Chamois Niortais FC facts for kids

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Chamois Niortais

Full name	Chamois Niortais Football Club
Nickname(s)	Les chamois (The Chamois)
Founded	1925; 100 years ago (1925)
Dissolved	10 April 2025; 3 months ago (2025-04-10)
Ground	Stade René Gaillard
Ground Capacity	10,886
League	Régional 1
2023–24	Championnat National, 3rd of 18 (administratively relegated)
Home colours Away colours

Chamois Niortais Football Club was a French football team from Niort, a town in southwestern France. People often called them Les Chamois (which means "The Chamois," a type of mountain goat). The club was started in 1925 by Charles Boinot. His father owned a factory that made chamois leather in the area.

The team played their home games at the Stade René Gaillard in Niort. This stadium could hold about 10,898 fans. Chamois Niortais usually wore an all-blue home kit. Their away kits often had different colors.

For the first 20 years, the club played in local leagues. After World War II in 1945, they joined a higher amateur league called the Championnat de France Amateur. They moved up to Division 3 in 1970 and stayed there for eight seasons.

From 1980 to 1984, they played in Division 4 before getting promoted back to Division 3. The club became a professional team for the first time in 1985 when they were promoted to Division 2. After another promotion in 1987, they played in Division 1, the top French league, for just the 1987–88 season. They were then relegated the next year.

Chamois Niortais was moved down to the Championnat National in 2008. The next season, they were relegated again and lost their professional status. However, they finished second in the Championnat National and were promoted back to Ligue 2 for the 2012–13 season. The club was officially closed down on April 10, 2025, because of too much debt.

Club History

How the Club Started

After the First World War, Theophile Boinot, who owned a local leather factory, created the first sports club in Niort. It was called Amicale Club Niortais. Soon, a football part of the club was formed and named Étoile Sportive Niortaise. In 1923, many players had to join the French army.

In 1925, some players came back to Niort. Charles Boinot, Theophile's son, then started the first proper football team in the town. He named it Chamois Niortais Football Club.

For the first season, Jean Gavaggio, a chemical engineer from the Boinot factory, was the club's president. Georges Poussard, another factory worker, became the first secretary. The original team wore all-white uniforms. They played in the regional championship of the Ligue de Charentes.

In 1929, a Swiss footballer named Franchina became the club's first manager. The club grew bigger in the 1930s, 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 level of regional football in France. They finished eighth in their first season. After a few more seasons, they were relegated in 1936. They played in a lower division for three seasons. Then, they were promoted back to the DH Centre-Ouest in 1939.

In 1939, Joseph Boinot became the club president. The next year, the club signed Ferdinand Faczinek, a player from Czechoslovakia. He played for one season before moving to FC Sète. After that, World War II stopped competitive football in France for two years. In 1943, the club helped start the Championnat de France amateur (CFA). This was the highest level for amateur football in France.

After World War II and Promotions

Chamois Niortais was moved down from the CFA to the DH Centre-Ouest in 1945. With Faczinek back as a player-manager, 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 for the 1948–49 season. They played there for five seasons. In 1951, they finished second, just five points behind Stade Quimpérois. 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 and returned to the CFA.

The team struggled in their first season back in the third tier. They finished tenth. After being runners-up for two seasons in a row (1961–62 and 1962–63), the team had several mid-table finishes under Kazimir Hnatow. After Hnatow left in 1966, the club's performance got worse. They were relegated at the end of the 1968–69 season.

When the league system was changed, the team joined the new Division 3 in 1970. They played there for eight years but never finished higher than fourth. In 1978, the club finished last and was relegated to the fourth level. But they were promoted right back to Division 3 in 1979. However, they finished last again in Division 3. In 1980, they returned to Division 4, where they played for four seasons.

In April 1984, Patrick Parizon became manager. The next month, the team finished third and was promoted back to Division 3. In the 1984–85 season, the team lost only three matches. They easily finished first in the division. A 2–1 win over Montauban 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 for the 1985–86 season. The season started well with a 1–0 win against USL Dunkerque on July 16, 1985. They finished a good fifth place with 37 points. The next season was even better. They had a 17-match unbeaten run and won the league championship. Their title was confirmed with a 2–0 win over US Orléans at the Stade René Gaillard on May 23, 1987.

