game in the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in a 4–1 victory over Troyes, with goals from Lacazette, Ghezzal, Ferri and Beauvue.[58]
Since 2017, Lyon has had a sponsorship partnership with French insurance company Groupama. As a result, the Parc Olympique Lyonnais is currently known as the Groupama Stadium, with the club having renewed the partnership in 2020, 2022 and 2025.[59] As of 2025, the partnership is estimated to be worth €6.9 million a year.[60]
