The Fans: The Ultras
By: Inara | September 7th, 2007In today’s post of getting to know the fans, we’ll learn about the various Lyon ultras.
Ultras refer to a club’s supporter groups, each of which have their own identities and colors. They are responsible for the color streamers and banners displayed during matches, and are loyal to the stands in which they assemble. What makes ultras different from casual fans is they never stop singing during a match, no matter what the outcome is, go to away matches in numbers, and basically do their best to spur on their team.
Bad Gones cheering on Lyon during their home match against AC Milan.
Lyon have several supporter groups, which each have their own responsibilities. Guignol, moderator extraordinaire at the BigSoccer forums, graciously agreed to describe each of them for this blog. You can also check out their page on Lyon’s official website. Here is a diagram of the Stade de Gerland if you need help with the locations Guignol describes.
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Name: Bad Gones
Created: 1987
Website: www.bg87.com
This is by far the most important group; the biggest, with 2500 members, and the oldest, founded in 1987. They have 2 sections set aside for them in the lower north end but really they run the whole VNI (not in the way the clubs control the virages at the Vélodrome: all tickets are sold by OL, not by supporters’ clubs). They generally englobe the upper end in their “tifos” meaning graphic displays, and they do as good a job at them as anyone this side of north korea.
They have pretty cool gear, especially a sweatshirt with VIRAGE NORD in EVERLAST typefaceI’d love to have, but that’s members only; They’re kind of like the HA for their colors, although they welcome everyone into the surrounding sections and their road trips are open to all.
Apparently they had some AF or FN overtones at the beginning but that was nipped in the bud, I believe aulas made it a personal issue and I have personally never seen the slightest hint of anything untoward in the last 16 years I’ve been going to gerland.
Bad Gones thanking Lyon’s Brazilians.
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Name: Cosa Nostra Lyon
Created: 2006 (Lugdumnum - 1993, Nucleo Ultra - 2000)
Website: http://cosanostralyon.forumactif.com/
This is to the virage sud what the BG are to the virage nord, and it was created last May from two other clubs, the Lugdunums and the Nucléo Ultra. The Lugdunums were Lyon’s second biggest group, with about 600 members, and they also organized buses to away games and put together “tifos”. BTW, lugdunum was the roman name for lyon, in fact the name comes from the gauls, but the Lugdus aren’t that old, they were founded in 1993. Nucléo Ultra were a smaller club, but bigger than the 60 members indicated on olweb I’m sure; in any case they always had as much visibility as their new partners… they seem to be pretty young and perhaps immature… the only incidents I’ve ever seen around Gerland have concerned them, but it’s pretty minor stuff like cutting in line for the metro, trying the grab and run at kebab stands, etc… no vespas chucked off the second tier or anything like that.
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Name: Rouge & Bleu
Created: 2000
Website: www.lesrougeetbleu.com
They’re in Jean Bouin inférieur towards the north end and you can see that it’s a family type group, with women and kids involved. Their trademark is waving flags of all the nations represented on the OL roster, and their message is clearly tolerance and fair play. There are about 200 members but sometimes I’d say there are only about half that in their section.
All nationalities are represented here.
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Name: Hex@gones
Created: 2000
Website: www.hexagones.org
The particularity of this club is that they come from all over France and as such are likely more present at away matches than at Gerland. Although they always have a banner in JB or the VS, they don’t really have a section, I think they sit just about anywhere and their group activities in Lyon are probably just having a few beers together after the match. Notable is that they are always present at CFA and ladies’ matches too.
Cheering on OL Ladies.
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Name: O’Elle Club
Created: 2005
Website: monsite.orange.fr/oelleclub/
Ladies only, which makes them a novelty. The club was formed by women who left the north end because they wanted a more laid back atmosphere. It’s the smallest group but OL is enthused by the idea so they get good access to players and events and coverage on olweb and OLTV… but if there are really only 50 members, they’re pretty hard core! Looking at their section in Jean Jaurès I swear they’re all there all the time; at ladies’ matches I’ve even seen twice that number sitting behind their banner. Plus they’re present at all practices.
O’Elle club gets a lot of support from OL.
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Name: Gastrogones 69
Created: 2005
Website: www.gastrogones69.com
This is a new group but the members are generally older and oldtime supporters. Their idea is to mix food and football (pourquoi pas?) and as for the Hex@gones they don’t really form a section at Gerland but get together at restaurants, both in Lyon and away, discovering the cuisine of other regions and countries.
Lyon: home to good food and good football.
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Name: Gones 58
Created: 2006
Website: Pending
They’re based in Burgundy (the 58 is for the Nièvre department), a great thing and long overdue; OM and ASSE for example have fan clubs all over france…
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Handi-Sup-OL
Created: 2007
Website: Pending
Another new group, this one is a group with disabilities as their focus.
