Chamois Niortais FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Chamois Niortais Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Les chamois (The Chamois) | ||
| Founded | 1925 | ||
| Ground | Stade René Gaillard | ||
| Capacity | 11,352 | ||
| Chairman | Karim Fradin | ||
| Head coach | Philippe Hinschberger | ||
| League | Régional 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Championnat National, 3rd of 18 (administratively relegated) | ||
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Chamois Niortais Football Club is a French football team. People often call them Les Chamois (which means 'The Chamois'). The club is based in Niort, a town in western France. It was started in 1925 by Charles Boinot. His father owned a factory that made chamois leather.
The team plays its home games at the Stade René Gaillard in Niort. This stadium can hold about 10,898 fans. Chamois Niortais usually wears an all-blue uniform for home games. Their away uniforms often have different colors.
For the first 20 years, the club played in local leagues. After World War II, in 1945, they joined the Championnat de France amateur. They moved up to Division 3 in 1970 and stayed there for eight seasons.
From 1980 to 1984, the team played in Division 4. Then they were promoted back to Division 3. The club became professional for the first time in 1985. This happened when they were promoted to Division 2. In 1987, they were promoted again. They played in Division 1 for the 1987–88 season. However, they were sent back down the next year.
Chamois Niortais went down to the Championnat National in 2008. They were relegated again the next season and lost their professional status. In 2012, they finished second in the Championnat National. This earned them a promotion back to Ligue 2 for the 2012–13 season.
In 2023, Niort was relegated to the Championnat National. This was after they finished last in Ligue 2. On August 1, 2024, the club was moved down to Régional 1. This decision was made by the DNCG, a French football control body.
Contents
History of the Club
How it Started
After World War I, Theophile Boinot started a sports club in Niort. It was called Amicale Club Niortais. Soon, a football part of the club was formed. It was named Étoile Sportive Niortaise. In 1925, Theophile's son, Charles Boinot, created the first real football team. He called it Chamois Niortais Football Club.
For the first season, Jean Gavaggio was the club's president. Georges Poussard became the first secretary. Both worked at the Boinot factory. The team first played in all-white uniforms. They competed in the regional championship. In 1929, Franchina, a player from Switzerland, became the club's first manager. The club grew bigger in the 1930s. More players and members joined, even though the team didn't do very well in the league.
For the 1932–33 season, Chamois Niortais joined the DH Centre-Ouest. This was the highest regional football level in France. They finished eighth in their first season. They were relegated in 1936 but got promoted back in 1939. In 1939, Joseph Boinot became the club's president. The club signed Ferdinand Faczinek, a player from Czechoslovakia, in 1940. He played for one season before World War II stopped competitive football. In 1943, the club helped start the Championnat de France amateur (CFA). This was the top level for amateur football.
After World War II
Chamois Niortais was relegated from the CFA in 1945. Faczinek returned as a player-manager in 1943. Under his leadership, the team won the DH Centre-Ouest for three years in a row. Faczinek left in 1948. Maurice Banide, a former France international, took over. The team rejoined the CFA in 1948. They played there for five seasons. In 1951, they finished second.
In 1953, the team finished last and was relegated again. Manager Nicolas Hibst was replaced by Georges Hatz. The team stayed in the DH Centre-Ouest until 1960. Then, under Nordine Ben Ali, they won the league title. This sent them back to the CFA.
The team struggled in their first season back in the third tier. They finished tenth. They were runners-up for two seasons in 1961–62 and 1962–63. After Kazimir Hnatow left in 1966, the team's performance declined. They were relegated in 1969. In 1970, the league system changed. The team joined the new Division 3. They played there for eight years but never finished higher than fourth.
In 1978, the club finished last and was relegated again. But they were promoted right back to Division 3 in 1979. However, they finished last again in 1980. They returned to Division 4, where they played for four seasons. In April 1984, Patrick Parizon became manager. The team finished third and was promoted back to Division 3. In 1984–85, they lost only three matches. They finished first in the division. A 2–1 win on May 18, 1985, confirmed their promotion to Division 2. This was a first for Chamois Niortais.
Becoming a Professional Club
Because of their promotion, Chamois Niortais became a professional club in 1985. The season started well with a 1–0 win. They finished a good fifth in their first professional season. The next year was even better. They had a 17-match unbeaten run. They won the league championship with a 2–0 victory on May 23, 1987.
The next season was the club's only time in the top French league. They started with a 1–1 draw. Their first win was against Montpellier on August 1, 1987. They also won their first televised match. They beat Saint-Étienne 2–1 on August 18, 1987. After this good start, the team struggled. They were relegated back to Division 2 on June 10, 1988. They lost 3–0 and finished just one point behind Lens.
After relegation, Victor Zvunka replaced Patrick Parizon as coach. Zvunka managed for three seasons. The team was relegated to Division 3 in 1991. But they returned to the second tier after just one season. They easily won Division 3. For the next 13 seasons, they mostly finished in the middle of Ligue 2. In 2004–05, they had a bad season. They lost 21 of 38 league matches.
