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RC Strasbourg
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RC Strasbourg Information
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| Address: |
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Stade
de la Meinau, 12 rue de l'Extrenwoerth, 67100 Strasbourg |
| Telephone: |
03-88-44-55-00 |
| Fax: |
03-88-44-55-01 |
| Founded: |
1906 |
| Stadium: |
la
Meinau |
| Website: |
www.rcstrasbourg.fr |
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RC Strasbourg History
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Racing Club de Strasbourg is a
French football team, playing in the city of Strasbourg.
It all begins at the beginning of the century. Some youngsters
from the Neudorf neighborhood loved kicking a football that at
the time was nothing but a ball of cloth.
Thanks to their savings and the support of their primary school
teacher, they made the acquisition of a true leather football.
Not much later, they formed a team and created an association
that they christened Fu�ball Club Neudorf
The year is 1906 and the meetings took place at the Polygone in
German Alsace. In 1914, FC Neudorf rented le jardin Haemmerle
for 300 deustchmarks a year, a green rectangle that will later
take the name�Stade de la Meinau.
Birth of �Racing�
After the war, �FC Neudorf� was rechristened �RC Strasbourg
Neudorf� then in stride �Racing Club de Strasbourg�. The first
spectators� gallery, built out of wood, began to fill up to
applaud Racing from 1921 and one had to wait just five years to
see Racing bring back its first title in glory, that of the
Champion of Alsace.
Saturday June 10th 1933, at the �restaurant de la Bourse�,
Racing made the big jump to the professional ranks thanks to an
extraordinary General Assembly that confirmed the addition of
Racing. Several months later, they attended the first climb in
Division 1 after four matches of blocking against Mulhouse (0-0
and 3-1) and against Saint-Etienne (2-0 and 4-4).
Everything started well for Racing that immediately placed
itself at the top of the table, it finished 2nd in 34/35, 3rd in
35/36, 6th in 36/37, and 5th in 37/38. After World War II, the
Alsatian club was always in the first division but at the end of
the 48/49 season, it was condemned to relegation.
What that produced was considered a miracle at the time. SR
Colmar liquidated their professional team. This sale brought
about the continuation of Racing among the elite.
The First Trophy
It brought back colors the two following seasons but at the time
of training for the 51/52 season, the Meinau club would come to
know the worst news with the first relegation to Division 2 due
to the worst year in club history. Some months beforehand
nevertheless, RC Strasbourg battled US Valenciennes 3-0, that
was the first victory in the French Cup after the two lost
finals in �37 and �47.
That began a frenzy in the streets of Strasbourg, the return of
the champions was triumphant. The years that followed will not
stay in the annals, Strasbourg climbed back to Division 1 then
fell back to Division 2. In 1959, artificial lighting was
unveiled and one has to wait until the mid-60�s to find a
champion Racing side, in the Villes de Foire Cup.
The French Cup came back to Strasbourg in 1966, fifteen years
later. The years will follow without flavor until the idea of
the fusion with the Pierrots Vauban.
In 1970, a new status was adopted but Racing became Racing Club
de Strasbourg again six years later. It�s 1976, the club is in
Division 2 and going to be promoted back to Division 1. The
manager, Gilbert Gress, and the players making up the team are
Gemmrich, Specht�
The Prettiest Page
The promoted team ended the year in 3rd place and prepared to
write the prettiest page of its history. In 78/79, the Alsatians
were the strongest in France and became for the first and only
time of their history, champions of France.
That season will stay as the reference. 56 points in total, 63
goals scored and only 28 allowed (best defense), undefeated at
the Meinau, Strasbourg was at the summit of French football and
would qualify for the quarter-finals of the European Club
Champions Cup the next season., eliminated by Ajax Amsterdam.
Unfortunately, this high would not last and Racing plunged into
crisis. The 80�s would be sinister memories and the �Blues�
found themselves back in Division 2 in 1986. Then in 1992,
gaining a return to Division 1, they would play at the top of
the table�
At the level above. Thanks to a great match against Rennes, won
4-1, Strasbourg returned to the top flight in 1992. In 95, a
place in the final of the French Cup (defeated 1-0) permitted it
to get a taste for big matches and for the European Cup, Racing
reached the final 16, eliminated by the great AC Milan.
Two years later, it played at the top of the table the whole
year but only finished 9th in an exemplary season. That same
year, the IMG group was chosen by the municipality to change the
fate of the club and the players trained by the captain of the
French champions in �79, Jacky Dugu�p�roux, would write a new
page in the history of Racing by taking the League Cup against
Bordeaux.
A beautiful run in the UEFA Cup would follow, after
qualifications against Glasgow Rangers and Liverpool, in the
first round of the knockout stage, Racing beat Inter Milan 2-0
at Meinau, but fell 3-0 in the second leg.
Since, all the members of the club are rebuilding a future that
all of Alsace hopes for, gorged with emotions to engrave again
and again images of celebration in the heart of its supporters,
like they saw on May 25th 2001 after the victory in the final of
the French Cup against Amiens.
After a season in �purgatory� in 2001/2002, Racing immediately
retook its place among the football elite in the Hexagon by
finishing vice-champion of Ligue 2.
The 2002/2003 season, in which Racing would come to finish in an
encouraging 13th place, would be marked by the withdrawal of the
IMG group and the arrival of a new and ambitious group led by
Egon Gindorf, who succeeded Patrick Proisy as president, and by
Marc Keller, named General Director.
Placed under the title �recapture�, the 2003/2004 season needed
to allow Racing to stabilize the club amongst the national elite
and to win the favor of the Alsatian public once again. |
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RC Strasbourg Honours, Trophies & Awards
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