Tours Football Club 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 Tours

Tours

Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...

, the capital city

Capital City

Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....

 of the Indre-et-Loire

Indre-et-Loire

Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers.-History:Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...

 department. The club was formed in 1919 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...

. Tours plays its home matches at the Stade de la Vallée du Cher

Stade de la Vallée du Cher

Stade de la Vallée du Cher is a multi-use stadium in Tours, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Tours FC. The stadium is able to hold 13,500 people and was built in 1978.-External links:*...

 located within the city. The team is managed by Peter Zeidler and captained by 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...

 Julien Cardy

Julien Cardy

Julien Cardy is a midfielder in the French Football League, currently playing for Tours.notes: * = data incomplete-External links:*...

.

History

Tours Football Club was founded in 1919 as under the name AS Docks-du-Centre. After two years of playing under the moniker, the club changed its name to AS du Centre. The club spent 30 years under the name as French football entered professionalism in the 1930s. In 1951, the club changed its name again to the current Tours FC. Under the Tours emblem, the club achieved success in its infancy reaching the Round of 64 in the Coupe de France

Coupe de France

The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...

 thanks to player-coach Alfred Aston

Alfred Aston

Alfred Aston was a French association football winger and manager. He was part of France national football team at the FIFA World Cup 1934 and 1938...

 that same year.
Tours was promoted to the first division

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....

 in 1980. Prior to the start of the season, the club signed prolific striker

Striker

Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis is a retired Argentine football forward. He was nicknamed "el Tano" in Argentina....

 from Monaco

AS Monaco FC

Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...

. Onnis improved the club's attack significantly over the next three years and departing the club in 1983 after Tours suffered relegation. During Onnis' stint between 1980–1983, Tours twice reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France in 1982 and 1983. The club was eliminated on both occasions by Paris Saint-Germain. In 1984, Tours quickly returned to the first division after winning Division 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...

 title. However, after one season, the club returned to the lower league. Tours have yet to manage a return to Ligue 1

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....

.

During the club's current absence from Ligue 1, Tours fell 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...

, the third division of French football, after finishing dead last in the 2006–07 season. During the season, Albert Falette, the club manager for eight years was removed from his position. At the end of the season, the club released or sold almost all its players, including captain David Fleurival

David Fleurival

David Fleurival in Vitry-sur-Seine, France is a Guadeloupean football midfielder currently playing for FC Metz.-Club career:He has played at Tours FC where he was the team captain and in Portugal with Boavista F.C.....

. The club only kept long-time goalkeeper Armand Raimbault

Armand Raimbault

Armand Raimbault is a French football goalkeeper. He currently plays for US Orléans.Raimbault also has the unusual distinction of being a goalkeeper who takes his team's penalty kicks.-External links:...

 and young prospect Rudy Wendling. The long-term outlook strategy paid off with the club finishing second in the 2007–08 National season, thus returning to Ligue 2, where the club currently remain.

Colours and logos

Tours' crest is inspired by the city's coats of arms with three towers and a Fleur-de-lis

Fleur-de-lis

The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...

. It bears the club's motto "Turonorum civitas libera", which means in Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 "Free city of Turones

Turones

The Turones were a Celtic tribe of pre-Roman Gaul. They gave their name to the French town Tours.For their exploits in the medieval mythologies concerning Brutus of Troy, see Goffar the Pict....

". Turones is the Celtic tribe, which gave its name to Tours

Tours

Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...

. The motto was found engraved on a rock, which is now in the undergrounds of the Beaux Arts Museum located in the city. The salamander

Salamander

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...

 is a reference to King François I

Francis I of France

Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...

.

Stadium

Tours has been playing at the Stade de la Vallée du Cher

Stade de la Vallée du Cher

Stade de la Vallée du Cher is a multi-use stadium in Tours, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Tours FC. The stadium is able to hold 13,500 people and was built in 1978.-External links:*...

 since 1978. In 1979, the stadium's capacity was 22,000, but now only incorporates on 13,500. The stadium was built thanks to former mayor Jean Royer

Jean Royer

Jean Royer was a French catholic and conservative politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of Tours.-Mayor of Tours:...

, as he wanted a decent venue for the club. Before the construction of the Vallée du Cher, Tours played its home matches at the Stade de Grammont.

Supporters

In France, Tours is not a town fond of football because of the lack of football tradition. Moreover, supporters were disappointed of the club's poor results in the past. However, the accession 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...

 in 2006 has created some interest in the city and audiences in the stadium are gradually increasing. There are currently three groups of supporters:

• Amicale des supporters
• Kop 37
• Supras Tours

Current squad

Notable former players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Tours 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 1919. 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 Tours FC players, see :Category:Tours FC players.

Jean-Marc Adjovi-Bocco

Jean-Marc Adjovi-Bocco

Jean-Marc Adjovi-Bocco is a former Beninese football player. Bocco captained the Benin national football team, until he retired from international football in the summer of 1997...

