| Full name | Athlétic Club Arles-Avignon | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Les Lions (The Lions) | ||
| Founded | 1913 | ||
| Ground | Parc des Sports, Avignon (Capacity: 17,518) |
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| Chairman | Marcel Salerno | ||
| Manager | Thierry Laurey | ||
| League | Ligue 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1, 20th (relegated) | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Athlétic Club Arles-Avignon (French pronunciation: [aʁl-aviɲɔ̃]; commonly referred to as Arles-Avignon or simply Arles) is a French association football club originally based in Arles. The club was founded in 1912 as a result of a merger and was formerly known as Athlétic Club Arles, but in 2010, moved to the nearby commune of Avignon and adopted its current name. Arles-Avignon currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division in French football, having suffered relegation to the league after playing in Ligue 1 in the 2010–11 season. The club's ascension to the first division was notable due in part to the fact that the club achieved successive promotions in four of the past five football seasons.
Arles-Avignon plays its home matches at the Parc des Sports in nearby Avignon. The team is managed by former football player Thierry Laurey and captained by midfielder Sébastien Piocelle, who joined the club in 2009, after a five-year stint in Italy. In France, it has been commonplace to described Arles-Avignon as an overachieving club primarily due to succeeding despite limited resources. Arles-Avignon's highest honour to date was winning its group in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth level of French football, in 2007. Regionally, the club has won the Division Honneur Sud-Est Ouest three times and its reserve team are the current defending champions of the Méditerranée Division Honneur Régionale.
Arles-Avignon is known locally as Les Lions (English: The Lions) and incorporates the nickname into a multitude of club's fixtures, most notably its crest. After merging with Avignon, the club unveiled its new crest on 4 June 2009.[1] The crest combines both elements of each club's predecessors and unscripted on the crest is Pays d'Arles Grand Avignon, which pays tribute to the inhabitants of the city of Arles and the Grand Avignon, the metropolitan area that encompasses the commune of Avignon. In 2010, the club changed its crest again to coincide with its promotion to Ligue 1.
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Athlétic Club Arles-Avignon was founded on 19 December 1912 under the name Athletic Club Arlésien as a result of a merger between three local clubs: La Pédale Joyeuse, Arles Auto-Vélo, and Arles Sports. The spent its early years playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est. In order to remain financially sound due to the onset of World War II, Arles merged with two clubs; Club Ouvrier and Sports cheminots with the new club retaining Arles' previous name. After the war, in 1954, the club reached the Championnat de France amateur under the leadership of manager Louis Pons. In 1960, Arles went through another merger, this time with local club Jeunesse Sportive Arlés. The merger was influenced by Honoré Autier, a former football player for FC Sète. In the Arles' ensuing season, the club fell back to the Ligue du Sud-Est, and after four attempts, returned to the Championnat de France amateur in 1965.
In the 1970s, Arles reached the second division of French football and, in its inaugural appearance in the 1970–71 season, finished 13th in its group. The club spent another three seasons in the league before falling to Division 3 in 1974. Arles returned to Division 2 in 1977, but after two seasons, were back in Division 3. In the 1980s, the club fell to Division 4. In 1992, under the tutelage of manager Jean-Louis Sanz, Arles earned promotion to the Championnat National and were inaugural members of the new league. The club played in the league for four seasons before earning promotion to the Championnat de France amateur 2. In 1999, Arles finished first in its group and were, subsequently, promoted to the Championnat de France amateur. The appearance in the fourth division was brief and, in 2002, Arles were back in the fifth division.
In 2005, Arles embarked on a magical run, which concluded with the club earning promotion to Ligue 1. From 2005–2010, the club achieved successive promotions in four of the five football seasons.[2] In 2005, the club finished 3rd in its group in the CFA 2. However, because the club's that finished ahead of them were reserve teams of professional club, Arles were allowed ascension to the CFA.[3] In the ensuing season, Arles won its group in the CFA and were promoted back to National. After finishing the 2007–08 season mid-table, Arles surprised many by finishing 3rd in the league, thus going up to Ligue 2. Just after earning promotion to Ligue 2, Arles confirmed that the club was leaving the Stade Fernand Fournier to moved into the Parc des Sports in nearby Avignon, a bigger and more modern venue.[4] The club, subsequently, changed its name to its current form and adopted a new crest.
The club was initially not allowed to participate in Ligue 2 after the DNCG ruled the club ineligible due to irregularities in the club's financial accounts.[5] However, following an appeal, the DNCG reversed its decision reinstating Arles' Ligue 2 status and also the club's professional status.[6] In the club's return to the second division after over 35 years, Arles-Avignon against stunned French football enthusiasts by finishing 3rd in the league. The club's final position was secured on the final day. Arles-Avignon was among four clubs battling for the final promotion spot and secured the position after a win over Clermont, who was one of the clubs fighting for the final spot.
In the Arles-Avignon's debut in Ligue 1, the club struggled losing its first eight matches. The club's first point in the league came in its 9th attempt in a 0–0 draw in Brest. The following week, Arles-Avignon recorded a surprising 0–0 draw with Lyon and, two weeks later, earned the club's first Ligue 1 win; a 3–2 victory over Caen.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Below are the notable former and current players who have represented Arles-Avignon and its predecessors league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1912. To appear in the section below, a player must have either played in at least 80 official matches for the club or represented their country's national team either while playing for Arles-Avignon or after departing the club.
For a complete list of Arles-Avignon players, see Category:AC Arles-Avignon players.
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