RC Lens facts for kids
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| Full name | Le Racing Club de Lens | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Les Sang et Or (The Blood and Gold) | ||
| Founded | 1906 | ||
| Ground | Stade Bollaert-Delelis | ||
| Capacity | 38,223 | ||
| Owner | Solferino SARL Amber Capital |
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| President | Joseph Oughourlian | ||
| Head coach | Pierre Sage | ||
| League | Ligue 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1, 7th of 20 | ||
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Racing Club de Lens, often called RC Lens or just Lens, is a professional football club from Lens, a city in northern France. Their nickname, Les Sang et Or, means "The Blood and Gold". This comes from their team colours: red and gold. As of the 2024–25 season, Lens plays in Ligue 1, which is the top football league in France.
Lens won the Division 1 title in the 1997–98 season. They have also finished second in the league five times, most recently in the 2022–23 season. The club has a big rivalry with their nearby team, Lille OSC. Their matches are known as the Derby du Nord.
Contents
Club History
How RC Lens Started
The club began in 1906 in Lens. It was started by local students who loved playing football in a city park called Place Verte. The name "Racing Club de Lens" was chosen because other popular clubs at the time also used "Racing Club" in their names.
The first leaders of the club were the parents of these students. The team first wore green and black uniforms. Green represented the "Place Verte" park where they played, and black stood for the important coal mining industry in the area.
Between 1907 and 1912, the team moved their home field twice. They finally settled at the Parc des Glissoires. During World War I, like many sports clubs, Lens stopped playing. They started again in 1919, changing their colours to sky blue.
The Story of Blood and Gold Colours
In 1924, the famous red and gold colours first appeared. One story says that Pierre Moglia, the club president, chose these colours from the Spanish flag. A friend noticed that the ruins of a local church looked like the last sign of Spanish rule from long ago.
Another popular idea is that the colours represent the local coal mines. Red is for the blood of the miners, and gold is for the valuable coal they dug up.
Also in 1924, the club started playing at the new municipal stadium, Raoul Briquet. The first game in their new red and gold colours was played to celebrate the stadium's opening.
In 1926, a British footballer named Kid Fenton joined Lens. He became a fan favourite and played for eight seasons. This was also when the first fan group was formed. In the same year, Lens won the Championnat d'Artois, a local championship.
Early Victories and Challenges
In 1937, Lens moved up to the first division of French football. They won the second division title, led by players like Stefan Dembicki. Lens also reached the last 16 of the Coupe de France, a national cup competition.
In 1943, Lens won the first division of the Northern Zone. This was thanks to Dembicki, who scored an amazing 43 goals in 30 games. A year before, in a Coupe de France match, he scored 17 goals. This is still a world record for goals scored by one player in a single game!
After World War II, Lens finished sixth in the 1945–46 season. However, they were moved down to a lower league the next year. In 1948, the club played in their first Coupe de France final but lost to Lille. A year later, Lens was promoted back to the first division.
In 1962, the coal mines in Lens closed down. This was a huge problem for the club because many players were miners. Between 1956 and 1968, the club struggled to survive. In 1964, Lens finished third in the league, with Ahmed Oudjani scoring 30 goals. But in 1968, the club was relegated again. The next year, the mine owners stopped supporting Lens, and the club became an amateur team. The future looked very uncertain.
A New Beginning and Ups and Downs
Better times came in the 1970s when the city council became interested in RC Lens. The mayor, André Delelis, was a big fan. He knew how important the club was to the city's spirit. With future president Jean Bondoux, the mayor gathered volunteers and money to help the club. The city also took over ownership of the stadium.
Over the next twenty years, the club slowly got better. In 1972, Lens reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. Two Polish players joined, helping the club get promoted to the first division. In 1975, Lens reached the Coupe de France final again but lost to Saint-Étienne.
Because they were finalists, Lens got to play in their first European competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They were knocked out early by a Dutch team.
Lens continued to improve. After finishing second in the league, they qualified for the UEFA Cup. They beat teams like Swedish club Malmö FF and Italian club Lazio. Against Lazio, they lost 2–0 away but then won an amazing 6–0 at home after extra time! However, they were then eliminated by a team from East Germany. Even worse, the club went back to the second division in 1978.
This setback was short. Lens was promoted back to the top league in 1979 with Roger Lemerre as coach. During the 1980s, other famous coaches like Gérard Houllier led the team.
Martel's Era and Championship Glory
In 1988, a rich local businessman named Gervais Martel bought the club. Arnaud Dos Santos became the coach and led the team back to the first division in 1991.
In 1993 and 1994, Lens had a very strong team. They competed at the top of the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup twice. They also reached the semi-final of the Coupe de France.
