Skillful players on sunkissed pitches, ‘Le Foot' is part of life in the South of France. From Marseille's vast Stade Velodrome to AS Monaco's slightly luxurious Stade Louis II and the more modest Stade du Ray in Nice, there are plenty of places to watch the ‘beautiful game'. Ticket prices start at just €8 and it's free for kids at some matches, so there's no excuse for not getting out and supporting your local Cote d'Azur team. Here's a quick guide to the ‘Big Three' on the Riviera.

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OGC Nice
The name Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice-Côte d'Azur suggests handle- bar moustaches and baggy trousers, so it's fitting that OGC Nice live on their past glories. In the 1950s the club won four French Ligue one Championships and one Coupe de France. Since then, apart from a cup win in 1997, they've been hit by relegation, financial problems and a corruption scandal that led to the cancellation of a much needed new stadium. OGC, though, is a real city club. The Nicois supporters get behind their team and Stade du Ray is an atmospheric place to watch football. Nice started badly this season but form is improving and with a 9th place in 2008-09 under their belts perhaps it's the start of better times. Book early for the big games. OGC Nice's Stade du Ray only holds around 17,000 spectators.

OGC Nice
35, Avenue du Ray
06100 Nice
Ticket Office Tel: 0892 92 70 21 06 (0.34€/min)

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AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, or just AS Monaco, are the rich kids on the block. Players like Jurgen Klinsman, Thierry Henry and Fernando Morientes have worn their shirt and the club is seen, a little unfairly perhaps, as the place international players will go for a tax free pay packet. ‘Les Rouge et Blancs' play their football in the 18,000 capacity Stade Louis II, perched on a hill above the Mediterranean. It's a cosmopolitan place where you're as likely to be sitting next to a bemused American as an impassioned Monegasque football supporter. Don't be misled though, despite a barren few years, AS Monaco is one of the most successful clubs in French football with seven league titles and five Coupe de France trophies. The club also reached a European Champions League final in 2004, losing 3-0 to Porto. AS Monaco's Stade Louis II, as you would expect, is a safe, comfortable place to watch football. Perfect for family and kids.

AS Monaco FC
3, avenue des Castelans
MC 98000 Monaco
Tel. : +377 92 05 40 00

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Olympic Marseille
Olympique de Marseille or OM are the ‘Manchester Utd' of France. They enjoy huge support, with crowds regularly reaching over 60,000 compared to the 10,000 of Nice and Monaco. Marseille have been French champions eight times, won the Coupe de France a record ten times and in 1993 became the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League. It hasn't all been roses for OM, though. In 1994, after a period of success under the Presidency of Bernard Tapie, they suffered forced relegation to the second division after a financial and match fixing scandal. They were also denied entry to the following year's UEFA Champions league, slowing the club's development into a true European football institution. Recently, Olympic Marseille have been back on the ‘up', finishing runners up in La Ligue One last season and gaining entry to the UEFA Champions League for the third successive season. OM are the giants on the edge of Cote d'Azur and if you want to see football on a grand scale, there's no better place than the Stade Velodrome.

Olympic Marseille
Stade Vélodrome
3, Boulevard Michelet
13008 Marseille
Tel: +33 (0) 491 7656 09

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