Racing Club de Lens is a French football club that plays in Ligue 1.

History

The club was founded in 1906 by local students. Lens were a competitive force in the 1950s, finishing as Ligue 1 runners-up twice during that decade, having been promoted as Ligue 2 champions in 1948-49.

Stadium

The team’s home ground is the Stade Bollaert-Delelis which has a capacity of 38,223.

Honours

  • Ligue 1 Winners (1): 1997–98
  • Ligue 1 Runners-up (4): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1976–77, 2001–02
  • Ligue 2 Winners (4): 1936–37, 1948–49, 1972–73, 2008–09
  • Ligue 2 Runners-up: (2): 2013–14, 2019–20
  • Coupe de France Runners-up (3): 1947–48, 1974–75, 1997–98
  • Coupe de la Ligue Winners (1): 1998–99
  • UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League) Semi-finalists (1): 1999–2000
Country France France
City Lens
Founded 1906
Ground Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Nickname Les Sang et Or
Captain Seko Fofana
Coach Franck Haise
Website www.rclens.fr

More recently, Lens enjoyed their best period of success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, initially under Daniel Leclercq, winning Ligue 1 once in 1997-98 and finishing as runners-up in 2001-02. In 2000, Lens made the UEFA Cup semi-finals. The club also won the Coupe de la Ligue in 1998-99 and were Coupe de France runners-up in 1997-98.