Nîmes Olympique
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| Image:Nimesolympique.jpg | |
| Full name | Nîmes Olympique Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Les Crocodiles |
| Founded | 10 April 1937 |
| Ground | Stade des Costières, Nimes |
| Capacity | 18,482 |
| Chairman | Jean-Louis Gazeau |
| Manager | Régis Brouard |
| League | Championnat National |
Nîmes Olympique are a football (soccer) team based in Nîmes, France, founded on 10 April 1937. Prior to this, they were known as Sporting Club Nîmois.
Nimes Olympique currently (as of 2006) play in the Championnat National - the third level of French football. They have a fierce group of fans ("Ultras") known as the "Gladiators".
Their greatest achievement was winning Ligue 2 in the 1949/1950 season. They also won the Championnat National in 1997.
Former players include Éric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, Wilson Oruma, Mickaël Pagis, Cyril Jeunechamp and Bernard Boissier.
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[edit] Sporting Club Nîmois
Sporting Club Nîmois (SCN) were founded in 1901 by Henri Monnier, who, at the age of 21, had just returned from a 2 year trip to England. He decided to start a new team, in Nimes, his home town. Originally, the team was for young Protestants only.
In 1908, SCN played Olympique Cettois for the title of 'Champions of Languedoc'. Nîmois won, to qualify for the final phase of the French championship, losing to Olympique Marseille in the first round.
The club suspended activities due to World War I on April 15 1919. In 1922, SCN absorbed a local rival, F.A. Nîmois.
The new team, still under the name of Sporting Club Nîmois, were runners-up in the South-East championship in 1925. In 1927, les Nîmois won a place in the highest championship, then known as the Division d'Honneur.
In October 1931, the then-president of the Republic of France, Gaston Doumergue, inaugurated the Jean Bouin stadium.
Due to financial problems, SCN abandoned their professional activities in 1937. Following efforts from local businessmen, the club moved to the district of Lozère-Gard in Nîmes, and was reformed as Nîmes Olympique.
[edit] Nîmes Olympique
[edit] Stadium
The team moved to the Stade des Costières de Nîmes on February 15 1989, celebrating with a game with the French national A team. A number of Dutch players including Dennis Bergkamp made guest appearances for Nimes.
The first league match at the stadium was on March 4 1989, against Montceau in a Ligue 2 game, with 3,647 spectators in attendance. The record attendance to date was 25,051, which was achieved in the 1991-1992 season, in a Ligue 1 game with Olympique Marseille. The French national side have also played an international against Greece at the ground, just before Euro 96, with an attendance of 23,420.
The standard capacity of the stadium is 18,482, due to security concerns.
[edit] Honours
- Ligue 1 runners-up - 1958, 1959, 1960, 1968, 1972.
- Ligue 2 champions - 1950.
- Ligue 2 runners-up - 1991.
- Championnat National champions - 1997.
- Coupe de France finalists - 1958, 1961, 1996.
- Coppa delle Alpi - 1971
- Coupe Drago winners - 1956.
- Coupe Gambardella winners - 1961, 1966, 1969, 1977.
[edit] Squad 2006/07
[edit] External links
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fr:Nîmes Olympique nl:Olympique Nîmes ja:ニーム・オリンピック fi:Nîmes Olympique
