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2007 Rugby World Cup

“For over 6 weeks, Marseilles is going rugby mad”

Marseilles scores a try

Rugby World Cup events calendar

Marseilles, the land of sport and rugby

Impressive facilities

The teams staying in Marseilles

Journalists’ schedule

Annex: Over 100 years ago, Marseilles was already rugby mad

Contacts

Marseilles scores a try

After the 1998 Football World Cup, 95% of the population of Marseilles said that they would be happy to repeat the experience, which proved to be a resounding success, driving the local economy and tourist figures and boosting the city’s image. By organising act one of the America's Cup in September 2004 and by regularly receiving the whole retinue of the Tour de France, in particular on the 18th and 19th July 2007, Marseilles has demonstrated its ability to host major sports events.

Marseilles, sportingly yours

France’s oldest city is now preparing to rise to the new challenge of hosting the 2007 Rugby World Cup. To succeed in this, the city is showcasing its many assets.

The first of these is its enviable location. Boasting 300 days of sunshine a year, a mediterranean climate and 57 kilometers of coastline, Marseilles is a highly sought-after spot. Secondly, the typically French city centre. Its 111 diverse quartiers are what give Marseilles its unique and colourful character. They are sure to delight the tourists from all over the world who will be flocking to attend the event. And last but not least, a great atmosphere. Known for their friendly, fun-loving nature and love of sport, the people of Marseilles are sure to rise to the challenge and generate excitement for the event among visitors to the city. During the ’98 Football World Cup, the press voted Marseilles the most welcoming of the 10 sites.

Over six weeks, Marseilles will exchange football fever for rugby mania. With around 500,000 visitors expected throughout the event, 30% of them from abroad (compared to only 9% in ’98), Marseilles will come to life, and to drum up excitement, the city is organising several events.

From September 2007 until the 10 th October 2007, i.e. three days after the last quarter final, which will be held at the Vélodrome, the city will experience an all-time peak in terms of hotel & restaurant bookings and purchases of regional produce. It is estimated that visitors will stay for between 3 and 5 days.

In terms of direct return on investment, all businesses (air transport, rail, taxis, car rental companies, trams, buses, cultural attractions and trade, etc.) will benefit from the event.

The new flight services connecting Marseilles to London, Glasgow, Dublin, etc., operated by both regular and budget airlines who will be able to charter additional flights, will be a big plus in conquering the anglo-saxon customer base, There is a large contingent of New Zealanders (150,000), Australians (150,000) and South Africans (100,000) currently residing in England. We can guaranteee that they will be coming to Marseilles to cheer on their team, as well as England and Wales.

The city is very keen to offer visitors: - An exceptional heritage - A rich cultural landscape (Marseilles has been nominated for the title of European Culture Capital 2013) - A thriving economy

2007 Rugby World Cup events calendar

The City of Marseilles has devised a varied calendar of events with highlights to be staged at key locations: the Prado beaches, the Old Port and the Esplanade Villeneuve- Bargemon. The idea is to enable large numbers of visitors to participate in this international event. Beach activities, sports initiation sessions, concerts, exhibitions, a festival: Marseilles is going rugby mad for six weeks.

Special banners will be hung along all major and side roads throughout the period of the World Cup. Flags in the event colours will feature scenes of the city.

Rugby World Cup events

On the Prado beaches

All matches will be shown on the big screen from 7–16 September 2007

Sunday 2 September

Arrival of the New Zealand squad . Activities based around Maori and oceanic culture.

Wednesday 5 September

Until 16 September Beach Rugby Cup : Ovale Beach and the City of Marseilles are organising the Beach Rugby Cup . Sports fixtures will run in conjunction with rugby-themed entertainment, an exhibition area and workshops.

Discover Maori arts day in partnership with the ambassador of New Zealand, Haka dancers will teach this traditional dance to the locals.

