Lyon have invited 120 former players to help bid farewell to their Gerland Stadium, which hosts its last ever Ligue 1 match on Saturday. Built in 1913 by architect Tony Garnier and revamped for the 1984 European Championships and the 1998 World Cup, the 41,000 capacity Gerland will host its last game on December 16 in the League Cup. The ultra-modern 59,000 capacity new stadium in the Lyon suburbs will take the name of a yet to be revealed sponsor and is scheduled to host six Euro-2016 games.
Another French Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux will also switch to a brand new stadium ahead of 2016. Lyon have been resident at the Gerland since the club was formed in 1950 playing their first game there August 27 that year when 3,000 people turned up to see a 3-0 win over CA Paris in the second division. On top of hosting Euro-84 and World Cup 1998 matches it also hosted Tour de France stages seven times in the days when it featured a cycling track.