RC Lens

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The club was founded in the year 1906 in Lens by students from the city who played football on Lens' Place Verte (the current Place de la Republique). Its name "Racing Club of Lens" was selected in allusion the Racing Club de Roubaix and Racing Club de France, both clubs that were popular in the time.

The initial board of directors was created through the parent of the students. The team initially was black and green to symbolize the location of its founding and the location of the club. They wore green to signify their name for the field "Verte", (meaning "green" in French) as well as black to signify the widespread presence in the industry of mining coal in the region.

From 1907 to 1912 the players were required to move their home two times before finally settling in The Parc des Glissoires, situated between Avion and Lens.

Then, during World War I, in the same way as the majority of French teams they were halted and didn't start again until 1919. At this point, Lens had changed their colors in sky blue.

In 1924, the gold and red colors first came into use. A legend states that Pierre Moglia, president of the club from 1923 until 1930, picked the colors that were used on the Spanish flag when a friend of the club commented that the Saint-Leger church's ruin that they wandered by in the evening, were the only visible evidence from the time of local Spanish dominance in 1648. There are also those who believe that the colours were chosen in reference to mining operations in the area. the red representing the blood of miners, and the gold to represent the coal that was valued during the time.

In 1924, it was also that the club was given permission to play in the newly constructed Municipal arena Raoul Briquet (nowadays Leo Lagrange). The first game played by the club's new colors was played to mark the official opening at the venue.

The year 1926 was the first time British soccer player Kid Fenton was the first footballer to have was a part of Lens. He stayed for eight years and was a popular choice for the club's fans. It was also the year the first supporters ' group was created, and witnessed the first time that Lens took home the Championnat d'Artois.

in 1929 Lens took home Lens the 1929 North championship and also was promoted in 1929 for the first time in the Division d'Honneur of the Ligue du Nord which included Olympique Lillois, RC Roubaix, Excelsior Athletic Club de Roubaix and AC Amiens.

Then, in the Artois League, the club slowly gained a reputation and, in 1932, the club was inaugurated as Stade Felix Bollaert.

The year 1937 was the time that Lens was able to join the top division following being at the top in the 2nd division with players like Stefan Dembicki and Spechtl. Lens was even able to make it to the last 16 of Coupe de France, although the team was removed in the final round by Red Star, 3-2.

It was 1943 when Lens took the title of first Division from the Northern Zone thanks to Dembicki scoring 43 goals over 30 games. The previous year during the Coupe de France match, Lens scored 17 goals. It continues to be the record in the world in goals scored by a single player in a single match.

Following World War II, Lens ended up in sixth position in the 1945-46 season but were then relegated in the following season. in 1948, the team played their debut Coupe de France final, where they fell 3-2 to Lille. In the following year, Lens was promoted to the first division then Maryan Wisnieski was drafted in 1953. The board's problems, however, led him to leave the club. He subsequently became a member of Italian Club UC Sampdoria Genoa, though with little success.

In 1962 Lens was declared a city. Lens was shut down , and their future was in doubt since the majority gamers were mine workers by trade. From 1956 to 1968, surviving was a struggle. In 1964 Lens came in third place, with Ahmed Oudjani the top scorer with 30 goals. Another well-known athlete, Georges Lech, joined Lens but the club was delegated in the year 1968. In the next year, the miners' administrators removed the ownership they had of Lens and this marked the final day for professional soccer at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Lens was once again an amateur team, one year after being relegated, and the outlook for the future was very grim.

However, better times came in the year 1960 when the town council became interested in the Racing Club de Lens. Lens Mayor, Andre Delelis, was an ongoing supporter of the club and was aware of the significance of the success of the team to the well-being of Lens. Along with the president of the future, Jean Bondoux, the mayor gathered subscribers and volunteers to support the club's existence. Additionally, the city was able to regain control of the club from mine that was shut down.

The following 20 years witnessed gradual but steady improvement in the fortunes of Lens. in 1972 Lens was in the semi-finals at the Coupe de France, and the arrival of two Polish players made it possible for the club to be promoted up to first division. in 1975 Lens was able to reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France against the St-Etienne team, which they lost the game by a score of 0-2.

In the finals of the Coupe de France, Lens could have the chance to play in the first winner of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup However, the team was eliminated quickly by Dutch ADO Den Haag. ADO Den Haag.

Lens Their steady progress was not stopped, and even though they finished in second place in their league, just behind Nantes They were able to get into an appearance in UEFA Cup. They defeated Swedish clubs Malmo FF, and more remarkable, they beat the powerful Italian Club Lazio. After losing away (2-0) and a 6-0 win, they prevailed by a score of 6-0 in the Stade Bollaert Delis following extra-time. Unfortunately, following this rare sporting feat for an French club the team was then defeated from the competition by East German side 1. FC Magdeburg. The club was relegated to the second division in 1978.

