Football: discovering the Racing Club de Lens team

JustFocus is now interested in the football team of Racing Club de Lens. It is a great French popular club present at the highest level since always. 56 seasons in Ligue 1 to his credit. RC Lens supporters are usually considered to be the best audience in France. The latter are indeed faithful and very numerous especially if we take into consideration the size of the city of Lens. In addition, the promoted Sang et Or have an excellent season in Ligue 1. A fifth place, 4 days before the end of the championship. 

The history of the club

Racing Club de Lens is a French football club based in Lens, Pas-de-Calais. Its nickname, blood and gold, comes from its traditional colors. Their main rivals are their northern neighbours, Lille, with whom they compete in the Derby du Nord. The origins of Racing Club de Lens date back to 1905: at the time, a group of students played football on the Place Verte in Lens, the Place de la République today. The first board of directors of the club, composed of the parents of the students, was held in 1906, under the name of Racing Club Lensois. It was on this date, a few months after a serious mining disaster, that the club was officially registered under the name Racing Club de Lens. The name "Racing Club de Lens" is then a reference to Racing Club de Roubaix and Racing Club de France, both very popular at the time. The club first plays in green and black, green in reference to the Green Square and black to represent the omnipresence of coal mines in the vicinity. Between 1907 and 1912, players were forced to change sports fields twice before moving to the Parc des Glissoires, between Avion and Lens. During the First World War, the club's activities were interrupted and did not restart until 1919. Lens then played in sky blue.It was in 1924 that the colors red and gold appeared. The colors come from coal mines. Red for miners' blood and gold for coal which was precious at the time. In 1929, Lens won the Northern Championship and was promoted for the first time to the Division D'honneur of the Northern League. 3 years later, the club inaugurated the famous Félix Bollaert Stadium. It was not until 1937 that RC Lens reached the elite of French football. Thus, in its history, the club has had many ups and downs.  

The best audience in France…

The Lens club is also popular thanks to its loyal supporters. The Lensois public, one of the most fervent in France, has been named "best audience" several times.There are 12 supporters' groups in Lens. Most of these groups make up the "KOP Lensois", located in the Tony Marek stand. Others are in "popular stands", Delacourt and Trannin. The lair of these "fanatics" is obviously the very famous Félix Bollaert Stadium. It can accommodate up to 38,223 people. Bollaert has been selected several times as a stadium for the World Cup or the Euro.

His track record

Lens became even more popular in the 1997/98 season. Indeed, the Blood and Gold finally become champions of France in a final fight with FC Metz. As in 1956, 1957 and 1977, in 2002 RC Lens finished second. That year, this team narrowly missed obtaining its second league title by being overtaken on the final day of the championship by losing the match against Lyon. RC Lens have never won the France Cup, failing 3 times in the final (1948, 1975, 1998). But got a league cup victory in 1999 against FC Metz. They have also won the Ligue 2 championship four times (1937, 1949, 1973, 2009). At the European level, RC Lens has often figured well. They notably achieved the feat of beating Lazio Roma in extra time by 6-0 in the Uefa Cup in 1978. They also managed to reach the semi-finals of this cup in 2000. During the 1999 Champions League, RC Lens narrowly missed qualification by being the first French club to win at Wembley Stadium (1-0 victory against Arsenal). His only European trophy was the Intertoto Cup in 2005. Currently, Franck Haise's players are fifth in the Ligue 1 standings, 1 point ahead of Marseille and 2 ahead of Rennes. There are therefore 4 days left at the Lensois club to dream of Europe. Regardless of the outcome of the championship, Lens will have surprised everyone with this wonderful season. As a reminder, the Blood and Gold have found the elite of French football, 9 years after leaving it.