Matmut Atlantique: Girondins de Bordeaux
By PA (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Matmut Atlantique is the new home of the French Ligue 1 side Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux, more commonly referred to as simply Bordeaux. The stadium is state-of-the-art in every single way, being the first stadium in France that can legitimately be called ‘connected’, owing to the fact that it benefits from Wi-Fi HD. The connected nature of the stadium means that spectators of events at the ground can get interactive content during events.
As for the club itself, the name Girondins was taken from a group of French Revolutionaries who were from the region. The club was founded in 1881, though it was as a gymnastics and shooting club, later adding rowing, swimming equestrian events and more to their roster. The football part of the club wasn’t added until 1910 and even then it was only on a trial basis and lasted a year. It returned more fully in 1919 and the club achieved professional status in 1936.
Stats
| Matmut Atlantique Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 2015 |
| Capacity | 42115 |
| Average Attendance | 24217 |
| Record Attendance | 41500 (Clermont Auvergne v Stade toulousain (2015)) |
| Pitch Size | 107 x 68 (7276) |
| Former Name | Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux |
| Owner | Bordeaux |
| Sponsor | Matmut |
| Clubs Hosted | FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
| First Fixture | Girondins de Bordeaux v Montpellier HSC (23/05/2015) |
| Girondins de Bordeaux Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1881 |
| Nickname | FCGB, Les Girondins (The Girondins), Le club au scapulaire (The Club with the V-Shape), Les marine et blanc (The Navy-and-Whites) |
| Club Mascot | BenGI the Blue Bear |
| Rivals | Stade Bordelais, Toulouse FC |
| Previous Stadiums | Stade Chaban-Delmas |
| Kit | Dark Blue & Black (Home) / White (Away) / Red & Gold (Third) |
| Training Ground | Château du Haillan |
| Shirt Sponsor | Winamax |
| Team Owner | Gérard López |
| Record Goalscorer | Alain Giresse (182) |
| Record Appearances | Alain Giresse (587) |
Matmut Atlantique Photos
By Fantafluflu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
By Fantafluflu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
See page for author [Public domain]
By Bibitono (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0]
By PA (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]
CC BY-SA 3.0
Matmut Atlantique Seating Plan and Where to Sit
Matmut Atlantique is designed in a bowl style, allowing all of the spectators in the ground to have excellent views of the action on the pitch. The design of the stadium also allows for three different configurations depending on whether or not the ground is hosting football, rugby or music concerts.
There are two tiers in the ground separated by a row of 60 executive boxes. There are also seven suites with terraces that allow the occupants to watch the match. As with all grounds it still has four sides to it, named after the geographical area it is located in. The Nord Stand is where the away fans are situated, The Sud Stand has a lower tier that has a dedicated Fan-zone that houses the most vocal Bordeaux fans. The Ouest and Est Stands are the ones that house the executive boxes, meaning that they are more typically filled with well off patrons.
Girondins de Bordeaux Ticket Prices
Ticket prices for Bordeaux games are, as is the case with most teams in Europe, categorised depending on which team Bordeaux are facing and where about in the stadium you’d like to sit. Because of that that prices are often in a state of flux and you’ll often pay different amounts depending on your age and the location within the stadium that you’d like to sit. As an example though, a 2022 game against Monaco was available to watch from between €20.00 and €160.00.
Bordeaux also offer reduced prices for youngsters at certain matches. Sometimes anyone born after the year 2000 can attend the game for €5 as long as they provided suitable identification.
How To Get Girondins de Bordeaux Tickets
The club’s official website is an ideal place to start if you’re looking to pick up tickets to see a match at the stadium. You’ll also be able to pick up tickets from Ticketmaster and the Auchan website. You can get tickets directly from the box office at the stadium, though a €2 surcharge is added for the privilege. There is a club shop at the training ground where you can buy tickets, too.
Where to Buy
Getting To Matmut Atlantique
The Matmut Atlantique is about 7 km outside of the centre of Bordeaux, in the heart of the Bordeaux-Lac district.
train – Getting to Bordeaux from the UK by train is straight forward even if it might take a while. You can get the Eurostar to Paris and then travel from there to Bordeaux on France’s internal rail network. You’ll arrive at Gare Saint-Jean, which is about 3 hours from the country’s capital; it is the largest train station in the Aquitaine region.
Though you can’t get a train to near to the stadium you can get a tram, with Line B and Line C both taking about 8 minutes. Line C departs Bordeaux Parc des Expositions/Cracovie and arrives at Gare de Bègles / Lycée Václav Havel, whilst Line B departs Berges de la Garonne / Bassins à Flot and arrives at Pessac Centre/France Alouette.
Bus – There is an excellent bus system in Bordeaux, but you’d still be better off getting the tram as there aren’t many bus lines that go very close to the new ground.