In 1998, les Sang et Or had their best season ever under coach Daniel Leclercq. They became French champions! They also reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue and the final of the Coupe de France. A player who started his career at Lens, Yohan Lachor, scored the goal that won them the title. In 1999, under Leclercq, Lens won their second major title, the Coupe de la Ligue. That year, in the UEFA Champions League, Lens also became the only club to beat English team Arsenal at the famous Wembley Stadium.
The next season, Leclercq was replaced, but Lens still did well. They reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, beating strong teams before being eliminated by Arsenal.
In the 2001–02 season, Joël Muller became coach. Lens finished second that season and qualified for the Champions League again. Later, Francis Gillot helped Lens win the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup.
In the 2006–07 season, Lens started strong but finished fifth. Francis Gillot resigned. On 5 June 2007, Guy Roux took over but resigned after only three months. Jean-Pierre Papin then became coach, but Lens finished 18th and was relegated to Ligue 2.
After one year in Ligue 2, Lens won the championship and was promoted back to Ligue 1 for the 2009–10 season. However, they dropped back to Ligue 2 after the 2010–11 season.
On 16 May 2014, Lens earned promotion back to Ligue 1. But their promotion was blocked because of problems with the club's money. The team had to play their home matches at other stadiums because their own stadium, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, was being renovated for UEFA Euro 2016. In 2015, it was decided that Lens' promotion was not valid, and they were sent back to Ligue 2 for the 2015–16 season.
New Leadership and Return to the Top
In the 2017–18 Ligue 2 season, Lens had a very bad start, losing their first seven matches. They finally got their first win on 18 September.
In the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season, Lens finished 5th and reached the promotion play-off final. They lost the final, missing out on promotion to Ligue 1.
On 30 April 2020, Lens was promoted to Ligue 1. This happened because the French football league decided to end the season early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lens was in second place in Ligue 2 at the time.
In the 2020–21 season, Lens had an impressive return to France's top league, finishing 7th. They finished seventh again in the 2021–22 season.
In the 2022–23 season, Lens was very strong at home, winning all 10 of their first home games. On 1 January 2023, Lens beat PSG 3–1, becoming the first team to defeat Paris that season. Lens finished the season in 2nd place in Ligue 1. This meant they qualified for the Champions League for the third time in their history.
Club Achievements
RC Lens has won several important titles and finished as runner-up in others:
- Ligue 1 (Top French League)
- Winners (1): 1997–98
- Runners-up (5): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1976–77, 2001–02, 2022–23
- Ligue 2 (Second French League)
- Winners (4): 1936–37, 1948–49, 1972–73, 2008–09
- Runners-up: (2): 2013–14, 2019–20
- Coupe de France (French Cup)
- Runners-up (3): 1947–48, 1974–75, 1997–98
- Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup)
- Winners (1): 1998–99
- Runners-up (1): 2007–08
- Coupe Drago (Old French Cup)
- Winners (3): 1959, 1960, 1965
- Runners-up (1): 1957
- Coupe Gambardella (Youth Cup)
- Winners (3): 1957, 1958, 1992
- Runners-up (4): 1979, 1983, 1993, 1995
- UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League)
- Semi-finalists (1): 1999–2000
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners (2): 2005, 2007 (joint winner)
Club Records
Here are some of the impressive records held by RC Lens:
- Biggest league win: 10–2 against RC Paris in 1963–64.
- Biggest European win: 7–0 against Avenir-Beggen in 1995–96.
- Famous European comeback: 6–0 win after extra time against Lazio on 2 November 1977.
- Most goals in one match by a player: 16 goals by Stefan Dembicki against Auby Asturies in the French Cup on 13 December 1942. The final score was 32–0!
- Most league games played for Lens: 497 by Éric Sikora.
- Most league goals in a season: 30 by Ahmed Oudjani in 1963–64.
- All-time top scorer: 94 goals by Ahmed Oudjani.
- Highest attendance at a home match: 48,912 fans watched Lens beat Marseille 2–1 on 15 February 1992 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Current Players
First-team Squad
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players are loaned to other clubs for a period. Here are some Lens players currently on loan:
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Retired Jersey Numbers
Some jersey numbers are retired by clubs to honour special players or groups.
- 12 –
Club Supporters (the 12th Man) - This number is retired to honour the fans, who are seen as the "12th player" on the field. - 17 –
Marc-Vivien Foé, Midfielder (1994–99) – This number was retired in memory of Marc-Vivien Foé, a player who sadly passed away.
Famous Former Players
Three Lens players won gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games: defender Didier Sénac, and strikers François Brisson and Daniel Xuereb. Brisson and Xuereb each scored a goal in France's 2–0 win over Brazil in the final.
For a full list of RC Lens players, you can visit Category:RC Lens players.
