Stade Vélodrome in Marseille inaugurated

With an increased capacity of 67,000 – compared with the old stadium's 60,000 – the new Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, inaugurated on Thursday, is now covered by a 65,000-square metre white roof, an undulating canopy to protect the crowd from bad weather.

The Vélodrome is ready to welcome spectators for six matches at UEFA EURO 2016 in France, including one from France's group, a quarter-final and a semi-final.

The mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin, was joined by UEFA's operations director, Martin Kallen, two members of the French government – sports minister Patrick Kanner and secretary of state for sports Thierry Braillard – and Martin Bouygues, CEO of Bouygues Group, for Thursday's ceremony.

Bouygues' subsidiary, AREMA, was behind the construction of this new 'cathedral of football', at which an official plaque was unveiled by the councillors of the communities that joined together to finance the renovation. The plaque was brought in by marine firemen from the city of Marseille who abseiled down from the roof.

The revival of this legendary venue, which first opened in 1937 and was first renovated ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, required an exceptional level of coordination on site. OM played on during work that required 40,000 cubic metres of concrete, a 6,000-tonne roof support structure and 3,800 tonnes of steel.

The result is spectacular, with 13km of terraces and 8,500 square metre of private lounges that will play host to 6,000 hospitality guests, notably in the Jean Bouin stand – 95% of which is new – and the restored upper tier of the Ganay stand.

"The Vélodrome will enable the people of Marseille to experience regularly – and in the best conditions – the greatest competitions, the greatest achievements and the greatest scenes," said Jean-Claude Gaudin enthusiastically, Marseille having just been named the 2017 European Capital of Sport.

"I hope everyone will find that this [stadium] lives up to their expectations – an arena of new achievements, of a passion for sport and of ever-increasing joy among supporters for years to come."

"In the same way as the Old Port or the 'Bonne Mère' [Cathedral of Our Lady of the Guard], the Vélodrome is a symbol of and an ambassador for our city," added Guy Teissier, head of greater Marseille city council.

"We are seeing the fruit of our desire to involve ten cities in EURO 2016, with ten new or renovated stadiums hosting 24 teams and 51 matches," concluded sports minister Patrick Kanner. "We are expecting more than a million visitors for this tournament, which will generate a minimum of €1bn for our country."

The people of Marseille and tourists alike will be able to see OM's new home for themselves by registering online at www.lenouveaustadevelodrome.com for open days on 25 and 26 October.

Ahead of the great celebration of European football in 2016, the new Stade Vélodrome will host its first international match on 18 November, France taking on Sweden in a friendly match at which the UEFA EURO 2016 mascot will also be unveiled.