Stade Lavallois
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| Full name | Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Les Tangos |
| Founded | 17 July 1902 |
| Ground |
Stade Francis Le Basser Laval |
| Capacity | 18,739 |
| Chairman | Christian Duraincie |
| Manager | Thierry Goudet |
| League | Ligue 2 |
| 2015–16 | Ligue 2, 13th |
| Website | www |
Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (French pronunciation: [stɑd lavalwa majɛn]), also referred to as Stade Laval or simply Laval, is a French association football club based in Laval in western France. The club was formed on 17 July 1902 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Laval plays its home matches at the Stade Francis Le Basser located in the city and is managed by Marco Simone, the former Tours manager.
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 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 in 1983 after finishing a commendable fifth in the league. In Laval's first season in Europe, it knocked Dynamo Kyiv out of the competition, before being knocked out by Austria Wien. 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 . In the 2005–06 season, the club was relegated to the Championnat National. Laval remained in the third division for two seasons before managing promotion back to Ligue 2 after the 2008–09 season.
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