Until 7 September “La course des îles” race activities, beginner sessions (3 euros), Polynesian displays, Polynesian dance lessons, amateur challenge (5 euros)

Saturday 8 September

9.30 a.m. – “La course des îles“ men’s Polynesian pirogue race

Sunday 9 September

10 h 30 – “La course des îles“ women’s Polynesian pirogue race

Tuesday 11 September

Until 29 September “Rugby Livres” exhibition, Alcazar library.

Wednesday 12 September

1.00 p.m. – “ Rugby in the city “ 14–17-year-olds final 4.00 p.m . – Beach Rugby Cup closing ceremony

Friday 14 September

Until 16 September The World Cup of Cities . The Marseille Provence XV is organising a rugby competition for 14–17-year-old visitors from the 10 foreign countries.

On the Esplanade Villeneuve-Bargemon

All matches will be shown on the big screen on the 22, 23, 29 and 30 September

THE SUPER STORE ON VILLENEUVE -BARGEMON The Super Store is the official World Cup shop. Measuring 400m 2, it will be set up by the International Rugby Board (IRB) from mid-August on the Quai d’Honneur, opposite the Hôtel de Ville.

Saturday 22 September

Before the Argentina–Namibia match – Argentinian tango demonstration and initiation 1.00 p.m. – “Rugby in the city ” 13–18-year-olds final. Domaine de Fontainieu.

Saturday 29 September

5.00 p.m. – Showing of the film L’épopée des rugbymen français [The age of French rugby players], Alcazar library

Sunday 30 September

Opening of the France–Georgia match – La Marseillaise will be interpreted into sign language by a group of 15 young deaf people. Vélodrome stadium.

Musical and mobile entertainment is scheduled for these two weekends.

At the Old Port All matches will be shown on the big screen from 5–7 October

Friday 5 October

10.00 a.m. – Rugby U 2007, Aix en Provence 9.00 p.m. – the weekend opens up to the crowds and to every influence. Huge free popular concert.

Saturday 6 October

Activities, concerts, boat race 10.00 a.m. – Rugby U 2007, Palais du Pharo, Managing a professional rugby squad colloquium.

Welcoming the squads

Arrival of the New Zealand squad: Sunday 2 September (until 13 September) Welcoming ceremonies. Arrival of the Italy squad: Wednesday 5 September (until 13 September) Arrival of the Romania squad: Tuesday 11 September until Thursday 13 September Arrival of the Argentina squad: Friday 21 until Sunday 23 September Arrival of the Georgia squad : Thursday 27 September until Monday 1 October Arrival of the France squad : Saturday 29 until Monday 1 October

Around the Rugby World Cup

The City of Marseilles is also organising a number of events and activities throughout September and October. From an electro music festival to diverse exhibitions and sports demos, local residents and visitors to the city will be kept well entertained.

On match days, the public is invited to discover the world of rugby at the Local Co- ordinating Committee’s exhibition stand.

September by the sea

Until Monday 8 October 2007 Marine and nautical-themed event giving the public the opportunity to learn more about Marseilles’s maritime heritage.

New Zealand cooking classes

Thursday 6 September 10.00 a.m. – Together with members of the All Blacks and the team nutritionist, Kiwi chef Péta Mathias will be teaching food journalists how to whip up dishes from New Zealand using lamb, deer, fish, seafood, apples and vodka. Places are limited. Register before the 31 August 2007 by calling 01.45.01.43.13 or e- mailing [email protected].

Rugby Street

From Friday 7 September until Sunday 7 October 9.00 p.m. – Rue Venture becomes Rugby Street. Several shopkeepers will transform the road into a lively, friendly Rugby-themed party area. Bandas and bodegas every night.

Latinissimo: 3 rd half-time at the Dock des Suds

From Saturday 8 September until Sunday 7 October 7.00 p.m. – following Marseilles matches, Docks des Suds will be hosting 6 rugby-themed nights going on until 2.00 a.m. According to the countries that have played in the match, the venue will offering a varied line-up of acts sporting World Cup colours.