The reversal was short and the immediate return into an French top level obtained in 1979, with Roger Lemerre being the head coach. In the 80s, Gerard Houllier and Joachim Marx succeeded his successor. They were huge gains for players, even as the club lost some key players like Didier Senac Gaetan Huard, and Philippe Vercruysse.

In the month of August 1988, Gervais Martel who was a prominent local businessman took the club's control with the assistance from Serge Dore. In the same time, Arnaud Dos Santos was appointed the manager of the team and he led the club into the top division in 1991.

Between 1993 and 1994 Lens was the most successful team up to the present time was highly competitive at the highest level of the league and Lens was selected for UEFA Cup twice in a series. Lens was also in the semi-finals in the Coupe de France after knocking out Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in 1994, but the team was defeated by Montpellier.

The year 1998 was the time that es Sang et Or created the most memorable page in their past under the leadership of Daniel Leclercq ("the Druid"): French champions, Coupe de la Ligue semi-finalists, and the finalists in the Coupe de France (against PSG in a 2-1 defeat). As a symbol, it is a player that began the career in Lens, Yohan Lachor, who scored the goal in Auxerre which earned Lens an award in the face of Metz. Under the banner of "Druid", Lens won its second important title in 1999 when it won it winning the Coupe de la Ligue against Metz and the goal of Daniel Moreira. In 1999, as part of the UEFA Champions League, Lens also became the sole club to beat English side Arsenal at the renowned Wembley Stadium (1-0, with a goal scored by Mickael Debeve), although they lost on average over two games.

In the following year, Leclercq was fired, however, Lens still was able to make it to the semi-finals of UEFA Cup. Francois Brisson's side were eliminated by Arsenal following their win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern (a 4-1 win in Germany), Atletico Madrid and Celta de Vigo.

For the season 2001-2002, Joel Muller was named the head coach. Lens finished second in that season and was selected for the second Champions League campaign. However, the club ended up in eighth place for the next two seasons. Muller was replaced in the fourth year of his tenure in the fourth season by Francis Gillot, who managed to be able to qualify Lens to play in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which Lens wonand secured eligibility for UEFA Cup.

The 2006-07 season saw Sang et Or Sang et Or finished the initial part of the season second in second place, just behind Lyon. However, because of an unsettling second half they ended up finishing fifth. Then, a few days later Francis Gillot resigned.

On June 5, 2007, Guy Roux made his comeback but it lasted only three months before he resigned following a defeat of 2-1 in Strasbourg. Jean-Pierre Papin was appointed as the new manager and the team was unable to make a dent. Lens did not gain any ground during the season. He ended up finishing 18th, two points down Toulouse and relegating in Ligue 2 for the next season. Lens ended the season with only 40 points and won just 9 times in 38 games.

Following a slow beginning to their first season playing in Ligue 2, they managed to reach the top of the table in the first quarter in the campaign. With 13 of their 15 points during their initial five games of the second quarter it looked like they were on the verge of an immediate return to the top league. With only five points from the following six games, promotion races were open, but Lens improved and won the title and were promoted up to Ligue 1 for 2009-10. After the 2010-11 season but they were relegated down to Ligue 2.

On the 16th of May, 2014. Lens secured promotion to Ligue 1 on the final day of the season with the 2-0 win over Bastia. On June 27, however The league's National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) stopped Lens's advancement to the highest division due to inconsistencies that were in the club's budget for the upcoming season. The issue was a $10 million payment from the major shareholder Hafiz Mammadov which was not deducted in the account. Lens President Gervais Martel claimed a public holiday in Mammadov's home country Azerbaijan was the reason for the delay and that the club was going to appeal. On the 15th of July their chances of promotion were at risk after an appeal commission ruled in favor of their appeal, citing that the funds missing were not in the accounts of the club. Lens immediately announced their intent for appeals at the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) that has the power to decide against the DNCG. On July 25 the CNSOF advised that Lens should be permitted to participate for Ligue 1. Since that the Stade Bollaert-Delelis was undergoing renovation in preparation for UEFA Euro 2016, Lens was home for the 2014-2015 Ligue 1 season at the Stade de la Licorne, the home of Amiens and the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

On January 29 2015 that Lens was promoted to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2013-14 season had been declared invalid and therefore, Lens will be automatically transferred back to Ligue 2 for the 2015-16 season regardless of the position in which the team is placed. So, in August of 2015 Lens made a return in Ligue 2, albeit playing at the newly renovated Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Lens had an average home crowd of 28,996 for the 2016-17 season, which was the highest of Ligue 2 but missed promotion to Ligue 1 during a tumultuous finale to the season.

