OM renames stadium 'Velodrome Stadium' while seeking international title sponsor

Olympique de Marseille has officially renamed its stadium ‘Velodrome Stadium’, dropping the ‘Orange Vélodrome’ name after ten years of partnership with the telecommunications operator. The change, entirely in English, is already visible in the club’s communications, notably during Jul’s recent concert at the Marseille venue.

The matter is one of the priority projects for new president Stéphane Richard, tasked by owner Frank McCourt with rethinking the club’s economic policy. The stated objective is to find an ‘international title sponsor’ for the 67,000-capacity arena. CMA CGM, the club’s current kit sponsor and group led by billionaire Rodolphe Saadé, is not expected to take on this role: according to Sportbusiness.club, Saadé does not wish to deepen his association with the City of Marseille, which owns the stadium.

The Marseille leadership has reportedly entered into discussions with Revolut, the British online bank that is also title sponsor of Audi in Formula 1 this season. If the deal is concluded, the stadium could be named ‘Revolut Velodrome Stadium’.

The choice of English has not failed to provoke reaction, coming shortly after the heavily criticized overhaul of the club’s logo. OM has since partially corrected course for next season’s kit, reintegrating the slogan ‘Droit au but’ and the star commemorating the 1993 Ligue des Champions victory. The Marseille venue thus joins a handful of Ligue 1 stadiums whose official name is in English: Groupama Stadium in Lyon, Allianz Riviera in Nice, and Roazhon Park in Rennes, which blends Breton and English.

The club, which should be managed next season by Bruno Genesio, will thus play in a stadium with a provisional name until a naming agreement is concluded.