| Stadium Name: | Palais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est |
| Logo Image: | Palais_omnisport_Marseille_Grand-Est_logo.png |
| Address: | 12 boulevard Fernand Bonnefoy |
| Location: | Marseille, France |
| Broke Ground: | 26 April 2007[1] |
| Opened: | 11 December 2009[2] |
| Surface: | 21,487 m2 |
| Construction Cost: | € 48 million |
| Architect: | Chabanne et partenaires |
| Main Contractors: | Gagne Construction Métallique Chagnaud Construction SPIE Batignolles/Valérian[3] |
| Tenants: | Gabians de Marseille Spartiates de Marseille |
| Seating Capacity: | 5600 (ice hockey) |
| Dimensions: | 60 × 30 metre |
The fr|'''Palais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est'''|Marseille Great Eastern Multisport Palace, abbreviated as POMGE, is a multi-purpose arena primarily used as an ice rink, located in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. It is the home venue for ice hockey team Spartiates de Marseille.[4] The complex also houses a skate park which, at the time of its opening, was billed as the largest such indoor installation in Europe.[5]
It was inaugurated in 2009, and is popularly known as Patinoire de la Capelette after the Marseille quarter it sits in, la Capelette.[2]
Ice availability has historically been an issue in the Marseille metropolitan area, one of the France's three largest agglomerations.
A semi-permanent 56 × 26 metre rink was built at the Parc des Expositions Marseille-Chanot in the wake of the 1968 Grenoble Olympics,[6] which introduced ice sports to the broader French public, but it was dismantled in 1974.[6]
A new ice rink, Patinoire du Rouet, opened the same year inside a repurposed fruit packing plant, but it was severely undersized at 40 × 20 metre. The facility closed in 1984 and no other venue would be active in the area until 1993,[6] when a recreational rink measuring 46 × 20 metre opened on Avenue Jules Cantini. However it closed within two years.[6]
Another rink called Megaglace opened in 1994 near the neighbouring college town of Aix-en-Provence. Built inside an old sanitary ware retail space and measuring 42 × 20 metre, it again fell short of the standards expected from a major agglomeration.[7]
Finally in 1998, a sister facility called Megaglace 2 opened in Aubagne. Although still relatively spartan, it boasted a small stand and a 56 × 26 metre track, in compliance with minimum IIHF regulations.[6]
In March 2004, the municipality of Marseille launched preliminary consultations to give the city a suitable ice sports facility as part of a broader urban rehabilitation plan.[8] In March 2005, the project presented by architectural firm Chabanne et partenaires was selected.[9] During most of its planning and building phases, it was tentatively known as Palais de la glace et de la glisse de Marseille.[9]
After some delays, the facility was inaugurated on 11 December 2009, under the new name Palais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est.[2] The ceremony was attended by Minister of Sports Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, and featured an exhibition by former ISU World Champion ice dancers Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder.[10]
The POMGE cost an estimated €48 million to build, with most of the work split between main contractors Gagne Construction Métallique, Chagnaud Construction and SPIE Batignolles/Valérian.[3]
At 5,600 in hockey configuration, the main hall is the largest permanent ice rink in France in terms of spectator capacity,[4] which excludes ice capable entertainment venues such as Paris' Accor Arena, regular home of the ice hockey Coupe de France final.[11] It features an 1800 m2 Olympic size pad.[3]
The second ice rink is a recreational track, and has an unconventional shape consisting of circular areas and elliptical corridors. It has a surface of 1250 m2.[2]
In addition to the ice facilities, the Palais offers a 3500 m2 indoor skate park for roller skating, skateboarding and BMX activities.[2] It has a capacity of 750 spectators, extensible to 1500.[5]