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Some tifos:
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Comments
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Great presentation
On last thursday, the new stadium was presented to Grand Lyon collectivities… It will be “diamond-shaped”, inspired of the Amsterdam Arena, and will take care of Ecology, “developpement durable”, will have a retractable lawn and a roof partially closed.
I don’t know if that will be a practical stadium for “Tifos”. Wait & See.Posted from
France
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If it’s like the A-ArenA then I hope they’ll plan the roofing a little better : Ajax have to change the playing surface 4 times each season, and the surface still isn’t very good…
Any info on how many people OL-Land will seat? I doubt it will be 50,000+ like the A-ArenA, since OL’s average attendancy is only 37,000… And for the Ultras to live on, they need the stadium to “look” full…
And last season against Rennes (in Rennes), the most vocal moment Lyon’s Ultras had was when they whistled their team at full-time… Even though it was the draw that handed you the title.
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The new stadium will have a capacity of about 60 000 (including 5 000 ‘loges’). They mentioned a partially closed roof and a playing surface that could be taken-off (rétractable) for concerts. The stadium will also be available for international rugby and football games.
Last year, we had one of the (if not the) highest filling rate in the league, and an average of 38 500. The new stadium won’t be full all the time, but neither are the big stadiums all over Europe. It will also depend a lot on the price of the tickets. I hope it won’t get too expensive. But I’m not too worried. In England, people will come no matter the price. Not in Lyon.
About last year’s game against Rennes, it wasn’t the Ultras who whistled but people from Jean Bouin and Jean Jaures that never sing (except for a ‘Qui ne saute pas’) but find it smart to whistle their team when they’re Champions.
Concerning the Ultras, you should all go see the tifos of the Bad Gones on their Web Site. Some are quite impressive.
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Hi again,
As we are talking about Gerland and the fans, here is one of the most emotional moment that happened in Gerland.
This video shows the homage after the death of two lyonnais in a car crash to see an away game.
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/lyon+paris+hommage/video/xk47z_hommage-matthiasjyves-olpsg_sport
I was in Gerland that day. I think the 40 000 people had shivers.Posted from
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Lyon has the highest filling rate in the league, at 96% and 100% in the CL. By the time the stadium is built, Lyon’s fanbase will have gotten bigger, and filling those extra 20,000 seats shouldn’t be a problem.
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Thanks for this, very interesting - I’ve often wondered about the different supporter groups. What does the ‘Kop’ have to do with the Bad Gones (theres a sign on Virage Nord). To me the Kop was always uniquely owned by Liverpool fans. I take it that the coloured pieces of paper that are sometimes put on the seats to hold up before a match are organised by the club not the Ultras?
By the way the Rennes match didn’t see us crowned champions last year. Technically, having only drawn, we could still have been beated on goal difference (though the gap was massive and realistically never going to be closed). I think that was the fans frustration but to whistle was obviously a stupid, not so say very unsupportative, reaction.
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Kop and sud are terms that refer to specific locations in a stadium. So the velo and the gerland have kops, as well as the olimpico and so forth, but I guess at Anfield it became a specific name for the place.
About the Rennes match - the fans whistling was a very rare occurrence, since Lyon fans hardly if ever go down on their team or a poorly performing player. I don’t know if the whistling came from the ultras (I find that hard to believe), but that was the time when Lyon went five matches and only scored one goal. Quite embarrassing for the champions.
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Lyon had 38,546 supporters on average at home games last season. That’s good, since the stadium was only 43,051 places. That’s a 93.91% filling rate, since there are places that can’t be used for security reasons.
But shooting up to 60,000 is still a steep increase. Most English clubs fill 95% or more of their stadium, and only a very few of them are going to increase to 60,000 (Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle are planning increases up to 60,000; Man Utd and Arsenal have 60,000+ stadia).
Marseille have a 60,000 stadium, and they can’t fill it, even though the town is as big and the side is (arguably as) prestigious (as Lyon, or more).
I can’t see why Aulas is so intent on builing a new stadium. Perhaps it’s more cost-effective (like Liverpool). I also can’t see why he wants a retractable playing field, since it’s very bad for the grass. I just really don’t want Aulas to start thinking of OL-land as something that should host concerts, etc., because it will ruin the playing surface, making any visit to Lyon difficult because of the poor pitch condition.
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Ok now I understand Kop!
yes the whistling really was a one off. There were quite a few people near me whistling (from memory I was in Jean Bouin for that match). I remember feeling very frustrated that Lyon couldn’t break the score and that we didn’t win on that evening (it was a lovely sunny evening and at the beginning of the match there was a great feeling of anticipation). Yet to here whistling from our own fans was quite shocking. In fairness to the players Rennes also played a very defensive game and clearly set out to hold the game to a goaless draw.Posted from
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My brother used to have seats near the bad gones. It’s amazing!