Festival Vet’s de Marseille

From Sunday 9 September until Friday 5 October International rugby veterans tournament, Saint-Menet sports centre, mouton stadium. Each day of the tournament will finish with a celebratory meal in the town centre (rue Venture).

European Heritage Day

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September The public will be able to visit the city’s most important sites free of charge. Saturday 15 September 11.00 a.m. to 7 p.m. – The Musicatreize ensemble is celebrating 20 years of music. The group combines classical and contemporary and brings together music and theatre. Visitors may accompany them on a free tour of the city, with performances at each stage along the way.

2007 open sea sailing trophy

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September Free lessons onboard kayaks and liveaboards. www.voilesaularge.net

Marseilles International Fair From Friday 21 September until Monday 1 October This year, the City of Marseilles–Urban Community of Marseilles Prove nce Métropole joint stand will be particularly popular. The theme this year is “ Marseilles welcomes you with open arms ”. Visitors can learn more and take part in activities based around 4 key themes: Breathe, Move, Advance and Share .

Marsatac Festival

From Friday 21 until Saturday 29 September 20,000 people are expected to attend the now legendary electro music festival. This year’s line-up is particularly impressive. Friday 21, 9.00 p.m. – electro-acoustic composer Pierre Henry will perform two of his major works: Messe de Liverpool and Une tour de Babel. St Victor’a abbey. Saturday 22 September , 9.30 p.m. – Manchester night. Cabaret Aléatoire 28 and 29 September , 7.30 p.m. – huge electronic music festival in two giant marquees on Esplanade Saint-Jean/J4 featuring international stars such as Rakim and Mos Def .

“vire-vire” family regatta

Sunday 7 October Popular regatta that may be viewed from La Corniche, L’Estaque, La Pointe-rouge and Le Vallon de l’Oriol.

Cow Parade

Until 11 October Having visited London, New York and Tokyo, the Cow Parade is coming to Marseilles. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the 63 cows decorated according to a theme chosen by the artists. During the Marseilles International Fair, 20 unusual cows will be on display in Chanot Park.

Exhibition

From Monday 20 August until Wednesday 31 October Visit the “Mari-Mira, the fancy shack spirit” exhibition by Les pas perdus. J4 From Thursday 30 August until Thursday 16 September Exhibition on Maori tattoos « Ta Moko: Taku Ara, Taku Mana » (Ta Moko: My Pathway, My Prestige). Espace Culture, from Monday to Saturday, 10.00 a.m. to 6.45 p.m. From Wednesday 15 September until Tuesday 23 October Free exhibition telling the history of the construction of the Vélodrome stadium. Archived documents will be on display: maps, photos, newpaper articles, sketches. Open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 1.00 to 6.00; Saturdays from 2.00 to 6.00. Municipal Archive. From Friday 10 September until Saturday 6 October Free exhibition of the drawings of Roger Blachon, Espaces Culture et Ecureuil

Marseilles, land of sport and rugby

• Land of sport…

200,000 residents of Marseilles belong to a club or sports association. That’s one in every four. Every weekend, the locals turn out in their thousands and head for the vast expanses of land across the city to play sport.

Marseilles has close to 1000 sports facilities! - The Palais des Sports de Marseille - The Marseilles/Provence dojo - The Pastré equestrian centre - The Prado Bowl (Skate park) - 2 all-sports halls - 3 swimming baths - 21 tennis centres: 85 courts - 110 gyms, including 44 of competition standard - 72 stadiums: 89 open-air pitches - 216 bowls sets - 239 sports grounds…

• Land of rugby

The enthusiasm aroused by the presence of the France squad during the test matches goes to show that Marseilles truly is the “land of rugby”. With a jam-packed stadium and a buzzing city, Marseilles’s love of rugby is in evidence at every international match.

With 1,250 registered players, the city was ranked fourth in France for registered rugby players during the 2006–07 season, despite not having a high-level team. Behind Lyon, Paris and Toulouse, Marseilles is up there with the rugby greats.

