Stade Helvétique de Marseille, commonly abbreviated to Stade Helvétique or SH Marseille, was a French

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

founded on 22 July 1904 under the name of ''La Suisse''. On 19 July 1907 the club was renamed to the ''Stade Helvétique de Marseille''. The club was dissolved in 1932 due to the Wall Street Crash.

History

The club was created on 22 July 1904 by a committee of the gymnastics from

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

who had existed in Marseille for nearly twenty years. They climbed to the first round of the Championnat du Littoral de l'

USFSA U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...

in 1906 and after some recruits came to reinforce the team in 1908, the ''Helvétiques'' finally won their first local title in 1909 and thus played in their first Championnat de France USFSA. In the final, the club won against CA Paris (3-2), giving the strange spectacle of ten Swiss and an Englishman becoming champions of France. This was the first success of a club from Marseille against a Parisian club; the Stade Helvétique then became the leading club from Marseille, thus masking the other clubs in the city, Olympique included. The following season, the club reached the Championnat de France final, again Their opponents,

US Tourcoing Union Sportive Tourquennoise, commonly shortened to US Tourcoing, is a French football club founded in 1902 and based in Tourcoing. The club played in the Championnat National 3 (and its previous incarnation at the fifth level) for five seasons ...

, showed no mercy and thrashed the club 7-2. In 1911, the Club found themselves in the National final again. At the Stade de l'Huveaune, the club beat Racing Club de France 3-2. In 1912, the club lifted its fourth consecutive Littoral title.

Stade Raphaëlois Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

, champion of the Côte d'Azur de l'

and National champion that year, eliminated the club in two matches (0-0, 2-1).

In 1913, the club found the lustre of the National finals. Facing FC Rouen, and after extra time, the club won 1-0. This was the third and last

national title for the club. Given the large number of foreigners who made up the team, they were not allowed to participate in the

Trophée de France The Grand Prix de France is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It was previously known as the Grand Prix International de Paris (1987–1993), Trophée de France ...

, which brings together the champions of the various federations. At the last pre-war season, the club was eliminated in the quarterfinals by

FC Lyon Football Club de Lyon is a French sports club. It was established on 17 November 1893, and is notable for its rugby and football sections. Honours Rugby * French championship: ** Champions: 1909–10 Football * Coupe de France The Coupe ...

(3-2). The Great War made a clean sweep in Marseille for

Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club pl ...

who benefitted the most from the legacy of the Stade Helvétique, by making Marseille a football town. The club, like many others, closed its doors in 1914 due to lack of competition and ceased operations in 1916.

The club was restored in 1927 with a change of kit, now wearing the same kit of the Swiss football team, red with a white cross. The club, no longer having its stadium located at the Prado, played its games at the Stade de l'Huveaune or at the Stade Montfuron. The club intended to acquire land in the place of the now

Stade Velodrome Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

thanks to a raffle where the ticket was hidden by one of the organizers. The 1929 crisis considerably weakened the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

community living in Marseille and led to the final dissolution of the club in 1932.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helvetique Marseille Defunct football clubs in France Football clubs in Marseille 1904 establishments in France Association football clubs established in 1904 Association football clubs disestablished in 1932 1932 disestablishments in France