The next season was the club's only time in the top French league. It started with a 1–1 draw against Lens. Their first win was against Montpellier on August 1, 1987. The team also won their first ever televised match, beating Saint-Étienne 2–1 on August 18, 1987. After this good start, the team stayed near the bottom of the division for most of the season. They were relegated back to Division 2 on June 10, 1988, after losing 3–0 to Caen. They finished just one point behind Lens.

After being relegated, Patrick Parizon left as head coach. Victor Zvunka took his place. Zvunka managed for three seasons until the team was relegated to Division 3 at the end of the 1990–91 season. The team returned to the second tier after just one season, easily winning Division 3. For the next 13 seasons, they mostly finished in the middle of the table in Ligue 2.

A bad 2004–05 season saw them lose 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, winning the title with a 2–0 victory over Sporting Toulon Var on May 13, 2006. Niort found the next two seasons in Ligue 2 tough. They finished 16th in 2006–07 and were then relegated in 2007–08.

Relegation and Return to Ligue 2

Denis Troch was hired as the new manager in August 2008. Even though everyone hoped for a quick return to Ligue 2, the team played poorly during the 2008–09 season. They didn't win a league match for the first three months. This bad form continued into 2009. In their final match, they needed to win to avoid being relegated again. However, they only managed a 0–0 draw and were moved down 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 a semi-professional team. In June 2009, Pascal Gastien became manager for his third time. His job was to get the team promoted back to the Championnat National right away. The club won the CFA Group C that season. They were then promoted back to the National division for the next season. Niort stayed in the third tier with an 11th-place finish in 2010–11. The next season, the team finished second in the Championnat National behind Nîmes. This meant they returned to Ligue 2 for the 2012–13 season and became a professional club again. On May 14, 2023, Niort was relegated to the Championnat National after finishing last in Ligue 2.

Club Dissolution

On August 1, 2024, Niort was removed from national competitions by the DNCG. This meant they were relegated to Régional 1. On April 10, 2025, the club was officially closed down because of serious financial problems.

On May 7, 2025, it was announced that the club would join with a local club called UA Niort Saint-Florent. They formed a new team named Chamois Niortais Saint-Flo.

Team Colors and Badge

The special kit worn in the 2007–08 season

The badge of Chamois Niortais showed a chamois goat standing on a football. The background of the badge was 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 first wore a white uniform. But since then, the club usually played in a home uniform of a royal blue jersey, shorts, and socks.

In the 2007–08 season, the team wore a gold and black kit for the first time. This was to celebrate 20 years since the club played in Division 1. For the next season, the home kit went back to the usual all-blue. The jersey had a white sash across it. The away kit was the opposite of the home kit. It had a white jersey with a blue sash, white shorts, and white socks. For the 2009–10 season, the club's kits were made by the Italian company Erreà. The main shirt sponsor was Cheminées Poujoulat.

Home Stadium

When Chamois Niortais was founded, the club didn't have a fixed home ground. They played friendly matches at different places around Niort. In 1926, when the team joined the Ligue du Charentes, they 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 special 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.

The stadium has four stands today. These are the Tribune d'Honneur, Tribune Pasages, Tribune Populaire Nord, and Tribune Populaire Sud. All four stands together can hold 10,898 people. About 1,324 of these are standing places. The stadium is like many in Europe, with a running track between the field and the stands. 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 happened on August 18, 1987. In that game, Saint-Étienne was beaten 2–1. The most people ever to attend a game at the stadium was 16,715. This happened on October 24, 1987. Chamois Niortais beat Marseille by two goals to one in a Division 1 match.

Club Supporters

Chamois Niortais always had a fairly small group of fans. Very few fans came from outside the area around Niort. The club had one main supporters' group called "Unicamox 79". The name "uni" means united in French. "Camox" is the Latin word for chamois. The number 79 stands for the department number of Deux-Sèvres. This group was known for being peaceful. They worked closely with the club to make the atmosphere better at home matches.

The highest average number of fans at games 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.

Club Achievements

Club Records

Team Records

• Biggest win: 6–0 (against Valenciennes, Ligue 2, March 2018)
• Highest league finish: 18th, Division 1 (1987–88)
• Record home attendance: 16,715 (against Marseille – October 24, 1987)

Player Records

• Most league games played: 435 – Franck Azzopardi
• Most league goals scored: 61 – Andé Dona Ndoh
• Most league goals in one season: 17 – Walquir Mota (1995–96)

See also

In Spanish: Chamois Niortais Football Club para niños

• List of Chamois Niortais F.C. players