Whilst it may not have been plain sailing for Olympique de Marseille last season, with the French giants burning through four managers and missing out on European football for the current campaign, the club’s support was as fervent as ever with 1,593,000 fans descending on the Vélodrome over the course of the season – a new record for the historic club.

Last season, OM counted 48,000 season ticket-holders, another record and an increase of 3,000 on the previous season. For Les Phocéens, it has been a busy summer with the arrival of a new, renowned manager in the form of Roberto De Zerbi, and a subsequent squad overhaul. There is an optimism around Marseille that was only accentuated by a resounding 5-1 victory over Stade Brestois in the opening gameweek.

That optimism is reflected in this year’s season ticket-holder figure, with 49,000 signing up this year – that is more than the commercial capacity of Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes and an increase of 10,000 compared to the 2021/22 campaign.

That figure is just over 17,000 short of the capacity of the Vélodrome, which against Stade de Reims will be full to the brim in what is the first sell-out of the Ligue 1 campaign. It is sure to be the first of many at the Vélodrome this season.

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