Casting An Eye Over Lens

This article was generously provided to ClubFootball by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

Britain and France go together like … beer and wine?… deep fried cod and caviar? Well, at least they used to. Now it seems that, in football at least, the entente really is cordiale. British kids swoon over French players - Cantona, Ginola, Desailly… English players praise their French managers - Wenger, Houllier… And the French? Well, not a lot of people know this, but in one corner of Northern France, the thing that people aspire to, the shining example of passion, commitment and loyalty is - believe it or not - the British football fan!
 
In France, no club is closer to British football culture than Lens. In the heart of a region passionate about football, the "Racing Club" has been successful through the years, while remaining true to its popular roots. Its biggest asset? Its fans, who are greatly influenced by supporters from the other side of the Channel.
 
More seats than citizens!
 
If an English football fan was to sit in one of the stands of the Stade Bollaert, he or she would feel very much at home! At Lens, everyone is proud to be called a "Lensois" (a native from Lens) or a "Ch'ti" (a person born in the North of France) but they'd be even prouder to be compared to a British soccer supporter. Passion and loyalty to the club are everything. Yes indeed - in Lens, English fans would feel very comfortable in the Stade Bollaert. Steep stands, a square-shaped stadium and very vociferous followers - the "Racing Club" ground boasts a 40,000 all-seater stadium. Quite a big capacity considering that the city of Lens has a population of only 35,000!
 
The club pulls in many people from outside the town, fans from Calais, Dunkerque, even Lille (which has a team in the French first division) all head towards "Bollaert" for a feast of football. The whole of northern France (where four million people live) seems to support Lens.
 
Here, thanks to its local roots, the game really is beautiful. So popular is the club that - although not everybody, of course, supports Lens - no one wants the club to do badly. And the derbies against Lille are more often an opportunity for the supporters to meet at the pub after the game than to yell at each other. From an average attendance of 18,000 per game in the 1991-92 season, Lens has come to attract a crowd of 38,000 for each home match! Probably a more professional structure, arguably a better team and inevitably a renewed passion for the "Blood and Gold" colours are all explanatory factors. Of the 38,000 regular fans, less than 10 % come from Lens (8 % according to the latest figures). Why? Because Lens is very much seen as the club of the region.
 
Respectfully yours
 
The history of Lens seems to be linked with the history of English football. The most recent example? Lens met Arsenal twice in recent years. In the Champions League, three years ago, "RCL" came to Wembley and defeated the Wenger boys (with a goal from Pascal Nouma), a victory that kicked Arsenal out of the Champions League. Last year, in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, the Londoners came back with a vengeance - only to lose in the final to the Turkish team of Galatasaray. On both occasions, apart from the odd fight and provocation, the two sets of supporters mingled well - as if they recognised each other. The respect was mutual.
 
The example set by the Lens supporters also seems to be reflected on the pitch. "Once an RCL player, always a Lens player" could be the motto. The perfect illustration might very well be Eric Sikora, the captain, who has never known another club. Under the legendary manager Daniel Leclercq he and the team won the League in 1998, after a two-horse race with another small, unpretentious and friendly club : FC Metz (Robert Pires' home club). Lens, champion of France! And the whole of the country seemed happy with that success. Winning the league, defeating the likes of Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and Nantes... The sense of achievement was great, almost as nice as the feeling Auxerre had had the year before, by completing the Double (French Cup and League title). The "Première Division" title is still an aim the club wants to achieve - for the sake of its supporters, for their resilience and their loyalty.
 
It is up to Rolland Courbis (the former manager of Bordeaux and Marseille) to take the "Ch'tis" to the top. A controversial figure, Courbis is blamed for his multiple business interests, but his good humour and extrovert personality are an asset in the Lens area, where the people like his warmth and his frankness. After a good start to the season, Lens lie in mid-table. A disappointing position, but even that doesn't turn people away from the turnstiles. 
 
Super supporters
 
Throughout the club's history, Lens supporters have organised themselves into groups. As early as 1926, the "Supporters' Club Lensois" was founded. It took more than 65 years for this major fans' unit to be modernised. 1991 saw the creation of the "Supp R Lens", a play on words that means "Super" as well as "Supporter". As if to say, and rightly so, "We are the super supporters". In fact, this particular group of fans is also the largest in France, with 8,000 registered members. Out of the 80 "sections" of the "Supp R Lens", only four are based in the town, the rest come from all over the country and some can even be found in Belgium, London, Rome and Tahiti!
 
Other groups of supporters have been created such as "Generation Sang et Or" ("Blood and Gold Generation"), founded in 1998. Their headquarters is a bar called "Zébulon". Any English visitor who wants to become a Lens fan can just go in the pub, have a pint at the bar and register! "Kop sang et Or" is the most radical supporters' group. Its recent foundation (1993) has attracted some of the core fans, "les Ultras", led by a man called Philippe Stephaniak (nickname: Rambo). And that's not all. There are many other groups with around 200 members each, like "Kop 2000, Ch'tis Gavroches" - dialect meaning the little freedom-fighters of the North.
 
All the same, it's likely our English-football-loving Lens fan will choose the more familiar supporters' groups "North Devils" or "Blood and Gold", because these Lens supporters have found a unique way of giving 110 %... by following the English example!
 
And if the French can be like the Brits, whatever next? Deep fried cod in batter on the menu in Paris? A Frenchman managing the League and double winners in England? Actually, come to think of it…

May 2001