French National Team Players
Many players from RC Lens have also played for the French national team. Here are some of them, listed by how many times they played for France while at Lens:
| Rank | Name | Position | Caps with Lens | Total Caps |
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| 1 | Maryan Wisnieski | Forward | 33 | 33 |
| 2 | Georges Lech | Forward | 16 | 35 |
| 3 | Xercès Louis | Midfielder | 12 | 12 |
| 4 | Didier Six | Forward | 11 | 52 |
| 5 | Alou Diarra | Midfielder | 11 | 44 |
| 6 | Guillaume Bieganski | Defender | 5 | 9 |
| 7 | Philippe Vercruysse | Midfielder | 4 | 12 |
| 8 | Jonathan Clauss * | Defender | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | Ladislas Smid | Midfielder | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Tony Vairelles | Forward | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | Daniel Xuereb | Forward | 3 | 8 |
| 12 | Pierre Laigle | Midfielder | 2 | 8 |
| 13 | Daniel Moreira | Forward | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Didier Sénac | Defender | 2 | 3 |
| 15 | François Brisson | Forward | 2 | 2 |
| 16 | Edmond Novicki | Forward | 2 | 2 |
| 17 | Michel Stievenard | Forward | 2 | 2 |
| 18 | Frédéric Déhu | Defender | 1 | 5 |
| 19 | Farès Bousdira | Midfielder | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Paul Courtin | Forward | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Jean Desgranges | Forward | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Raymond François | Midfielder | 1 | 1 |
| 23 | Richard Krawczyk | Midfielder | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | Marcel Ourdouillié | Midfielder | 1 | 1 |
| 25 | Brice Samba * | Goalkeeper | 1 | 1 |
| 26 | Raphaël Varane * | Defender | 0 | 93 |
| 27 | Loïc Rémy | Forward | 0 | 30 |
| 28 | Eric Carrière | Midfielder | 0 | 11 |
| 29 | Geoffrey Kondogbia * | Midfielder | 0 | 5 |
| 30 | Alphonse Areola * | Goalkeeper | 0 | 3 |
* Still playing.
Club Officials
These are some of the people who help run the club:
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President | Joseph Oughourlian |
| CEO | Arnaud Pouille |
| Chief instructor | Éric Sikora |
| Sports coordinator | Gregory Thil |
| Head coach | Pierre Sage |
| Assistant coach |  Fabrizio Castori Darren Way |
| Goalkeeping coach | Hervé Sekli |
| Conditioning coach | Vincent Lannoy |
| Sports scientist | Ghislain Dubois |
| Club doctor | Dr. Eric Furmaniak |
| Head of physiotherapists | Aurélien Latour |
| Physiotherapist | Florian Dupre Julien Kunsztowicz Philippe Darques |
| Scout | Patrick Barul Didier Sénac Grégory Thil Alaeddine Yahia |
Club Presidents
Here is a list of the people who have led RC Lens as president over the years:
- 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
Club Coaches
Many coaches have managed RC Lens. Some have even gone on to coach the French national team, like Gérard Houllier and Roger Lemerre.
- Jack Harris (1934)
- Robert De Veen (1934–36)
- Jack Galbraith (1936–38)
- Raymond François (1938)
- József Eisenhoffer (1938–39)
- Jack Galbraith (1939)
- Richard Buisson (1939–41)
- Georges Beaucourt (1941–42)
- Anton Marek (1942–47)
- Nicolas Hibst (1947–50)
- Ludvic Dupal (1950–53)
- Anton Marek (1953–56)
- Félix Witkowski (1956–58)
- Karel Michlowski (1956–58)
- Jules Bigot (1958–62)
- Élie Fruchart (1962–69)
- Arnold Sowinski (1970–78)
- Roger Lemerre (1978–79)
- Arnold Sowinski (1979–81)
- Jean Serafin (1981–82)
- Gérard Houllier (1982–85)
- Joachim Marx (1985–88)
- Arnold Sowinski (1988)
- Jean Parisseaux (1988–89)
- Philippe Redon (1989)
- Marcel Husson (1989–90)
- Arnaud Dos Santos (1990–92)
- Patrice Bergues (1992–96)
- Slavoljub Muslin (1996–97)
- Roger Lemerre (1997)
- Daniel Leclercq (1997–99)
- François Brisson (1999–2000)
- Rolland Courbis (2000–01)
- Georges Tournay (2001)
- Joël Muller (2001–05)
- Francis Gillot (2005–07)
- Guy Roux (2007)
- Jean-Pierre Papin (2007–08)
- Jean-Guy Wallemme (2008–11)
- László Bölöni (2011)
- Jean-Louis Garcia (2011–12)
- Éric Sikora (2012–13)
- Antoine Kombouaré (2013–16)
- Alain Casanova (2016–17)
- Éric Sikora (2017–18)
- Philippe Montanier (2018–20)
- Franck Haise (2020–24)
- Will Still (2024–25)
- Pierre Sage (2025–present)
See also
In Spanish: Racing Club de Lens para niños
- Derby du Nord