Car – If you’re looking to drive to the stadium then you’ll find two exits on the Bordeaux Rocade that serve the ground – Exit 4A and Exit 4C.
By Air – The Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport is about 12 km to the west of the city. It has three terminals and is the sixth largest airport in France as far as the amount of passengers it deals with is concerned. It is around 15 minutes away from the stadium.
Taxi – If you were looking to get a taxi from the airport to the stadium then it will take you about 20 minutes but cost more like €35. If you get stuck in traffic then you can expect to pay significantly more and for it to take much longer.
Parking Near Matmut Atlantique
There are five car parks at the Matmut Atlantique stadium, with 8000 spaces in total. One of them is for VIPs and the media and has around 1250 spaces, as well as a Fair Grounds car park with 6000 spaces. There is a parking area for bikes and motorbikes with about 1250 spaces, the Aubiers parking lot that houses around 246 spaces and the Brandenburg parking lot that can house 206 vehicles.
Useful Resources
Matmut Atlantique Hotels
Bordeaux is part of France’s famed wine district, so you can expect to find numerous excellent places to stay in the city. Here are some of our choices, though:
ibis Bordeaux Lac - £34+
Novotel Bordeaux Lac - £40+
Hotel Pullman Bordeaux Lac - £80+
Pubs and Bars Near Matmut Atlantique
Much like with the hotels, the drinking options in the city are numerous owing to the fact that wine lovers head there regularly. There isn’t much near to the stadium itself, however, so you’ll be well off making sure you get a drink in the centre before you head to the ground. Here are some of our choices:
The Houses Of Parliament
The Frog and Rosbif
The Blarney Stone
Facilities
The facilities at the Matmut Atlantique are excellent, not least of all the Wi-Fi HD that allows spectators to get online no matter where in the ground they are. Though the stadium is somewhat plain in design you’ll get all of the facilities you’d expect, including places to buy food and drink inside the ground.
Hospitality
There are a number of excellent hospitality options at the Matmut Atlantique, starting with what the club calls ‘Prestige Boxes’. You’ll get access to a buffet before and during the match as well as champagne and fine wines. You’ll also be able to access Château du Haillan, the club’s training area with restaurant and other facilities.
’The Open Box’ is another of the club’s hospitality options. That will see you get a private, glass-fronted box with a view of the pitch as well as access to a buffet served in the Open Box Lounge. ‘The Business Club’ offers cocktails before the game and at half-time in the Stade Chaban-Delmas Club. There are other options available that are well worth exploring if you’re hoping to take advantage of such facilities when you head to Bordeaux.
Private Hire
As a brand new stadium there will doubtless be numerous private hire options at the Matmut Atlantique, and they regularly welcome large business meetings and events, but if you want to know about them then you’d be best off contacting the club directly.
Stadium Tours & Museum
Season ticket holders can enter the stadium ninety minutes before kick-off and, believe it or not, visit private areas such as the dressing rooms and the boxes. These tours are available to fifty season ticket holders at a time, whilst members of the public can do a one hour tour of the ground in groups of twenty to thirty. These cost €12 for adults, €10 for club members and season ticket holders and €6 for kids under twelve.
About Girondins de Bordeaux
Bordeaux have won six Ligue 1 titles in their history, the fourth-most in French football history. They have four Coupe de France titles to their name as well as three Coupe de la Ligue titles and the same number of Trophee des champions. Bordeaux have also appeared in more Coupe de la Ligue finals than any other team, appearing as they have in six of the sixteen finals that have been contested.
The club’s first official football match took place in 1920 when they beat Section Burdigalienne 12-0. They achieved professional status in 1936 when they merged with Girondins Guyenne Sport, another team based in Bordeaux. It coincided with the French Football Federation’s desire to increase professionalism in the game, which had only come into being in 1932. The club’s most successful manager in their history was Aimé Jacquet, who spent nine seasons there and won three of the club’s six titles.
Matmut Atlantique History
As it was only completed in 2015 it’s fair to say that the Matmut Atlantique stadium’s history will be formed in its future. It was designed by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the Swiss architects who also designed the Allianz Arena in Munich and Beijing’s Olympic Stadium, better known as the ‘bird’s nest’. It was built with a mix of public and private funding with the French government contributing up to €28 million.
The Matmut Atlantique stadium was built to replace the ageing Jacques Chaban Delmas stadium, which was built in the 1930s. The Parc Lescure, as it was known until the year 2000, was the home of FC Girondins de Bordeaux from 1938 until the club moved to their new home in 2015. The original name of the new stadium was The Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, but it was renamed as the Matmut Atlantique Stadium for sponsorship purposes.
Future Developments
The stadium has only been completed relatively recently and it is as up-to-date as it’s possible for a brand new stadium to be. For that reason there are unlikely to be many developments to the ground in the near future. The area around the stadium was improved in advance of the European Championships in 2016, but other than that there’s not much on the schedule.