Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale (commonly referred to as US Boulogne or frequently, simply Boulogne) is a
French association football club based in the
commune of
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Department ...
. The club was founded in 1898 and currently plays in
Championnat National 2, the fourth level of
French football, having been relegated from 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, ...
at the end of the
2021–22 season.
The club was formed in 1898 and its achievements are comparatively minor, with their biggest feat to date consisting of reaching the semi-finals during the 1936–37 edition 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 ...
. Boulogne play their home matches at the
Stade de la Libération
Stade de la Libération is a multi-use stadium in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of US Boulogne
Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale (commonly referred to as US ...
, which seats 15,004 having previously seated only 7,000 prior to its renovation in 2007.
History
US Boulogne were originally founded in December 1898 by a group of young local athletes. While they mainly focused originally on athletic events, they created a football team to provide themselves with sporting competition in the winter months, and made a decent job in their first few years as a football club. Boulogne won the Maritime Championship three years running between 1904 and 1906. They next won the Championship in 1909 and their final victory of this division was in 1922. In 1924, Boulogne moved to the Northern Championship and fared well. The team also did well in 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 ...
– reaching the quarter-finals in 1929 and the last 16 three times.
In 1926, Boulogne won the Northern League and only six years later, they decided to become a professional club. In 1935, under chairman Marcel Lacroix, the team joined the professional leagues. However, they played averagely in Division Two but there were a few bright sparks in the team. The Coupe de France 1937 competition saw Boulogne reach the semi-finals, but they were convincingly beaten by
FC Sochaux 6–0. After the war, Boulogne, reverted to amateur status – and only decided to become a professional team again in 1957, when they were re-elected into Division Two. They stayed comfortably in Division Two for 22 years but then plummeted through the divisions – suffering consecutive relegations. The Coupe de France competition only provided little respite, as the team made the last 16 three times.
Robert Senechal arrived in 1983 and stabilised the club in Division Four. They missed out on promotion by a narrow margin in 1984 – but were finally promoted in 1991. However, it was short-lived and they were relegated the following season. In June 1994, it was announced that Boulogne were in serious debt – owing ₣3 million. However, mayor of Boulougne and billionaire John Muselet intervened to save the club and appointed Jacques Wattez as chairman. Under the leadership of Wattez, the club adopted a new official name – Union Sportive Boulogne Côte d'Opale – in July 1994. as a new company, the debts of the club were wiped and Boulogne – although still struggling in Division Four – reached the last sixteen of the Coupe de France again in 1997. They earned a home tie against Ligue 1 side
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 p ...
. Although Boulogne battled bravely through the match, they narrowly lost to their illustrious opponents 0–1.
Boulogne were slowly building their team in 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, ...
and under manager
Philippe Montanier, the club clinched promotion to
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to 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 making up the Ligue ...
with a tense 2–1 victory over
SC Toulon
Sporting Club Toulon is a football club from Toulon, France, that plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of the French football league system. The club was founded in 1944 and played under that name until the 1999–2000 season w ...
. However, Boulogne were initially blocked from playing in Ligue 2 due to financial problems but after hard work, they were given the green light to play in that league for the
2007–08 season. They struggled that season and on the final day, they were occupying the final relegation spot, one point from safety. Boulogne played at home to
Chamois Niortais FC
Chamois Niortais Football Club (often referred to as ''Les Chamois'', Chamois Niortais, or simply Niort) is a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of western France. It was founded in ...
, who were one place above Boulogne. A tense game saw Boulogne win the match in the 95th minute through defender
Damien Perrinelle
Damien Perrinelle (born 12 September 1983 in Suresnes) is a French football defender.
Career
France
Born in Suresnes, in the western suburbs of Paris, Perrinelle began his career in the youth system of Amiens and in 2004 joined US Créteil w ...
and it kept Boulogne up whilst sending
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in th ...
down to the Championnat National.
The
2008–09 season saw Boulogne do the opposite from last season and win promotion on the final day of the season after beating
SC Amiens
Amiens Sporting Club (; commonly referred to as Amiens SC or simply Amiens) is a French association football club based in the northern city of Amiens in the Hauts-de-France region. The club was formed in 1901 and play in Ligue 2, the second ...
4–0, replacing Strasbourg in the final promotion place by a single point. Striker
Grégory Thil
Grégory Thil (born 15 March 1980) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played at a professional level for Beauvais, Boulogne, Dijon, and Châteauroux, and is the all-time leading scorer for Boulogne.
Career
B ...
finished top scorer with 18 goals as the side made their first-ever appearance in the
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...
. They stayed just one season, being relegated in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
. Two seasons later they suffered a further relegation back to Championnat National.
In March 2020, Boulogne were third in Championnat National when the season was prematurely ended 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 identi ...
. They were denied an opportunity for promotion when the FFF executive committee announced that the usual playoff between 18th in Ligue 2 and 3rd in Championnat National would not go ahead.
The team finished bottom of the
2021–22 Championnat National
The 2021–22 Championnat National season is the 29th season since the establishment of the Championnat National, and the 23rd in its current format, which serves as the third division of the French football league system.
Team changes
Team cha ...
table, and were relegated to
Championnat National 2 after 17 years in the top three divisions.
Players
Current squad
Staff
* Head Coach :
Christophe Raymond
* Assistant Coach : Cédric Blomme
* Goalkeeping Coach : Hugo Stevenart
* Fitness Trainer: Antoine Decaix
Notable players
Below are the notable players who have represented Boulogne in
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
and international competition since the club's foundation in 1919.
*
Franck Ribéry
Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (; born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. Ribéry has been des ...
*
Lucien Leduc
Lucien Leduc (30 December 1918 – 17 July 2004) was a French football midfielder and a manager.
Honours
As a player
CO Roubaix-Tourcoing
* French championship: 1947
RC Paris
* Coupe de France: 1949
As a coach
Marseille
* French championshi ...
*
Daniel Moreira
*
Yves Triantafyllos
Yves Triantafyllos (alternative spellings Triantafil(l)os, Triandafyl(l)os, Triandafil(l)os; Greek: Υβ Τριαντάφυλλος; born 27 October 1948) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Having been part of ...
*
Diafra Sakho
Diafra Sakho (born 24 December 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Nancy.
Sakho began his career in the lower divisions of French football, with Metz and on loan at Boulogne, before joining West Ham U ...
*
Ovidy Karuru
*
N'Golo Kanté
*
Loïc Damour
Loïc Damour (born 8 January 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Versailles.
A graduate of the world-renowned Clairefontaine academy, Damour has played for a number of clubs during his career, includin ...
Managers
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulogne
Association football clubs established in 1898
1898 establishments in France
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Sport in Pas-de-Calais
Football clubs in France
Football clubs in Hauts-de-France
Ligue 1 clubs