FC Rouen

Football Club de Rouen 1899 was founded under the name Football Club de Rouen in 1896 by an English merchant known by the surname Willing. The club was initially formed as a rugby club. Rouen spent three seasons primarily playing the sport of rugby before association football was introduced to the club in 1899. On 11 July 1899, the club officially announced the introduction of a football section. The section, primarily influenced by player Robert Diochon was, upon its creation, inserted into the regional league, Normandie Championnat, by the USFSA. In 1903, the club acquired the nickname Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils). In 1910, Diochon was installed as president of the club. Under the reign of Diochon, Rouen won the Normandie Championnat in five straight seasons from 1909 to 1914. After World War I and the dissolving of the USFSA, Rouen began playing in the Normandie Division d'Honneur. From 1919 to 1933, the club won the league eight times and were led by mercurial striker Jean Nicolas. In 1925, Rouen reached the Coupe de France final. In the final, the club faced CASG Paris and were defeated 3–2 in the replay of the final. The first leg had ended in a 1–1 draw, which caused the replay. In July 1930, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Rouen were among several clubs to adopt the new statute and, subsequently, became professional. The club was inserted into the second division and, as a…

Division 1: 1944–45 (unofficial) Division 2: 1935–36 Championnat National 2: 2008–09, 2022–23 Coupe de France runners-up: 1924–25 Coupe de la Ligue runners-up: 1963–64 Division d'Honneur (Normandy): 1921–22, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33 USFSA Normandy League: 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914