Stade Laval

Stade Lavallois Mayenne Football Club (), 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 plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Laval plays its home matches at the Stade Francis Le Basser located in the city.

History

The club was founded in 1902 by Joseph Gemain, 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 changed 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. The president was 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 stock exchange. 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.

In the 2021–22 season, Laval achieved promotion to Ligue 2 by winning the Championnat National.

Honours

*Championnat National:
::*''Champions'' (1): 2021–22
*Division d'Honneur (West):
::*''Champions'' (1): 1963–64
*Coupe Gambardella:
::*''Champions'' (1): 1983–84

Current squad

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Laval in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1902.

''For a complete list of Stade Laval players, see :Stade Lavallois players''.

* Raymond Keruzoré
* Claude Le Roy
* Jean-Marc Furlan
* Erwin Kostedde
* Pierre Aubameyang
* Frank Leboeuf
* Mickaël Madar
* François Omam-Biyik
* Ousmane Dabo
* Eugène Dadi
* Lionel Pérez
* Jérôme Leroy
* Lilian Nalis
* Franck Haise
* Djimi Traoré
* Régis Le Bris
* Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
* François Zoko
* Mehdi Lacen
* Hassan Yebda
* Fahid Ben Khalfallah
* Francis Coquelin
* Romain Hamouma
* Anthony Losilla
* Nicolas Pallois
* Christian Bekamenga
* Serhou Guirassy
* Hugo Boumous
* Wesley Saïd
* Nordi Mukiele
* Yvan Neyou
* Yoane Wissa
* Oumar Solet
* Mehdi Boudjemaa

Managers

References

{{Authority control

Association football clubs established in 1902
1902 establishments in France
Sport in Mayenne
Laval
Ligue 1 clubs