Two of the clubs promoted from Ligue 2 are from the northern France department of Pas-des-Calais…tiny first-division-newcomers US Boulogne and the well-supported RC Lens.
Racing Club de Lens are from Lens, a town of 36,000 (2006 estimate) 28 km (17 miles) south-west of Lille, which is the fourth largest urban area in France. The town of Lens and the region were historically centered on the coal mining industry, and RC Lens traditionally draws a more working class fan base than their local rivals Lille OSC. Lens bounces straight back to Ligue 1 in 2009-2010, for what will be their 56th season in top flight French football. The club won the 1998 Ligue 1 Title, and have been French Cup runners-up 4 times, the last in 1998. Lens also have won 2 French League Cup Titles, in 1994 and 1999. The club drew 34,654 per game in 06/07 (their last season in the top tier).
US Boulogne, formed in 1898, play in a tiny stadium (7,300 capacity) and drew just 5,767 per game this season.
The third promoted club is Montpellier HSC, a club that has played 17 seasons of first division football, which is a small figure for a club that was a founding member of France’s first division, back in 1932-33. Montpellier is in the Languedoc region in the south of France. Montpellier has 2 Coupe de France titles, the first won in 1929, and the second won in 1990, when Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, and Carlos Valderrama were in the squad. The club’s stadium was entirely rebuilt for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which explains why the club plays in a ground that is much too large for their smallish fan base (Montpellier averaged 9,402 per game in 08/09).
The population figures at this link {click here (CityMayors.com)} were used in determining what cities, the 7 largest metropolitan areas in France, were put on the map.
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While on the subject of French football, here is an article on newly-crowned champions Girondions de Bordeaux, from the Ligue 1 site, {click here}.
Thanks to the excellent Ligue 1 site, for the kits and gate figures {click here}. Thanks to the contributors to the pages at wikipedia {click here (set at Ligue 1, 2009-2020)}.