Marseille-Vitrolles is one of six clubs in Marseilles to reach Fédérale 2 level.

The aim now is to reach Fédérale 1 and make in into the Top 14 in the future. Marseille-Vitrolles Benoît Rover (President): Tel. 04 91 62 48 79

Other clubs: - SMUC – Jean-Pierre Durbesson (president): Tel. 04 91 77 50 51 - L’Amicale Sportive 2001 – Jean Broc (president): Tel. 04 91 69 20 15 - Marseille Huveaune Rugby Club – Christian Ayme (president): Tel. 04 91 45 20 43 – 06 64 41 51 94 - Rugby Club Marseille Est – Gilles Carassic (president): Tel. 04 91 88 62 66 - Les Cadeneaux – Georges Cavalié (president): Tel. 04 91 96 14 75

The World Cup has already successfully kicked off in Marseilles…with youngsters.

When the Rugby Train passed through Marseilles on August 8, ‘rugby matches’ were organised at the summer stadium, on the Prado beaches. Kids, teens, girls and boys turned out in their masses to join in rugby demos and games, with the opportunity to win 100 tickets to the World Cup matches, which will be held at the Vélodrome.

The City of Marseilles has bought 6,000 tickets

As part of the “Rugby in the city” scheme, Marseilles youngsters will have the chance to win tickets to the six World Cup matches which will take place at the Vélodrome. Supported by France Rugby Cité and Rugby Club Entreprise, this is a big sporting and community initiative and will take place in a number of the region’s districts.

Regional finals will be held in Marseilles and will coincide with the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter finals. The event will be open to boys and girls aged between 10 and 17. The aim is to initiate these youngsters into the merits of rugby and to help them to establish contact with the business world through exchanges, fun and learning. Several hundreds of teenagers have learnt how to play rugby since the 22 November 2006.

Impressive facilities

• Velodrome stadium, temple of football… and rugby

If Marseilles is the football capital, the Vélodrome is its temple.

As well as Olympique de Marseille and its fervent fan base, Marseilles offers many more sporting challenges besides football championships and competitions. Several thousand of youngsters are involved in sport through clubs, playing on all kinds of official or improvised grounds, such as the Prado beaches. A powerful means of expression, sport allows youngster to develop a personality and a sense of identity, particularly in less privileged areas. In addition it offers the entire population a means of becoming socially integrated.

The Vélodrome stadium is a place where locals from all areas and social classes can come together to share a single passion.

Built in 1938 for the Football World Cup, hosted that year by France, the Vélodrome was the first French stadium to be constructed from concrete.

The stadium was totally renovated by the City of Marseilles at the time of the 1998 Football World Cup. Its capacity has been increased to 60,000 seats, making it the biggest stadium for a French home team (the Stade de France is not home to a resident team). The renovation cost in excess of 70 million euros, 40 million of which were provided by the City of Marseilles. The work had to be carried out ahead of a 1998 Football World Cup semi-final.

For several years, the Vélodrome has also hosted France rugby matches. This autumn the stadium will be hosting the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

• High-quality training grounds

Located in the 8th arrondissement, Jean Bouin, the city’s biggest sports facility, has undergone some dramatic changes. Its range of equipment and visitor numbers make it a sporting Mecca. In order to satisfy the many users of the complex, which offers locals a range of activities (rugby, football, athletics, handball, basketball, gymnastics, weights training, etc.) and to offer a top-quality training centre for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the town council is overseeing the refurbishment, modernisation and extension of this facility and Roger Couderc, Lamartine and Luminy sports centres.

The squads staying in Marseilles will therefore enjoy the use of 4 training grounds.