 Alfred Aston

Alfred Aston

Alfred Aston was a French association football winger and manager. He was part of France national football team at the FIFA World Cup 1934 and 1938...

 Fatih Atık

Fatih Atık

Fatih Atik is a French-Turkish professional footballer. He currently plays for the French Ligue 2 side Guingamp. He plays as a midfielder. He is a Turkish and a French citizen.-External links:*...

 Patrice Augustin

Patrice Augustin

Patrice Augustin is a former professional footballer.-External links:* at chamoisfc79.fr...

 Yves Bertucci

Yves Bertucci

Yves Bertucci is a French football manager and former football player.He is currently an assistant coach for Paris Saint-Germain, having in February 2009 being replaced by Daniel Jeandupeux as the manager of Le Mans Union Club....

 Julien Cétout

Julien Cétout

Julien Cétout is a French professional football player. Currently, he plays in the Ligue 2 for Tours FC.-External links:*...

 Cédric Collet

Cédric Collet

Cédric Collet is a French football midfielder who currently plays for Stade de Reims. Collet previously played for Standard Liege in Belgium.-International career:...

 David Fleurival

David Fleurival

David Fleurival in Vitry-sur-Seine, France is a Guadeloupean football midfielder currently playing for FC Metz.-Club career:He has played at Tours FC where he was the team captain and in Portugal with Boavista F.C.....

 Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is a French footballer. He currently plays as a striker for the Ligue 1 side Montpellier.-Career:Giroud is one of Tours FC's 2009/2010 season discoveries, and was the team's top-scorer....

 Sébastien Gondouin

Sébastien Gondouin

Sébastien Gondouin is a French football defender. He currently plays for US Créteil-Lusitanos.-External links:...

 Christophe Himmer

Christophe Himmer

Christophe Himmer is a French football Midfielder. He currently plays for Tours FC.-External links:...

Laurent Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal. He primarily plays as a centre back but he can also play as an right back, a position where he started his career. Koscielny is a youth product of Guingamp. He is described as an aggressive, uncompromising and...

 Frédéric Laurent

Frédéric Laurent

Frédéric Laurent, born November 21, 1975 in Paris, France is a French/French Guyanese former football midfielder.He previously played for French clubs including Tours FC, SO Romorantin and Dijon FCO.-External links:*...

 Guy Lacombe

Guy Lacombe

Guy Lacombe is a French former professional football player and manager.- International :Lacombe was a member of the French squad that won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...

 Christophe Mandanne

Christophe Mandanne

Christophe Mandanne is a French football striker. Currently, he plays in the Ligue 2 for Dijon FCO.-External links:...

 Michel Rodriguez

Michel Rodriguez

Michel Rodriguez is a French football defender. He currently plays for US Créteil-Lusitanos of the Championnat National.-External links:...

 Youssouf Touré

Youssouf Touré

Youssouf Touré is a French professional footballer. He currently plays in the Championnat National for Sports Réunis Colmar....

 Omar da Fonseca

Omar da Fonseca

Omar da Fonseca is an Argentine former football striker.-External links:...

 Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis

Delio Onnis is a retired Argentine football forward. He was nicknamed "el Tano" in Argentina....

 Gaëtan Englebert

Gaëtan Englebert

Gaëtan Englebert is a Belgian footballer who is currently playing for the local club K.V.V. Coxyde, as a defensive midfielder.-Club career:...

 Antoine Dossevi

Antoine Dossevi

Pierre-Antoine Dossevi is a retired Togolese footballer.-Career:Dossevi made appearances for Tours, Paris-Saint Germain, Dunkerque and Bourges...

Managers

Yvon Jublot (1969–76) Pierre Phelippon (1976–81) Hennie Hollink

Hennie Hollink

Hendrikus Hollink is a former football player and manager from the Netherlands, who played for Roda JC, FC Twente and Heracles Almelo...

 (1981–83) Guy Briet (1983 – March 85) Serge Besnard (March 1985–86) Yvon Jublot (1986–88) Jean Sérafin

Jean Sérafin

Jean Sérafin is a French former footballer and coach.He played for US Valenciennes and USL Dunkerque.After his playing career, he became a coach with Le Touquet AC, RC Lens, OGC Nice, Nîmes Olympique, Tours FC, Al-Wahda FC, Club Africain, Red Star and Wuhan .-External links and references:*...

 (1988–92) Raymond Kéruzoré

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....

 (1992–93) Philippe Leroux (1993–95) Christian Letard (1995– March 99) Albert Falette (March 1999-07) Philippe Bizeul (2007) Daniel Sanchez

Daniel Sanchez (French footballer)

Daniel Sanchez is a French former football striker currently managing Ligue 1 team Valenciennes.-References:* *...

 (2007– June 11) Peter Zeidler (June 2011–present)

External links

Official website