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Shazback, the reason Aulas wants a new stadium is to increase revenue in the long run. The financial rewards for it are quite substantial.
I’m not sure how willing OL would be to sharing their stadium, since the Gerland will be used primarily for rugby. He does want to be able to host higher profile international football games, and wants to bring a CL final there.
I think the adjoining shopping and hotel complex near the stadium are also designed to lure in more people. Or maybe there is something else. But Aulas is rarely wrong financially, and he must be aware of the dangers. He wouldn’t take the risk unless he was sure it would pay off. So if he thinks Lyon can fill their stadium in four years, they just might.
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Inara : Ajax fill their stadium, but it’s still crap to play in, and quite ironically Ajax’s level has gone down since they changed stadium.
Ajax won the Champion’s League in 1995, were runners-up in 1996, and won three leagues (94,95,96) before moving to the ArenA. Since the move, they have won three Eredivie (98,02,04), and have failed to live up to their european pedigree (in the latter half of the 90s).
Sure, the ArenA itself isn’t to blame for the lack of success, since the selling-off of very good players was also one of the causes. However, the selling-off of players was due to requirements to repay the loans taken out to build the stadium. Whats more, a lot of players who have played at Ajax say that the pitch slows down the play, tires the players more than a normal pitch, and has slightly random ball effects, since the grass isn’t good… because of lack of sunlight due to the poorly planned roof and hight of the stands.
I understand that Aulas wants a new stadium. Heck, I think that there being only one club in Ligue 1 that owns it’s stadium (not for long, since Auxerre are going down) is bad, because it fragilises clubs financially. However, to use the Amsterdam ArenA for the plans seems to be a bad choice. Stadia need to have a ‘look’ that sets them apart from others, but also have very good technical performances, since they are the base for the whole club’s performances in the long run. The ArenA failed there… So naturally, I’m cautious when talks about a stadium that is inspired of it.
Gerland might be used for rugby… But by who? Lyon doesn’t have a quality rugby team that would warrant it’s use, even for “exceptional” matches, like the Stade Français use the Stade de France to play against Biarritz or Toulouse. Since it remains a municipal stadium, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was knocked down, because it doesn’t have any more purpose (football will be at the new stadium, Rugby at an international level has lots of stadia to choose from, athletics have the Stade de France, etc.). Then it remains to be seen why Aulas (or why the architects have implanted) a retractable playing surface. I can only see one answer : to allow the pitch to be “protected” during concerts. But “protected” is misleading, because by confining it to a small area without light for 2, 3 or 4 days (setting up 3 concerts, playing them and then packing up) would be almost as bad as having 50,000 people trample it 2 or 3 evenings… And I don’t want Rennes to have to play Lyon on a muddy field that’s in poor condition simply because Aulas chose to have a Johnny Halliday concert three days before.
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Sorry, I’ll add one more thing to that :
I hope that one day, we will see France (NT) play everywhere in France, and not just in 1 or 2 stadiums (Stade de France, Vélodrome). Gerland is a 4-star UEFA stadium, and can host UEFA Cup finals, and yet France very rarely play in Lyon. In some countries, like England, only playing in 1 or 2 stadia is less of a problem because of the size of the country. But in France, it is a problem. How can people from Lille go down to Marseille? How can people from Toulouse go to the Stade de France? I don’t get it. Those are 7 or 9 hour trips each way… And you can have longer trips if you come from Biarritz or Brest. In countries such as England, it’s less of a problem. From Newcastle to Wembley is less than 5 hours… And that’s the furthest you can get.
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What to do with Gerland is indeed a problem.
But keep in mind that until the end of the 80’s, the stadium was far from being filled during Lyon’s games. So they know what to expect.
They could ask Lyon-la-duchere to play there, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aulas try to bring another Lyon team in Ligue1 once OL Land is running.
All the big leagues have famous derby’s apart from France (Saint-Etienne Lyon being the biggest real derby).
So I see Aulas trying to get a real team in the Gerland to promote the whole thing and make of Lyon a real football city.I know it is not that easy (my post may sound simple), but trust Aulas, he is always a step ahead.
Lyon won’t destroy their “stade municipal”, they are one of the 3 biggest cities in France and are forced to have a stadium for the image of the city.Posted from
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Mathilde, your video is extraordinary, and legendary.
Thank you.Posted from
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Great post! I learned a lot about football and Lyon.
