Sporting Club Toulon is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club from
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, France, that plays in the
Championnat National 2
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue ...
, the fourth tier of the
French football league system
The French football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in France and Monaco, and includes one Spanish side. At the top two levels of the system is the Ligue de Football Professionnel, which consists of two pr ...
. The club was founded in 1944 and played under that name until the 1999–2000 season when they were administratively reformed as Sporting Toulon Var. In 2016, Sporting Toulon Var merged with
SC Toulon-Le Las to become Sporting Club Toulon once again.
History
Sporting Club Toulon was founded in 1944 after a merge between Sporting Club du Temple and Jeunesse Sportive Toulonnaise during the
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
regime.
Genesis
After World War II it joined the French second division and left for only one season in 1946–1947. After eleven years in the second division, the club reached the highest division in France in 1959, after finishing third in the second division, but was relegated the year after.
Toulon has never won the
French Cup
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professiona ...
, but has reached the semi-final on two occasions: in 1963 and 1984. Semi-finalists in 1963, Toulon was eliminated by
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a men and women's French professional football club based in Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The men play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. Founded in 1950, th ...
. The following year, they finished fourth and were promoted again to the first division, without success.
Progression
Relegated to the French 3rd division during 1980–1981 season, Toulon was growing stronger in the 1980s. Thanks to the effectiveness of
Christian Dalger
Christian Dalger (born 19 December 1949 in Nîmes, Gard) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made six international caps for France, scoring two goals.
During his career he played for clubs including SC Tou ...
as a forward, the talent of the leader Alain Bénédet or the experience of
Rolland Courbis
Rolland Courbis (; born 12 August 1953) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. He was most recently manager of Stade Rennais F.C., having replaced Philippe Montanier on 20 January 2016.
Career
Bo ...
in defence, Toulon was again promoted to the first division in 1983, finishing first in Group B, before
Stade de Reims
Stade de Reims () is a French professional association football, football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2017–18 Ligue 2, 2018. ...
, thanks to a victory away to Grenoble (1–5).
Division 1 and decadence
During the 1983–1984 season, Toulon stayed in Division 1 thanks to the 21 goals of
Delio Onnis
Delio Onnis (born 24 March 1948) is a former professional football player who played as striker. Born in Italy, his family emigrated to Argentina in his youth and he was nicknamed ''"El Tano"'' (the Italian) in Argentina.
With 299 goals, he i ...
, top scorer in the league that season. The club again reached the semi-finals of the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
but were defeated by
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Frenc ...
(1–4, 2–1).
The following season saw Toulon shining and beating
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
5–1. Still third after 31 matches played, they were then defeated three times in a row – including another defeat against AS Monaco at home, 1–0, in front of 18,000 spectators at
Stade Mayol, which remains the best performance for the club until now. This demoted them to 5th place, but still put them in contention for qualification to European competition, going into the last game of the season. But a last defeat at home against
FC Nantes Atlantique
Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as ...
meant the club finished in 6th position, outside the European places.
In 1988, the Toulon team including
Bernard Casoni
Bernard René Michel Casoni (born 4 September 1961) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. In his playing career he played for Olympique Marseille and France at Euro 1992.
Career Managerial career ...
,
Bernard Pardo and
David Ginola
David Ginola-Ceze (born 25 January 1967) is a French former professional footballer who has also worked as an actor, model and football pundit.
A former forward, Ginola played football for ten seasons in France before moving from Paris Saint-Ger ...
, with former player
Rolland Courbis
Rolland Courbis (; born 12 August 1953) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. He was most recently manager of Stade Rennais F.C., having replaced Philippe Montanier on 20 January 2016.
Career
Bo ...
as coach, finished 5th in the league but failed to qualify for a European competition due to a weak UEFA coefficient at this time.
After several years of uncertainty, the club was relegated in 1993 to the
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
– the third level of French football – due to financial problems. The 1995–1996 season saw Toulon winning the title in National and promotion to
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
. During the 16th final of the French Cup, they eliminated
Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux (), commonly referred to as Girondins de Bordeaux ( oc, Girondins de Bordèu) or simply Bordeaux, is a French professional football club based in the city of Bordeaux in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The ...
where
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
was playing (3–2 et) before being beaten on penalties by
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC or simply Montpellier, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current i ...
in the next round. Improvements lasted only two years and in 1998, Sporting Club Toulon were relegated back to the Championnat National due to poor results, then administratively in CFA2 (5th level) and finally did not finish the championship because of liquidation.
Back to the amateur level
After financial difficulties which led the club to be expelled from the Championship in the 1998–1999 season and to turn amateur, the club was reborn under the name "Sporting Toulon Var", gaining three promotions in four seasons to reach the third division. Candidate to access the 2nd division in 2006–2007, they have been relegated in 2007 to the French 4th division (CFA). In 2011, DNCG (Direction Nationale de Controle de Gestion) excluded the club from all national competitions and the club will start again in Division d'Honneur (6th division) in 2011–2012. A new manager
Mohamed Sadani was appointed at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, and after several years struggling in Division d'Honneur, the club won the championship and finally gained promotion to
CFA 2
The Championnat National 3, commonly referred to as simply National 3 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur 2, is a football league competition. The league serves as the fifth division of the French football league system behind ...
, 5th national level.
Merger and return to old name
In February 2016, the club announced a merger with
SC Toulon-Le Las, of the CFA. The new club would take the historic name Sporting Club Toulon and play in CFA, with the reserves in CFA2. In 2019 the club won promotion from
National 2 National 2 might refer to:
* Curriculum for Excellence, Scottish education
* Championnat National 2
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competi ...
as champion of their group. They were relegated the following year after being placed bottom of the league when the
2019–20 Championnat National season was ended prematurely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Honours
*
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
**Winners (1): 1983
*
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, t ...
**Winners (1): 1996
*
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...
**Semi-finalists (2): 1963, 1984
*
Coupe Gambardella
The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-18s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation (FFF).
The cup is regarded as an opportunity for young hopefuls to showcase their sk ...
**Runners-up (1): 1966
Current squad
Managers
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toulon SC
Association football clubs established in 1944
1944 establishments in France
Sport in Toulon
Football clubs in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Ligue 1 clubs