Amiens SC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 07/2017
Full name
Amiens Sporting Club
Nicknames
Les Licornes (The Unicorns)
Founded
1901
Ground
Stade de la Licorne
Capacity
12,097
Chairman
Bernard Joannin
Manager
Christophe Pélissier
League
Ligue 1
2016-17
Ligue 2, 2nd (promoted)
Amiens Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Amiens SC or simply Amiens, is a French association football club based in the northern city of Amiens in the Hauts-de-France region.
The club was formed in 1901 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football.
The club plays its home matches at the Stade de la Licorne located within the city.
Amiens is managed by Olivier Echouafni and captained by defender Stéphane Mangione.
History
Amiens Athlétic Club (AAC) was set up in 1901 by a group of players from the Association du Lycée d'Amiens, French schoolboy champions in 1902, 1903, and 1904.
AAC crushed its very first opponents, Saint-Quentin, 13:0 a few months after its creation.
In April 1902, the Comité de Picardie de l'U.S.F.S.A was established by the then-president of the AAC (Henri-Frédéric Petit). AAC dominated the early USFSA league for the first 12 seasons.
In 1909, the club got a new ground, at the Henry Daussy Park, allowing an attendance of more than 1,000.
In 1933, the club got its first professional section, later abandoned in 1952, before becoming professional again in 1993.
Since the early days, AAC has undergone two name changes:
In 1961, to Sporting Club d'Amiens, and in 1989, as Amiens Sporting Club.
Amiens played in Ligue 2 between 2001-2009.
The team made a return to the second tier of French football for the 2016-2017 season, after finishing 3rd in the Championnat National.
Their first season back in Ligue 2 was the most successful ever, as they finished runners-up and were promoted to top-tier Ligue 1 for the first time ever.
It was a dramatic promotion, too, as they would drop out of the promotion places but for a last-gasp winning goal in the final game against Reims.
Players