Stade Lavallois
Encyclopedia
Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (stɑd laˈvalo majɛn; commonly referred to as Stade Laval or simply Laval) is a French association football
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...

 club based in Laval
Laval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...

. The club was formed on 17 July 1902 and currently play in Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, 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 de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

, the second level of French football
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...

. Laval plays its home matches at the Stade Francis Le Basser
Stade Francis Le Basser
Stade Francis Le Basser is a multi-use stadium in Laval, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Stade Lavallois. The stadium is able to hold 18,739 people.-References:...

 located in the city and is managed by Philippe Hinschberger
Philippe Hinschberger
Philippe Hinschberger is a retired French football player who played with FC Metz.After retiring as a player Hinsberger has managed CS Louhans-Cuiseaux, Chamois Niortais and Le Havre; he has been manager of Laval since 2007.-References:...

, the former Niort manager. The captained of the team is midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 Johann Chapuis
Johann Chapuis
Johann Chapuis, born January 15, 1975 in Besançon, France is a French defender currently playing for US Créteil-Lusitanos.His previous clubs include AS Nancy Lorraine, Louhans-Cuiseaux, FC Rouen and Stade Lavallois.-External links:*...

.

History

The club was founded in 1902 after Joseph Germain, a passionate supporter of the sport of football. Émile Sinoir was installed as the club's first president. At that time, players were supplied with red tops and black shorts and matches were played at Senelle, a district of Laval. Laval's first official match was against nearby Rennes. In 1903, the club participated in the Breton championship, for the first time, and the red and black strip was disposed for a green and white combination. In 1918, the kit colour was changed again, to a bright orange strip. In 1930, the club began playing at the Stade Jean Yvinec, named in honour of a former player who died at the age of 26. By 1931, Laval had risen to the Division d'Honneur, the sixth level of French football. The club continued to rotate between the amateur leagues before finally winning the Division d'Honneur in 1964, which propelled the club to the Championnat de France amateur, France's highest division of amateur football.

The following season, Laval surprisingly won the league in its debut season. With the club heightening its ambitions, new aspirations came about and Laval named former club player and Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...

 Michel Le Milinaire manager. He was assisted by Henri Bisson. Together, the two made Laval into one of the best clubs in France. In 1976, Laval reached the top division of French football, thus becoming a professional team for the first time in the club's history. Despite being classed as outsiders, the club managed to stay in the top-flight division, even qualifying for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 in 1983 after finishing a commendable fifth in the league. In Laval's first season in Europe, it knocked Dynamo Kiev out of the competition, before being knocked out by FK Austria Wien
FK Austria Wien
Fußballklub Austria Wien is an Austrian association football club from the capital city of Vienna. They are considered the most successful club in Austria, having won the highest Austrian Bundesliga 23 times, the Austrian Cup 27 times and the Austrian Supercup 6 times. They also reached the UEFA...

. This would prove to be the club's only European experience. In 1989, the club was relegated to the second division, after 13 years in the elite division. In 2005, Laval became a SASP (Société Anonyme Sportive Professionnelle), roughly equivalent to going on the stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...

. In the 2005–06 season, the club was relegated to the Championnat National
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National, 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...

. Laval remained in the third division for two seasons before managing promotion back to Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, 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 de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...

 after the 2008–09 season.

Current squad

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Laval in league
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 and international competition since the club's foundation in 1902. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.

For a complete list of Stade Laval players, see :Category:Stade Lavallois players.
Patrick Delamontagne
Patrick Delamontagne
Patrick Delamontagne is a former French footballer, regarded as one the greatest players to have played for Stade Rennais, as well as one of the greatest ever Breton players...

 Jean-Luc Dogon
Jean-Luc Dogon
Jean-Luc Dogon is a retired French footballer.-External links:**...

 Frank Leboeuf
Frank Leboeuf
Franck Alain James Leboeuf or Lebœuf is a former French international footballer who played as a defender...

 Raymond Keruzoré
Raymond Kéruzoré
Raymond Keruzoré is a former Breton and French football player and manager, regarded as one the greatest players to have played for Stade Rennais, as well as one of the greatest ever Breton players....

 Jean-Pierre Tempet
Jean-Pierre Tempet
Jean-Pierre Tempet is a French former football goalkeeper.-References:* *...

 Malek Aït-Alia
Malek Aït-Alia
Malek Aït-Alia is a retired French-born Algerian international football player who played as a defender for various French clubs and Algerian side USM Alger.-International career:...

 Abdelmajid Bourebbou
Abdelmajid Bourebbou
Abdelmajid Bourebbou, is a former Algerian footballer. He played as a striker for several French clubs as well as the Algeria national football team.-External links:* *...

 Adnan Čustović
Adnan Custovic
Adnan Čustović is a Bosnian footballer who plays as a forward for Germinal Beerschot.- Career :Before joining Mouscron, Čustović mainly played for French division 1 and 2 teams Le Havre AC, Stade Lavallois and Amiens SC, on 21 December left R.E. Mouscron and moved to K.A.A. Gent.- International...

 François Omam-Biyik
François Omam-Biyik
François Omam-Biyik is a former football player from Cameroon. He also has French nationality. He was one of the most important players of the Cameroonian national team in the nineties, playing at the three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998...



Managers

André Sorel (1954–58) Robert Heuillard (1958–63) Jean Barré (1963–68) Michel Le Millinaire
Michel Le Millinaire
Michel Le Millinaire is a French former footballer and coach.He played for Stade Lavallois and CA Mayennais.After his playing career, he became a coach with Stade Lavallois and Stade Rennais.-External links and references:*...

 (1968 – October 92) Bernard Maligorne (October 1992–95) Denis Troch
Denis Troch
Denis Troch is a former French professional football player and now manager.Troch's last job in management was with Chamois Niortais, but he was sacked in June 2009 after the club were relegated to the Championnat de France amateur...

 (January 1995–97) Hervé Gauthier
Hervé Gauthier
Hervé Gauthier is a retired French footballer and coach.He played for Stade Poitevin, Lille OSC, Stade Lavallois and RC Paris....

 (1997-01) Victor Zvunka
Victor Zvunka
Victor Zvunka is a French former football defender and football manager.-Honours:As a player*Coupe de France 1976 with Olympique de MarseilleAs a coach*Championnat National with LB Châteauroux in 1993–94...

 (2001–03) Francis Smerecki (2003 – 4 January) Alex Dupont
Alex Dupont
Alex Dupont is a French former footballer and football manager. He is currently managing Brest.-Career:Dupont played as a midfielder for Dunkerque and Hazebrouck.-Coaching career:...

 (January 2004-04) Denis Troch
Denis Troch
Denis Troch is a former French professional football player and now manager.Troch's last job in management was with Chamois Niortais, but he was sacked in June 2009 after the club were relegated to the Championnat de France amateur...

 (2004–07) Philippe Hinschberger
Philippe Hinschberger
Philippe Hinschberger is a retired French football player who played with FC Metz.After retiring as a player Hinsberger has managed CS Louhans-Cuiseaux, Chamois Niortais and Le Havre; he has been manager of Laval since 2007.-References:...

 (2007–)

Honours

  • Coupe de la Ligue
    Coupe de la Ligue
    The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...

  • Champions (2): 1982, 1984
    • Championnat de France Amateurs
      Championnat de France Amateurs
      The Championnat de France amateur, commonly referred to as simply CFA and formerly known as National 2, is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2, and the Championnat National...

  • Runners-Up (1): 1965
    • Division d'Honneur (West):
  • Champions (1): 1964

External links (in French)

Official club site
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