Philippe Hinschberger became the new manager in 2005. He helped them get out of the Championnat National on his first try. They won the title with a 2–0 victory on May 13, 2006. Niort found the next two seasons in Ligue 2 tough. They finished 16th in 2006–07. Then they were relegated in 2007–08 after giving up a late goal.
Back to Regional Football and Up Again
Denis Troch became the new manager in August 2008. People hoped for a quick return to Ligue 2. But the team played poorly in 2008–09. They didn't win a league match for the first three months. This bad form continued into 2009. They needed three points in their last match to avoid being relegated again. But they only got a 0–0 draw. They were relegated to the Championnat de France amateur for the first time since 1970.
This relegation meant Chamois Niortais was no longer a professional club. They had to become semi-professional. In June 2009, Pascal Gastien became manager for his third time. His job was to get them back to the Championnat National quickly. The club won the CFA Group C that season. They were promoted back to the National division. Niort stayed in the third tier with an 11th-place finish in 2010–11. The next season, they finished second in the Championnat National. This sent them back to Ligue 2 for the 2012–13 season. They also got their professional status back.
On May 14, 2023, Niort was relegated to the Championnat National. This was after they finished last in Ligue 2. On August 1, 2024, the club was removed from national competitions. This meant they were relegated to Régional 1.
Team Colors and Badge
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| The special kit worn in the 2007–08 season |
The badge of Chamois Niortais shows a chamois goat. The goat is standing on a football. The background of the badge is royal blue. This blue color has been part of the club's home colors since it started. When the club was founded in 1925, Chamois Niortais used a white uniform. But since then, the club has usually played in a home uniform of royal blue jersey, shorts, and socks. In the 2007–08 season, the team wore a gold and black uniform. This was to celebrate 20 years since the club played in Division 1.
For the next season, the home uniform went back to all-blue. The jersey now has a white stripe across it. The away uniform is the opposite of the home one. It has a white jersey with a blue stripe, white shorts, and white socks. For the 2009–10 season, the club's uniforms were made by Erreà. The main shirt sponsor was Cheminées Poujoulat.
Stadium
When Chamois Niortais was founded, the club did not have a fixed home ground. They played friendly matches at different places around Niort. In 1926, the club started using the small Stade de Genève as their first home. They played there for most of the next 50 years. In the early 1970s, it was announced that the team would move to a new stadium.
On August 3, 1974, the Stade Venise Verte was opened. The first game there was a match between Chamois Niortais and Dynamo Kyiv. Later, the stadium was renamed the Stade René Gaillard. This was to honor René Gaillard, who used to be the mayor of Niort.
Today, the stadium has four stands. These stands can hold a total of 10,898 people. There are also 1,324 standing places. The stadium has an athletics track between the field and the stands. This is common in many European stadiums. Next to the main stadium, there is a smaller field. The club's reserve and youth teams play their matches there.
The first televised match at the stadium was on August 18, 1987. Chamois Niortais beat Saint-Étienne 2–1. The most people ever at the stadium was 16,715. This happened on October 24, 1987. Chamois Niortais defeated Marseille by two goals to one in a Division 1 game.
Supporters
Chamois Niortais has always had a fairly small group of fans. Most of their fans come from the area around Niort. The club has one main supporters' group. It is called "Unicamox 79". The name "uni" means united in French. "Camox" is a Latin word for chamois. The number 79 stands for the department number of Deux-Sèvres. This group is known for being peaceful. They work with the club to make home matches more exciting.
The highest average number of fans in a season was 10,142. This was during the club's Division 1 season in 1987–88. Since then, the average number of fans has usually been under 5,000. In the 2008–09 season, the average was as low as 2,348. This was when the club was playing in the Championnat National.
Players
Current squad
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Managers
Since the first manager, Franchina from Switzerland, Chamois Niortais has had 31 different first-team managers. Three coaches have managed the club more than once. These are Kazimir Hnatow, Robert Charrier, and Pascal Gastien. The current manager is Pascal Gastien. He got the job in 2009 after Denis Troch was let go. Gastien used to play for Chamois Niortais. This is his third time managing the team.
So far, only one manager has coached the club in the top French division. That was Patrick Parizon, during the 1987–88 season. The manager who stayed the longest was Ferdinand Faczinek. He was in charge for five years, from 1943 to 1948.
Honours
| Honour | Year(s) |
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| Division 2 vice-champions | 1986–87 |
| Division 3 champions | 1984–85, 1991–92 |
| Championnat National champions | 2005–06 |
| Championnat de France amateur Group C winners | 2009–10 |
| DH Centre-Ouest champions | 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1959–60 |
| Coupe de la Ligue du Centre-Ouest winners | 1947, 1948, 1950, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2001 |
Records
Club Records
- Biggest win: 6–0 against Valenciennes in March 2018.
- Highest league finish: 18th in Division 1 during the 1987–88 season.
- Record home attendance: 16,715 fans watched them play Marseille on October 24, 1987.
Player Records
- Most league appearances: 435 by Franck Azzopardi.
- Most league goals: 61 by Andé Dona Ndoh.
- Most league goals in one season: 17 by Walquir Mota in 1995–96.
See also
- List of Chamois Niortais F.C. players