Two squads will have their base camp in Marseilles. New Zealand : 2 September to 13 September Italy : 5 September to 13 September

The teams will have on-site access to a stadium, gym, weights training room and swimming pool. - Jean Bouin – Bonneveine swimming pool - Roger Couderc – St Joseph – Micocoulier swimming pool - Lamartine (sports centre with swimming pool) - Luminy (stadium and pool) – Roy d’Espagne gym

All facilities are shut off from public view.

1. Jean Bouin (rugby pitch, football pitch, sports grounds, running track, gym and changing rooms) Avenue Clot Bey 13008 Marseilles

Pitches: - Laying of a synthetic pitch on the football ground - Sports grounds asphalted - Renovation of the lighting system in the 2 stadiums - Total refurbishment of the rugby stadium (sanitation, drainage, irrigation, turf) Gym: - Insulation - Floors painted and touched up - Ventilation - Total renovation and upgrading of the changing rooms Running track: - Running track totally repaired - Creation of jumping boards and throwing platforms Vicinity: - Renovation of the parking facilities on the rue Callelongue - Creation of a car park and access road on avenue Clot Bey - Creation of additional premises - Building of a stand - Repair work to the exterior of the rugby club - Landscaping Total cost: €6,750,000

2 . Roger Couderc (St Joseph stadium, Roger Couderc stadium, gym) , Boulevard Simon Bolivar 13015 Marseilles - Pitches returfed - Repair work to irrigation and drainage systems - Repair work to the lighting in the two stadiums - Total refurbishment of the gym (renovations to sports flooring, heating, lighting) - Creation of a weights room measuring 200 m 2 - Laying of synthetic pitch in the St Joseph stadium - Renovation of the changing rooms Total cost: €1,400,000

3 . Lamartine complex (stadium, gym, swimming pool) , Ch de Palanque 13015 Marseilles - Grass stadium upgraded - Changing rooms repainted - Creation of a weights training room Total cost: €230,000

4 . Luminy / Roy d’Espagne

Luminy : (stadium, running track, weights training room), Rue Henri Cochet 13009 Marseilles - Pitch repaired - Weights training room modernised (flooring, paintwork, equipment) - Running track a ground markings repaired - Creation of a massage room - All changing rooms painted

Roy d’Espagne : (gym), 42, chemin du Roy d’Espagne 13009 Marseilles - Building painted throughout - Laying of synthetic flooring - Sound-proofing - Creation of a weights training room - Plumbing and sanitation systems repaired Total cost: €400,000

Squads staying in Marseilles

Two squads have chosen Marseilles as their base camp:

New Zealand : In Marseilles : from 2 September to 13 September Squad size : 55 Training premises: Jean Bouin stadium and gym – Avenue de Callelongue,13008 Marseilles

Italy : In Marseilles : from Wednesday 5 September until Thursday 13 September Squad size : 47 Training premises : Roger Couderc stadium, Micocouliers swimming pool – 13014 Marseilles

Other squads staying in Marseilles

Argentina : In Marseilles : from Friday 21 until Sunday 23 September Training premises : Jean Bouin stadium and gym, Bonneveine swimming pool – Avenue de Hambourg, 13008 Marseilles

France : In Marseilles : from Saturday 29 September until Monday 1 October Training premises : Jean Bouin stadium and gym, Bonneveine swimming pool

Georgia : In Marseilles : from Thursday 27 September until Monday 1 October Training premises : Luminy stadium and swimming pool – Rue Henri Cochet ,13009 Marseilles

Romania : In Marseilles : from Tuesday 11 until Thursday 13 September Training premises : Luminy stadium and swimming pool, Roy d’Espagne gym – 13009 Marseilles

JOURNALISTS’ SCHEDULE

Sunday 2 September 5.30 p.m. – The All Blacks arrive in Marseilles 6.30 p.m. – press conference for the arrival of the All Blacks 7.30 p.m. – Welcome Ceremony

Wednesday 5 September Media Centre opens

Thursday 6 September Media Centre open Press conference, New Zealand team announced Press conference, Italy team announced

