Stade Grimonprez-Jooris
 |
|
| Location | Lille, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°38′40.39″N 3°2′49.10″E / 50.6445528°N 3.0469722°ECoordinates: 50°38′40.39″N 3°2′49.10″E / 50.6445528°N 3.0469722°E |
| Capacity | 21,128 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1974 |
| Opened | 28 October 1975 |
| Renovated | 2000 |
| Closed | 15 May 2004 |
| Demolished | 2010 |
| Architect | Pierre-François Delannoyla |
| Tenants | |
| Lille OSC (1975–2004) | |
Stade Grimonprez-Jooris was a multi-purpose stadium in Lille, France built in 1974. It was used mainly for football matches as it was home to the Lille OSC football club from 1975 until 2004, when the stadium was closed.
The club originally planned to have Grimonprez-Jooris redeveloped into a 33,000-seat stadium, but this proposal was rejected, and the Grand Stade Lille Métropole was constructed instead.
The stadium was officially opened on 28 October 1975, when Lille played a friendly against Dutch side Feyenoord (which ended in a 1–1 draw) and the last match at the stadium was played on 15 May 2004, Lille's last home game in the 2003–04 Ligue 1 season against SC Bastia. Lille won the game 2–0 with Matt Moussilou scoring the last goal in the history of Grimonprez-Jooris.
The club's original stadium Stade Henri-Jooris had been demolished in 1975 in order to allow the enlargement of the Canal de la Deûle, a navigable waterway which passes through the city of Lille, and the design for a new stadium was made by Lille architect Pierre-François Delannoyla. Although the club wanted the new stadium to retain the old name Stade Henri Jooris (named after Henri Jooris, former Lille OSC manager), the mayor proposed it to be called Stade Félix Grimonprez after Félix Grimonprez, a former field hockey player who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1936 Summer Olympics. This resulted in a compromise solution in which the stadium was hence named Stade Grimonprez-Jooris.
The stadium's original capacity was 25,000 at the time it was opened, but this was reduced to around 17,000 by 2000 due to the evolution of safety standards. In 2000 the stadium was renovated and the capacity was increased to 21,128 (14,534 seated). However, the stadium still failed to meet FIFA licensing regulations and Lille had to play their 2001–02 UEFA Champions League matches at the Stade Félix-Bollaert.
...
Wikipedia