Yesterday afternoon, on the first day of October, 32,044 supporters filled out the stands of the Allianz Riviera as they attended the game between OGC Nice and Stade Brestois.

They turned up early – very early, in fact – as by lunchtime, the first few red-and-black shirts had made their appearance in the Saint-Isidore neighbourhood. Whether it was as friends, as a family or as work colleagues, Le Gym’s fans provided a party atmosphere to what was already a sunny Sunday afternoon.

It has to be said that a fantastic schedule awaited them. After being reunited at the Musée du Sport with some of those who played in the very first match at the stadium – namely Didier Digard, Fabrice Abriel, Alexy Bosetti, Jérémy Pied and Romain Genevois – the spectators got the chance to admire the coordination of the 1,500 children who formed a giant ‘10’ on the pitch to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the ground’s inauguration.

Before Mèfi took flight and ‘Nissa la Bella’ was performed by the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, the fans got warmed up by watching the highlights of Nice v. Valenciennes – the aforementioned inaugural match on 22nd September 2013 – with comms provided by Manuel Guigo, the winner of the club’s commentary competition, followed by the ‘Tenth Anniversary XI’, presented by the club’s official commentator, Constantin Djivas.

From kick-off onwards, the Nice faithful continuously sang their love for Les Rouge et Noir throughout the game – a game that certain fans got to enjoy in a rather special way, as Le Gym’s ten best “ambassadors”, who played a part in attracting yet another sell-out crowd to the stadium, received their gifts on the pitch at half time.

As a fun way to close out their Sunday whilst also easing the flow of post-match traffic, many fans treated themselves to a free concert by the world-famous DJ Cut Killer after the game, before looking ahead to the derby at home to OM in three weeks’ time!