Le Havre AC

Le Havre Athletic Club
Full name	Le Havre Athletic Club FA
Nickname(s)	Le club doyen, les ciel et marine
Founded	1872 (began playing football:1894)
Ground	Stade Jules Deschaseaux; (Capacity: 16 454)
Chairman	Jean-Pierre Louvel
Manager	Cédric Daury
League	Ligue 2
2008-09	L1, 20th (relegated)
Home colours	Away colours

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Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association or Havre Athletic Club, is a French football, originally an athletics and rugby club based in Le Havre, founded in 1872 making it the oldest football and rugby club registered in France.^[1]

The football team made an immediate return to Ligue 2 after being relegated from Ligue 1 in the 2008-09 season.

[edit] History

Football began being played on a regular basis in 1894, so technically FC Mulhouse could be considered the first French football team being established in 1893 (however, they were a German team at the time). Le Havre currently play in Ligue 1 of the French league and their home stadium is Stade Jules Deschaseaux.

In 1899, Le Havre became the first club from outside Paris to become French football champions. At the time the championship was organised by the USFSA. After defeating Iris Club Lillois in the semi-final, they were awarded the title after receiving a walkover in the final ^[2].

The club is famous for its notable youth investment program which develops and nurtures young (often local) talent, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise. A vast amount of good young talent has gone on to make an impact at international level including Ibrahim Ba, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Lassana Diarra and Vikash Dhorasoo.

Le Havre is known as 'les ciel et marine' in France, which translates as 'the sky and navy blues'. These colours were chosen by the club's English founders as they were those of their alma maters, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

[edit] Current squad

As of July 3, 2009

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Christophe Revault (captain)
3	DF	Nicolas Gillet
5	DF	Jérémy Henin
6	MF	Jamel Ait-Ben-Idir
7	FW	Amadou Alassane
10	MF	Olivier Davidas
11	MF	Mohamed Youssouf
13	FW	Mamadou Diallo
14	DF	Loïc Nestor
16	GK	Johnny Placide
17	FW	Nikola Nikezić
19	MF	Kévin Anin
20	DF	Benjamin Police

No.	Position	Player
21	DF	Damien Tixier
22	FW	Jean-Michel Lesage
23	FW	Stéphane Noro
24	MF	Hassane Alla
25	MF	Nicolas Dieuze
27	MF	Guillaume Norbert
30	GK	Mike Van Hamel
33	DF	Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik
	MF	Selim Bouadla
	FW	Cheick Oumar Dabo
	MF	Benjamin Laurant
	DF	Adama Soumaré

[edit] Out on loan

[edit] Junior Squad

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Brice Airale
		GK	Chardel Makaya
		GK	Matthieu Montaubric
		DF	Zakaria Diallo
		DF	Kévin Franqueville
		DF	Jonathan Lacroix
		DF	Arsène Menessou
		DF	Yacoub Yassine
		MF	Dylan Domarin
		MF	Alexandre Dupas
		MF	Maxime Ecoublet
		MF	Driss Fettouhi
		MF	Gueïda Fofana
		MF	Jean-Pascal Fontaine
		MF	Samba Guisse

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Ali Allaoui Issilam
		MF	Fortunat Kisamba
		MF	Matthieu Lagarriague
		MF	Pierrick Lebourg
		MF	El Fardou Ben Nabouhane
		MF	Pierrick Rakotoharizoa
		MF	Baidy Sall
		MF	Mahamane Abdraharame Traoré
		FW	Sébastien Carneiro
		FW	Mohamed Chalali
		FW	Saydou Kayta
		FW	Thomas Martin
		FW	Mathieu Manset
		FW	Yannick Teixeira Barbosa

[edit] Honours

former logo

French Champions
- Winners: 1899, 1900, 1919 3
French Second Division
- Winners: 1938, 1959, 1985, 1991, 2008 5
- Runners Up: 1950 1
Coupe de France
- Winners: 1959 1
- Runners Up: 1920 1
Challenge international du Nord
- Winners: 1900 1
Coupe Nationale
- Winners: 1918, 1919 2
Normandy Champions
- Winners: 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1926 13
Challenge des Champions
- Winners: 1959 1