Friday 7 September Media Centre open

Saturday 8 September 1.45 p.m. – New Zealand–Italy Media Centre open Evening welcome reception for local, national and international press to mark the opening of the 2007 Rugby World Cup (contact : press office City of Marseille Rafael Mira +33 6 32 28 93 71)

Monday 10 September Press conference, Italy team announced

Tuesday 11 September Media Centre open

Wednesday 12 September 8.00 p.m. – Italy–Romania Media Centre open

“Rugby in the city” regional finals on the Prado beaches

Thursday 13 September New Zealand press conference (team announced)

Friday 21 September Media Centre open

Saturday 22 September Media Centre open 9.00 p.m. – Argentina–Namibia

“Rugby in the city” regional finals at the Centre Sportif Départemental de Fontainieu

Friday 28 September press conference to announce the Georgia team

Saturday 29 September Media Centre open

Sunday 30 September Media Centre open 3.00 p.m. – France–Georgia 8.00 p.m. – Evening welcome reception for local, national and international press to mark the french match (contact : press office City of Marseille Rafael Mira +33 6 32 28 93 71)

Wednesday 3 October Media Centre open

Thursday 4 October Media Centre open

Friday 5 October Media Centre open

Saturday 6 October Media Centre open 3.00 p.m. – Quarter final – first B group v. second A group (Australia? – Wales?) 8.00 p.m. – Press reception to mark the quarter final in Marseilles (contact : press office City of Marseille Rafael Mira +33 6 32 28 93 71)

Sunday 7 October Media Centre open 3.00 p.m. – Quarter final – first A group v. second B group (England? – South Africa?)

Saturday 13 October 9.00 p.m. – Stade de France – 1 st semi-final

Sunday 14 October 9.00 p.m. – Stade de France – 2 nd semi-final

Friday 19 October 9.00 p.m. – Parc des Princes – match for third place

Saturday 20 October 9.00 p.m. – Stade de France – Final

ANNEX

OVER 100 YEARS AGO, MARSEILLES WAS ALREADY RUGBY MAD

1891–95: The first team sport arrives in Marseilles

From 1880–90, crews working on English ships in Marseilles would frequently form rugby teams and make the most of their stopover to practise their favourite sport. Their compatriots living in Marseilles would welcome them and play against them, in particular Eastern Telegraph Company employees, who had their own team. In 1891, some students from Marseilles created a football club (the first of its kind in the city) and challenged the Eastern Telegraph team. The students suffered a crushing defeat which put paid to the shortlived club. Two years later, Marseilles took up the gauntlet. The project centered around the Fol Club, a group of young students and pupils from the Lycée de Marseille who were used to organising nights out on the town and wanted to try something new. One September evening in 1893, president Pélissier suggested reorganising the Fol Club into a football–rugby society. The idea was adopted, heralding the birth of the Sporting Club de Marseilles (SCM) . The following Sunday, sixteen strapping lads kitted out in multicoloured shirts lined up eight against eight (not having enough players) on the bumpy, litter-strewn wasteground in Le Rouet for their first training session. Progress over the following weeks was meteoric, thanks to Adams, Kimes, Munro and a few other English people recruited from among frequent visitors to the American-Bar, a café on the Allées de Meilhan whose owner, Englishman Henry Victor, was an ex fighter, boxer and rugby player. Newcomer and Englishman Bergl, recommended by the Union of French Athletic Associations (USFSA), would be truly responsible for introducing rugby to Marseilles. Early in 1895, sailors aboard the Caledonia , an English P&O steamer, suggested a friendly match to the SCM. Fixed for Sunday 3 February 1895, the match was announced in the papers. To everyone’s surprise, the S.C.M. won by a mile. The energy and speed of the Marseilles novices had beaten the experience and strength of the less agile Caledonia sailors. Immediately the locals began to take an interest in this new sport. Three days after the match, the Midi Sport arrived in Marseilles supported by 800 subscribers, all fervent supporters of the SCM: the Marseilles sports press was born!

