Most famous for its annual 24 hour race, Le Mans has a strong sporting tradition and a football team that has been slowly rising up the ranks in the French game. Like many sides, the club grew out of a general sports association, US Le Mans, which was founded in 1889. The football section followed in 1902 and, in 1910, Le Mans first entered the USFSA French championship, a forerunner of the modern League.
Despite fairly impressive showings in the Coupe de France in the early 1920s, Le Mans slipped back into obscurity before turning professional in 1942. They lost that status ten years later, but a fusion with Stade Olympique du Maine (SOM) in 1985 signalled a new start. The team was re-baptised Le Mans Union Club 72, adopted the red and yellow previously worn by SOM and gradually began finding success.
Since 1990, Le Mans have never been lower than Ligue 2, and their semi-final place in the 1998 Coupe de France signalled a new ambition. A first promotion to Ligue 1 under Thierry Goudet in 2003 was followed by relegation the very next season, but les Mansois will be hoping to establish themselves in the elite this time around.
