Racing Club de Lens - last updated on 3 January 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Racing Club de Lens
Foundation: 1906
City: Lens
Colours: Red and gold
Website: www.rclens.fr
Honours:
UEFA Intertoto Cup - 1 (2005)
Ligue 1 - 2 (1944, 1998)
Ligue 2 - 3 (1937, 1949, 1973)
Coupe de la Ligue - 2 (1994, 1999)
Coupe Drago - 3 (1959, 1960, 1965)
Coupe Gambardella - 3 (1957, 1958, 1992)
A bit of history:
It was founded in 1905 as Racing Club Lensois, but was not officially registered until 1906 as Racing Club de Lens. Lens originally played in green (as the club's seat was located "Place Verte", literally Green Square) and black (for the coal dug in the area) stripes. Between 1908 and 1910, they used black and red quartered shirts, then an all black shirt bearing the three white letters R.C.L., a cheaper kit for a poor club. The club's activities were silenced by World War I. In 1919, it restarted as Union Sportive du Foyer Franco-Américain and played in sky blue. Finally, late in 1923 chairman Pierre Moglia was inspired to choose the colours of the Spanish flag after someone from the club remarked that the ruins of the Saint-Léger church they happened to be walking by that night were the last remains of the Spanish occupation in the seventeenth century. Lens played their first match with their new colours when the Stade Municipal was inaugurated in 1924. For a long time, the huge influx of Polish miners between the two world wars provided Lens with a great pool of talent, reflected in the names of many players. More recently, they have turned to Africa for their recruitment.
In recent years, Lens have been competitive in the top level of French football, winning the league in the 1997-98 season, finishing second in 2001-02 and winning the Coupe de la Ligue in 1999. In 2005 Lens succeeded in winning the Intertoto Cup to qualify into the UEFA Cup. After an average 2004/05 Ligue 1 campaign, in which local rivals Lille OSC finished a surprising second and outperfomed them for once, Lens expect a finish in the top six for the 2005/06 campaign but still probably second best to Lille. Unfortunately, they failed to get a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup going down to Italy's Udinese (0-3, 1-0).
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Racing Club de Lens
