Valenciennes FC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Valenciennes

Full name	Valenciennes Football Club
Nickname(s)	VA Les Athéniens (The Athenians)
Founded	1914; 111 years ago (1914)
Ground	Stade du Hainaut
Ground Capacity	25,172
President	Henrik Kraft
Manager	Stéphane Moulin
League	Ligue 2
2023–24	Ligue 2, 16th of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Valenciennes Football Club, often called Valenciennes or VA, is a professional French football team. It is based in the city of Valenciennes. The club started in 1914 and now plays in Championnat National, which is the third level of French football. Valenciennes plays its home games at the Stade du Hainaut, a modern stadium in the city.

The club was first known as Union Sportive de Valenciennes Anzin (USVA). It used this name for over 80 years before changing to its current name. Valenciennes has spent a lot of time playing in both Ligue 1 (the top league) and Ligue 2 (the second league). They have played 40 seasons in the first division and 36 seasons in the second. The club has never won the first division title. However, they have won Ligue 2 twice. They also won the Championnat National in 2005 and the Championnat de France amateur in 1998. In 1951, the club reached the final of the Coupe de France for the first and only time.

From 2004 to 2011, Francis Decourrière was the president of Valenciennes. He was a former politician. In 2011, Jean-Raymond Legrand took over as president.

History of Valenciennes Football Club

Valenciennes Football Club was started in 1913 by a few young men. Their last names were Colson, Joly, and Bouly. Because the club had little money and World War I was starting, Valenciennes decided to join with other local clubs. This merger happened in 1916. The club then changed its name to Union Sportive de Valenciennes Anzin (USVA).

After the merger, the new club played in the District de l'Escaut Championship for 15 years. In July 1930, the French Football Federation decided that French football could become professional. Valenciennes became a professional club in 1933. They joined the second division and were one of the first teams in this league.

Early Years in Professional Football

In the first season of the second division (1933–34), Valenciennes finished 7th in its group. The next season, the league became one big table. Valenciennes finished 2nd, which meant they moved up to Division 1. During this time, the team had good foreign players. These included Englishmen Peter O'Dowd and George Gibson. German-born players Édouard Waggi and Ignace Kowalczyk also played for them.

In their first season in Division 1, Valenciennes finished 15th. They went back down to Division 2. They had the same points as Red Star Olympique. But because they had fewer wins and a worse goal difference, Valenciennes was relegated. After this, a new president named Turbot took over. He let go of some international players and brought in new ones like Ernest Libérati. This change worked well. The club moved back up to Division 1 in 1937. However, their second time in Division 1 was short. They finished last in the 1937–38 season and were relegated again. Because of World War II, Valenciennes became an amateur club again. They played amateur league football for three of the six wartime seasons.

Post-War Period and Cup Finals

After the war, Valenciennes became professional again. They returned to the second division. The club stayed in Division 2 for ten years. Then, they moved up to the top league for the 1956–57 season. In 1951, under manager Charles Demeillez, Valenciennes reached the final of the Coupe de France. In the final, they played Strasbourg and lost 3–0. This game was played at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir.

When they returned to Division 1, Valenciennes finished near the bottom for three seasons. In 1959, Valenciennes reached the final of the Coupe Drago. They lost 3–2 in extra time to Lens at the Parc des Princes. In the 1959–60 season, Valenciennes had its best finish in Division 1, coming in 8th place. However, manager Robert Domergue could not keep this success going. Valenciennes finished 19th the next season.

Ups and Downs in the 1960s and 1970s

Valenciennes, with young stars like Bolec Kocik and Serge Masnaghetti, moved back up to Division 1 after just one season. They then stayed in Division 1 for nine years. During this time, Domergue led the club to its highest ever finish in the first division. They finished 3rd in both 1965 and 1966. After the 1966 season, Domergue left the club. Gaby Robert took over, but he and his successor Louis Provelli could not match Domergue's success. Domergue returned to the club in 1970. In his first season back, he led the club to relegation in 1971. Then, he got the club promoted back to the first division in 1972. But he coached the club to relegation again in 1973. He left after that season, and Jean-Pierre Destrumelle became the new manager.

After moving between the top league and the second division in the early 1970s, Destrumelle led the club back to Division 1 for the 1975–76 season. The manager had many talented players, including Bruno Metsu, Bruno Zaremba, Dominique Dropsy, and Didier Six. He kept the club in the first division for his whole time there. However, after finishing 18th in 1979, Destrumelle was replaced. The club then stayed in Division 1 until the 1983 season. After that, they spent the next ten years in Division 2. This made many supporters lose interest in the club.

