Full name | Tours Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | TFC |
Founded | 1951 |
Ground |
Stade de la Vallée du Cher, Tours, France |
Capacity | 16,247 |
Chairman | Jean-Marc Ettori |
Manager | Gilbert Zoonekynd |
League | Ligue 2 |
2015–16 | Ligue 2, 9th |
Website | Club home page |
Tours Football Club (pronounced: [tuʁ]; commonly referred to as simply Tours) is a French association football club based in Tours, the capital city of the Indre-et-Loire department. The club was formed in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Tours plays its home matches at the Stade de la Vallée du Cher located within the city. The team is managed by Marco Simone and captained by midfielder Bryan Bergougnoux.
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 thanks to player-coach Alfred Aston that same year.
Tours was promoted to the first division in 1980. Prior to the start of the season, the club signed prolific striker Delio Onnis from Monaco. 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 1980–83, 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 title. However, after one season, the club returned to the lower league. Tours have yet to manage a return to Ligue 1.