The Palais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est (French for '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]
History
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]
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]
Skate park
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]
^ abcdeFerrari, Christine; Gaudence, Robert; David, Jean; Foulon, Pascal; Autié, Gérard. "Histoire du hockey sur glace à Marseille". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 5 October 2021.