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Pride of Lyon : Thing is, Aulas doesn’t have a say in what happens to Gerland. It’s the town council that will choose what happens there. The town council used the stadium for very diverse activities until the 1990s, when Lyon accepted to pay rent to use the stadium as a private space. This meant that the Athletics track wasn’t conserved during the 1998 renovations, just like the cycling track had been removed in 1960. Nowdays, Gerland could host two things : football or rugby (as I see it). Now, you can’t have both, so it means that the town council would have to find one or possibly two clubs that are willing to share the bill to play the same sport in the stadium… Since Lyon have no “smaller” football sides (None in Ligue 2 or in National), so a 40,000 capacity stadium won’t be something that another football club (La Duchère) can use. So then there’s rugby. Lyon OU might want to move, but they wouldn’t be able to foot the bill (they barely fill the 3,000-seat Vuillermet) so they’d want a second club to help them pay. Only Oyonnax plays high level rugby near Lyon (they’re in D2 like LyonOU), but they wouldn’t want a move because they are Lyon’s rivals from the Ain department…
As far as I see, Lyon will knock down the stadium, or perhaps use it for a while as a concert venue, but Lyon has concert locations that are better than Gerland, so it would only be a short-term solution.
And Gerland was often “fuller” in the 70s than today… 48,500 against Saint-Etienne in the 1982 Ligue 1 season remains the domestic league record for Gerland’s attendancy, and 51,600 was hit during Lyon’s European campaigns back in the 70s… Lower ticket prices and more interest in football in the 60s and 70s from people in the area (Saint-Etienne was just next door) was just blocked out by Lyon’s poor results throughout the 80s, and by the overall reflux of people’s interest in football in France during the 80s, until Tapie brought Marseille back to the front of the European scene in 1990. Lyon has had a “full” Gerland for quite a long time, if you take away the Ligue 2 years.
And don’t kid yourself : French city planning will knock down a municipal stadium that doesn’t have a tenant. Lyon has quite a few other stadia : Vuillermet, Iris, Patinoire Charlemagne, Astroballe, George Lyvet… Sure, Gerland is the “biggest” of them all, but with OL-Land, it won’t be something they “need”.
I’m also sick that France paid for the works on Gerland for the 1998 World cup, and that less than 20 years later, I’m getting the feeling that the stadium will be un-used or mis-used, if not demolished.
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Shazback : The NT has played in nearly all the big stadiums after the 98 WC. Lens, Caen, Marseille, etc…
One thing must be remembered about Lyon supporters : there are a bunch of bandwagonners.
Before Lyon was the king of L1, Lyon had a good albeit average crop of fans.
Now, they’re quite amazing, but really, I’d take, PSG, OM, Nantes, Lens, St Etienne and probably a few more under normal cicrumstances (ie : not winning L1 easily for 6 years).Posted from
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some reaction to several points:
all these average attendance figures are fannies in seats: the difference between thethem and the 42,000 capacity represents two sections left empty for security reasons, the inability of most visitors to fill the section given them, and no-shows. i believe that all matches have been sold out for a few years now, in any case it’s never any use going to the FNAC for single match tickets after, say, wednesday.
fans in Jean Band Jean Jaures may be less knowledgeable and vocal, and they do most of the whistling, but the virages know how to get down on the team too, but it never lasts long and is always followed by strong encouragement. by the same token, when the ends get quiet, juni or greg will make gestures showing their displeasure too; it’s give and take.
Gerland will in theory be reduced in seating and turned over to the LOU rugby team when OL leaves. They had had a project for a 15,000 seater in Venissieux, on the same lot as OL was considering for a while, but even that seems ambitious; as shazback says, they can’t even fill Vuillermet now. But the club does have ambitions for promotion to the top 14, have a big sponsor and JMA is offering support too, so their situation may improve. As for tearing Gerland down, that is not an option; since it was designed by a famous local architect back in the 20’s it is a historical landmark (even if little but the arches remain of his stadium)… inexplicable and maddening, since it’s that status that impeded further renovation that would have let OL stay there. http://perso.orange.fr/demeraux.jerome/Cartes/Lyon.jpg
shaz also says gerland used to be “fuller” but really it was just bigger… it was a cavernous old s…hole and even on the rare occasions in the 90’s when there’d be over 20,000 people it was hard to get any noise going in the place… in the virages you had to get so high up to get any kind of viewing angle that it seemed you were as for from the near goal as you are today from the far goal!
last, sure there are some “footix” (bandwaggoners) but that doesn’t mean OL won’t keep a lot of the new fans even when they stop being perennial champions. something else to realize is that Lyon is a very vibrant city that has grown about 10% in each of the last two decades and is still advancing.
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Oh OL should keep some.
But the hard core is IMO inferior to that of the teams I mentionned.
Caen is another fantastic fanbase that is somewhat underrated.Posted from
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Hi there. Was wondering if anyone can give me info on the upcoming Glasgow Rangers game. I am unable to get tickets for the “away” end and was wondering if tickets would be available for the home support and where the best place would be to sit. Hope someone can help me.
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United States
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