1895: Rugby resists football

To give the Caledonia players the chance to have their revenge the following Sunday, the S.C.M. players agreed to a return match on the 10 February, to be played not according to rugby rules, but to football rules: this was the first football match to be played in Marseilles. The English had no difficulty beating the Marseilles team, who didn’t even know the rules of the game. From this point on, football became a club activity, without supplanting rugby, which had gone from strength to strength since the victory over the Caledonia , taking on such established teams as Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux. On the 20 November 1895, the S.C.M. won permission from the council to play matches on the Borély park pitch over the winter – a far remove from the holes, broken bottles and rubble of the exercise ground, this was to become for many years the principal training ground for Marseilles’s rugby players and footballers. On the 14 December 1896, Le Petit Marseillais dedicated its front page, with drawings, to the new fashionable sport, rugby. This was the first time that any sport had made it into the major Marseilles papers.

1897–99: ‘ Straight to the goal ’ with the Football Club de Marseille

Having disappeared in early 1897, the SCM reappeared in 1898 with new recruits, but most of the old members, together with members of the Fol Club, now found themsleves part of the Football Club de Marseille, an all-sports club established in August 1897 by René Dufaure de Montmirail. Soon his black shirt featuring a purple star was making a big impression on the tracks and pitches against the new Sporting Club and the Union Sportive Phocéenne. His rugby team in particular was already living up to its motto, ‘straight to the goal’. On the 12 February 1899, they played Grenoble in Borély park and, to everyone’s surprise, won 10–0; this was the first match to be immortalised by photographers. A few days later, a win against F.C. Lyon, one of the best teams in France, was resounding: 26–0. The fashion in Marseilles for rugby had only just begun and when, a few months later, towards the end of 1899, the Football Club was renamed Olympique de Marseille (O.M.), stillunder the leadership of President de Montmirail, rugby remained the number one sport of the many played at the club.

1900–08: rugby rules in the early days of O.M.

On the 26 February 1900, in front of 4,000 spectators, O.M. beat the prestigious Racing Club de Lyon rugby team. Intrepid Marseilles newpaper Le Bavard was quick to predict, a little incautiously: “Next year O.M. will be the best team in France!”. In fact, Marseilles rugby players would have to be satisfied with the more modest success of being repeatedly local rugby champions from 1900 to 1908, without ever managing to make it to national level, a feat that the football team was meanwhile able to achieve. In 1908, Le Radical declared: “For several years now football has supplanted rugby in Marseilles”. Since then, and for one hundred years, football has ruled in the city, while no Marseilles rugby club has managed to reach national level. But the enthusiasm with which the people of Marseilles have welcomed the France rugby squad and major international teams again and again over the years proves that they are once again ready to be seduced by the magical oval ball and rekindle their long forgotten first passion. The world cup is the ideal opportunity!

Pierre ECHINARD

Press contacts

Members of press office of the City of Marseilles

Corrine Ferraro – Chief Tél. : 00 33 4 91 14 64 36 – Mob. 00 33 6 32 28 93 72 Email : [email protected]

Rafael Mira - Tél. : 00 33 4 91 14 65 12 Email : [email protected]

Jean-François Cauquil - Tél. : 00 33 91 14 64 11 Email : [email protected]

Mobile press office – 00 33 6 32 28 93 71

Administration – Patricia Giacalone – Tél. 00 33 4 91 14 65 25 Internet http://www.marseille.fr

Tourism Office of Marseilles – street 2 Beauvau – 13001 Marseille Tél. : 00 33 4 91 13 89 00 Maxime Tissot – Chief Tél. 00 33 4 91 13 89 19 Email : [email protected]

Silvie Allemand – Tél. 00 33 4 91 13 89 19 – Mob. 00 33 6 73 86 09 80 Email : [email protected]

Marion Fabre – Tél. 00 33 4 91 13 99 73 Email : [email protected]

Site Internet : www.marseille-tourisme.com