RC Calais

For the former football club based in Calais, see Calais RUFC.

RC Calais

Full name	Racing Club Calais
Founded	14 June 2023; 18 months ago (2023-06-14)
Ground	Stade de l'Épopée
Capacity	12,432
President	Nicolas Bouloy[1]
League	Championnat National 3[2]
2023–24	Régional 1 Hauts-de-France Group C, 1st of 12 (promoted)

Racing Club Calais is a football club based in Calais, France. It was founded in 2023 from a merger of Grand Calais Pascal FC and Calais FC Hauts-de-France. As of the 2024–25 season, it competes in the Championnat National 3, the fifth tier of French football.

History

In 2017, Calais RUFC ceased operations due to financial issues.[3] Among the successor clubs in the city were Calais FC Hauts-de-France and Grand Calais Pascal FC.[4] In 2023, the two clubs merged to create a new club called Racing Club Calais.[5] The first team would start in the Régional 1, the sixth tier of French football, where Grand Calais Pascal FC had been playing prior to the merger.[6][7]

On 18 November 2023, in the seventh round of the 2023–24 Coupe de France, Calais secured a 2–1 victory over ESC Longueau thanks to stoppage time goals from Claudio Beauvue and Axel Prohouly, setting up a match against Ligue 2 side Caen in the following round.[8] In the match on 9 December, Calais took the lead in the eleventh minute thanks to a goal from Redwan Aboukassem, but were unable to hold the result, with Caen scoring four goals in the second half, including three after the 80th minute, to win 4–1.[9] At the end of the 2023–24 Régional 1 season, Calais finished first in Group C, advancing to the promotion play-offs against the other group winners. They went on to defeat both Béthune [Fr] and Arras in penalty shoot-outs to secure Championnat National 3 football.[10]

Palmarès

Régional 1 Champion : 2024

In its first year of existence. RC Calais finished top of Régional 1 Group C. It contested the play-offs against Stade Bethunois and Arras FA. With two victories gained after penalty shootouts, Calais became R1 champions and were promoted to National 3 for season 2024-2025.

Players

As of 19 November 2023[11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  FRA Théo Comyn — GK  FRA Nicolas Level — DF  FRA Sean Belvalette — DF  FRA Julien Bertoux — DF  FRA Florian Cosyn — DF  FRA Robin Denquin — DF  FRA Alexandre Gobert — DF  FRA Théo Loridan — DF  FRA Hugo Mille — DF  FRA Tristan Schille — DF  FRA François Theron

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  FRA Medhy John Varane — MF  FRA Redwan Aboukassem — MF  FRA Thibault Demassieux — MF  FRA Erwan Le Sech — MF  FRA Luca Pélissier — MF  FRA Axel Prohouly — MF  FRA Ibrahima Touré — FW  FRA Claudio Beauvue — FW  GUI Daouda Camara — FW  FRA Robin Knockaert

References

1. "Racing Club de Calais" (in French). French Football Federation. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
2. "SENIORS RÉGIONAL 1". Ligue de Football des Hauts-de-France (in French). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
3. "When Fourth-tier Calais Came Within Inches of Winning the Coupe De France". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
4. Carnel (CLP), Simon (2023-05-19). "Football: fusion à Calais, "nous arrivons au bout de quelque chose" estime Dany Dezègue". La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
5. "Football : le Racing Club Calais est né". radio6.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
6. "Le Racing Club de Calais nait de la fusion des équipes calaisiennes - France Bleu". ici, par France Bleu et France 3 (in French). 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
7. Liron, Sylvain (2023-11-17). "Coupe (7e tour) : après trois mois d'existence, comment va le RC Calais ?". La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
8. Sougey, Frédéric (2023-11-19). "La fin de match folle de Calais pour s'offrir Caen au 8ème tour !". Foot Amateur (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-20.
9. Ponsot, Ariel (9 December 2023). "Coupe de France. Le SM Caen renverse Calais en fin de match et se qualifie pour les 32es de finale". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
10. Bouchacourt, Jérome (2024-06-23). "Le Racing Club de Calais est promu en National 3 !". Foot Amateur (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-26.
11. "RC Calais". FootballDatabase.eu (in French). Retrieved 19 November 2023.