USFSA Football Northern Championship
| Organising body | USFSA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1898 |
| Abolished | 1914 |
| Region | France |
| Last champions | Olympique lillois (1914) |
| Most successful club(s) | RC Roubaix (7 titles) |
The USFSA Football Northern Championship was a French football competition, contested annually between 1898 and 1914 and organized by the Northern Committee of the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies (USFSA), which brought together clubs from the Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments.[1]
From 1899 onwards, the winner of this regional competition qualified for the USFSA Football Championship, where the northern clubs competed with the Parisian clubs, becoming French champion seven times, including five from RC Roubaix, and one each from both US Tourquennoise and Olympique lillois.[1] Thanks to the results of the Lions of Flanders and Olympique Lillois in the early 1910s, it can reasonably be said that northern football was the best in France, but then the First World War broke out, in which Northern France was occupied for 4 years, thus interrupting the activities of the team and causing the death of many of its players.[2] On 19 August 1919, the Northern Football Association League (LNFA) was founded by twenty clubs, which began competing in the Northern Football League.[3]
Format
The USFSA Northern Championship was divided in two: the land and the maritime, whose winners were opposed in a final. The former was usually won by US Boulogne or RC Calais in the maritime championship, and then only met RC Roubaix or US Tourquennoise in the regional final.[4]
1900–01 Northern Championship
The final featured the winners of the interior and maritime groups, the Iris Club lillois and the US Calais, on the "deplorable state" pitch of the Iris Club on 10 February 1901 in front of a "large crowd".[5] The match was very unbalanced, and after conceding nine goals, US Calais gave up, so the rest of the match was basically a training session, with Lillois finally winning by the resounding score of 15–0, thanks to goals from Munce (7), Dévit (4), Guilloux (3), and Bauet (1).[5]
1905–06 Northern Championship
In the 1906 final between the maritime champions Boulogne and the land champions Roubaix, the latter won 1–0 thanks to a goal from André François.[4]
1909–10 Northern Championship
On 27 February 1910, US Tourquennoise won the title on the last matchday by holding Olympique Lillois to a 0–0 draw, who needed a victory to be champion.[6][7]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US Tourquennoise (title holder) | 18 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 49 |
| 2 | Olympique lillois | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 48 |
| 3 | RC Calais | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 42 |
| 4 | RC Roubaix | 18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 41 |
| 5 | Stade roubaisien | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 36 |
| 6 | SC tourquennois | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 36 |
| 7 | US Boulogne | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 33 |
| 8 | US Malo-les-Bains | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 27 |
| 9 | SO calaisien | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 25 |
| 10 | US Calais | 18 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 23 |
1911–12 Northern Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US Tourquennoise | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| 2 | RC Calais | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 32 |
| 3 | Olympique lillois (title holder) | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 33 |
| 4 | RC Roubaix | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
| 5 | Stade roubaisien | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| 6 | US boulonnaise | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 27 |
| 7 | US Malo-les-Bains | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 20 |
| 8 | SC tourquennois | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
1912–13 Northern Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympique lillois | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 72 | 15 | +57 | 40 |
| 2 | US Tourquennoise (title holder) | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 14 | +43 | 38 |
| 3 | RC Roubaix | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 40 | −7 | 30 |
| 4 | RC Calais | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 29 |
| 5 | US Boulogne | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 27 |
| 6 | Stade roubaisien | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 23 |
| 7 | RC Arras (promoted) | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 15 | 59 | −44 | 19 |
| 8 | US Malo | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 60 | −48 | 18 |
1913–14 Northern Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympique lillois (title holder) | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 39 |
| 2 | US Tourquennoise | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 38 |
| 3 | Club lillois (promoted) | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 29 |
| 4 | US Boulogne | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 27 |
| 5 | RC Roubaix | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 24 |
| 6 | Stade roubaisien | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 24 |
| 7 | RC Calais | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 24 |
| 8 | OSC boulonnais (promoted) | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 19 |
Titles
| Edition | Winners | Score | Runner-up | Result in the French Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Iris Club lillois | No participation | ||
| 1899 | Iris Club lillois | Semi-final | ||
| 1900 | US Tourquennoise | Semi-final | ||
| 1901 | Iris Club lillois | Semi-final | ||
| 1902 | RC Roubaix | Champion | ||
| 1903 | RC Roubaix | Champion | ||
| 1904 | RC Roubaix | Champion | ||
| 1905 | RC Roubaix | Final | ||
| 1906 | RC Roubaix | 1–0 | US Boulogne | Champion |
| 1907 | RC Roubaix | Final | ||
| 1908 | RC Roubaix | Champion | ||
| 1909 | US Tourquennoise | Semi-final | ||
| 1910 | US Tourquennoise | Champion | ||
| 1911 | Olympique lillois | Quarter-finals | ||
| 1912 | US Tourquennoise | Semi-final | ||
| 1913 | Olympique lillois | Quarter-finals | ||
| 1914 | Olympique lillois | Champion |
References
- ^ a b "France - List of Champions". RSSSF. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Septembre 1925: le Real Madrid à Lille, première" [September 1925: Real Madrid in Lille, first]. droguebierecomplotlosc.unblog.fr (in French). 1 October 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Henri Jooris (1879-1940), ou l'incarnation du "césarisme sportif" dans l'entre-deux-guerres?" [Henri Jooris (1879-1940), or the incarnation of “sporting Caesarism” in the interwar period?]. books.openedition.org (in French). Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Les premiers Bleus: Georges Bon, comme son nom l'indique" [The first Blues: Georges Bon, as his name indicates]. www.chroniquesbleues.fr (in French). 21 March 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Championant du Nord (U.S.F.S.A.) - 1re catégorie" [Northern Championship (USFSA) - 1st category]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 11 February 1901. p. 6. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Football association". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 28 February 1910. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Dans le Nord" [In the North]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Dunkerque-sports. 6 March 1910. p. 6. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Championnants du Nord" [Northern Championships]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 12 February 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Le Championnat de France" [The French Championship]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). La Vie sportive du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais. 8 March 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Championnants du Nord" [Northern Championships]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 23 February 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 30 November 2024.