For the 2017-2018 Ligue 2 season, Lens lost their first seven games in a row. It was the most disastrous start to a season in Lens' history. On the 18th of September, Lens finally got their first victory of the season against US Quevilly-Rouen with a 2-0 win.

The 2018-19 Ligue 2 season, Lens was 5th in the table, and made it to the promotion play-off final with Dijon FCO. After a draw of 1-1 at the start of the match Lens lost the following leg, as well as the match ended 3-1 following two mistakes in goalkeeping caused by Jeremy Vachoux cost his side the chance to be promoted into Ligue 1.

On April 30, 2021, Lens were promoted to Ligue 1 after the LFP made the decision to end the season in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in the early stages because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Lens were second on the list at the time of their promotion to Ligue 2 at the time of the decision.

In the season 2020-21, Lens finished 7th on the Ligue 1 table after an excellent first year back in France's top league. Seventh place was their finish another time the following season.

• Ligue 1
  • Winners (1): 1997–98
  • Runners-up (4): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1976–77, 2001–02
• Ligue 2
  • Winners (4): 1936–37, 1948–49, 1972–73, 2008–09
  • Runners-up: (2): 2013–14, 2019–20
• Coupe de France
  • Runners-up (3): 1947–48, 1974–75, 1997–98
• Coupe de la Ligue
  • Winners (1): 1998–99
  • Runners-up (1): 2007–08
• Coupe Drago
  • Winners (3): 1959, 1960, 1965
  • Runners-up (1): 1957
• Coupe Gambardella
  • Winners (3): 1957, 1958, 1992
  • Runners-up (4): 1979, 1983, 1993, 1995
• UEFA Cup
  • Semi-finalists (1): 1999–2000
• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Winners (2): 2005, 2007 (joint winner)

• Record league win : 10–2 (v. RC Paris, 1963–64).
• Record European Cup win : 0–7 (v. Avenir-Beggen, 1995–96).
• The European exploit : v. Lazio (6–0 after extra time, 2 November 1977).
• Most goals in a single match : 16, Stefan Dembicki, which is a world record, (v. Auby Asturies, French Cup, 13 December 1942). Final score: 32–0.
• Most league appearances with Lens : 497, Éric Sikora and 377, Bernard Placzek.
• Most league goals in a season : 30, Ahmed Oudjani (1963–64) and 20, Roger Boli (1993–94).
• Top scorer : 94, Ahmed Oudjani.
• Highest attendance at a home match : 48, 912, (v. Marseille, Ligue 1, 15 February 1992) at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Lens won 2–1.

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12 –  Club Supporters (the 12th Man)
17 –  Marc-Vivien Foé, Midfielder (1994–99) – posthumous honour

Three Lens players won the gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games: defender Didier Sénac, as well as strikers François Brisson and Daniel Xuereb who scored a goal apiece in France's triumph over Brazil 2–0 in the final at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in front of a crowd of 103,000.

As of 7 July 2022

* Still playing.

As of 25 February 2020

Position	Staff
President	Joseph Oughourlian
Chief instructor	Éric Sikora
Sports coordinator	Florent Ghisolfi
Manager	Franck Haise
Assistant Manager	Lilian Nalis  Yannick Cahuzac
Goalkeeping Coach	Hervé Sekli
Fitness Coach	Aymen Djedidi
Conditioning Coach	Vincent Lannoy  Laurent Bessière
Scout	Patrick Barul  Didier Sénac  Grégory Thil  Alaeddine Yahia
Sports Scientist	Ghislain Dubois
Club Doctor	Dr. Eric Furmaniak
Head of Physiotherapists	Aurélien Latour
Physiotherapist	Florian Dupre  Julien Kunsztowicz  Philippe Darques

• 1906–07 : Jules J. Van den Weghe
• 1907–08 : Lotin
• 1908–12 : Jules J. Van den Weghe
• 1912–20 : Charles Douterlinghe
• 1920–23 : Marcel Pierron
• 1923–30 : Pierre Moglia
• 1930–33 : Renoult
• 1933–34 : Jules A. Van den Weghe
• 1934–57 : Louis Brossard
• 1957–59 : Vital Lerat
• 1959–68 : Albert Hus
• 1968–72 : René Houdart
• 1972–76 : Jean Bondoux
• 1976–79 : Jean-Pierre Defontaine
• 1979–86 : Jean Bondoux
• 1986–88 : Jean Honvault
• 1988–2012 : Gervais Martel
• 2012–13 : Luc Dayan
• 2013–17 : Gervais Martel
• 2017– : Joseph Oughourlian

Former coaches include two ex France coaches: Gérard Houllier (1982–85) managed France between July 1992 and November 1993, and Roger Lemerre (second half of the 1996–97 season, then as assistant coach 1997–98), who coached France between July 1998 and July 2002.