Lille

LOSC Lille was founded when the two main clubs in Lille, SC Fives and Olympique Lillois, joined together in 1944. Both clubs had been quite successful prior to WWII, but the war had caused financial issues for both teams and it was ultimately decided to merge the two in order to continue having a football club in Lille. This new club was founded…

Lille shares the Derby du Nord with RC Lens. Their first meeting was in 1945, and since then the two have played each other 120 times with Lille holding the slight edge with 47 wins. Like many French rivalries, this one went beyond the pitch in the early days as it also played into the socioeconomic differences between the two cities as…

Lille’s women’s team was founded in 2005 and have played the majority of their seasons in the second division of women’s football in France. They play their home games at Stadium Lille Métropole, which they share with 4th tier mens side Wasquehal

Like many French teams, Lille have done away with their historic stadium and have built a new one. In this case, theirs is the Stade Pierre-Mauroy which has a capacity of just over 50,000 and a retractable roof allowing it to host events like basketball, tennis, and handball. One of the main reasons behind the new stadium was to meet UEFA…

GETTING THERE: The stadium is out in the southern suburbs, several miles from the center, so take Metro Line 1. Here it is on Google Maps. PUBS and GRUB: There is nothing out by the stadium, so take care of this in town. AROUND TOWN: We haven’t been there yet, and the city isn’t known as a big tourist destination, so we’ll just…