Challenges and Rebuilding

Valenciennes FC playing against Borussia Dortmund in 2011

From 1988 to 1991, Valenciennes got much better under manager Georges Peyroche. Peyroche left in 1991, and Francis Smerecki became the new manager. In Smerecki's first season, he led the club back to Division 1. In their first season back, Valenciennes faced a very difficult situation. This event caused big problems for the club for the next ten years. It involved another popular club, Marseille. After this event, Valenciennes's reputation was badly damaged. Many players left the club.

With the club now in Ligue 2, Valenciennes struggled greatly because of the problems it faced. They finished last in the league and fell to the third division for the first time. Two seasons later, the club was relegated to the fourth division because of money problems. Before the 1996–97 season, the club became an amateur team after going bankrupt.

On April 1, 1996, the club was renamed Valenciennes Football Club. They finished fifth in their first season with the new name. The next season, the fourth division was renamed the Championnat de France amateur. Valenciennes became the first champions of this league. For the next seven seasons, Valenciennes played in the Championnat National, except for one season back in the CFA. In the 2004–05 season, the club won the National league. They returned to the second division, which was now called Ligue 2. After just one season, Valenciennes moved up to the first division, now called Ligue 1. This happened under the leadership of Antoine Kombouaré.

After eight years in Ligue 1, the club was relegated to the second division in 2014. Because of this, VAFC had financial problems. Former minister Jean-Louis Borloo returned to help. He saved the club from being moved down to the fourth division.

With six games left to play, Valenciennes was relegated back to Championnat National in the 2023–24 Ligue 2 season. This happened after a 4–1 loss to Pau FC on April 13, 2024. This ended their 19-year run in the professional leagues.

New Ownership for the Club

After the club managed to keep its position on the last day of the season, there were talks about selling the club. On June 16, 2023, the club announced that its main owners were talking with Sport Republic. Sport Republic is a sports investment company from London. They own Southampton FC in England and Göztepe SK in Turkey. The goal was for Sport Republic to invest in the club's growth. On July 13, 2023, after two meetings, the sale of the club was completed.

Current Players

Team Roster

No. Position Player 1 GK Jean Louchet 3 DF Souleymane Basse 5 DF Jordan Poha 6 MF Julien Masson 7 FW Carnejy Antoine 8 MF Daouda Traoré (on loan from Southampton) 9 FW Nick Venema 11 FW Stredair Appuah (on loan from Palermo) 12 DF Bakaye Dibassy 13 MF Jean-Éric Moursou 14 MF Sambou Sissoko 15 DF Lucas Woudenberg 16 GK Papa Demba Camara 17 MF Aymen Boutoutaou 18 DF Ousmane Touré (on loan from Lille)

No. Position Player 19 FW Lucas Buadés 20 FW Axel Camblan (on loan from Brest) 21 DF Ahmed Diomandé 22 MF Rémy Boissier 23 MF Kyllian Gasnier (on loan from Pau) 24 FW David Moké 26 DF Byani Mpata Lama 27 FW Mathias Oyewusi 28 FW Cheikh Diouf 29 DF Alexandre Coeff 30 GK Mathieu Michel (on loan from Ajaccio) 33 DF Tanguy Lienard 33 MF Jules Collet 34 DF Sakhalou Niakaté 99 FW Yassine Haouari

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Sofiane Boudraa (at Aubagne until 30 June 2025)

Famous Former Players

Below are some well-known players who have played for Valenciennes since 1913.

For a full list of Valenciennes players, see Category:Valenciennes FC players.

Club Management and Staff

Club Officials

Valenciennes Football Club (SASP)

• President: Henrik Kraft
• Association president: Sébastien Dhollande
• General director: Yoann Godin

Coaching and Medical Staff

• Manager: Ahmed Kantari

Youth Coaching Staff

• Youth academy director: Simon Raux

Coaching History

Club Achievements

• Ligue 2
  • Champions (2): 1972, 2006
• Championnat National
  • Champions (1): 2005
• Championnat de France amateur
  • Champions (1): 1998
• Coupe de France
  • Runners-up (1): 1951
• Coupe Charles Drago
  • Runners-up (1): 1959

See also

In Spanish: Valenciennes Football Club para niños