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26-593: It is the home of French Ligue 2 football team Chamois Niortais (Chamois niortais in French) and it has a capacity of 11,352 people. Niort played their first game at the Stade René Gaillard on 3 August 1974. The record attendance at the stadium is 16,715 for the game between Chamois Niortais and Olympique Marseille in 1988. 46°19′02″N 0°29′23″W  /  46.317177°N 0.489707°W  / 46.317177; -0.489707 This article about

52-456: A French sports venue is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ligue 2 Ligue 2 ( French pronunciation: [liɡ dø] , League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP),

78-480: A play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The three lowest placed teams are relegated to Ligue 2 and the top three teams from Ligue 2 are promoted in their place. The LFP also organized a cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue . Before its foundation as an official league cup in 1994, the competition was a summer friendly tournament. Unlike the Coupe de France which allows all clubs, regardless of status, to enter,

104-463: A pool championship, after the first division agreed to expand its teams to 16. Due to several clubs merging, folding, or losing their professional status, the federation turned the second division into a 16-team league and adopted the single-table method for the 1934–35 season . Due to the unpredictable nature of French football clubs, the following season , the league increased to 19 clubs and, two years later , increased its allotment to 25 teams with

130-442: A total of 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference , and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion and automatically promoted to Ligue 1. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy

156-520: A win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. At the end of each season, the club with the most points in Ligue 1 is crowned champion of France. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference , and then goals scored. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions,

182-573: Is an administrative directorate of the LFP. The current president of the DNCG is Richard Olivier. Along with the LFP, the DNCG has a public mission of service. The mission of the DNCG is to oversee all financial operations of the 40 member clubs of the LFP (as well as those clubs recently relegated to the Championnat National ), develop the resources of professional clubs, apply sanctions to those clubs breaking

208-424: Is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January. Ligue 2 was founded a year after the creation of the first division in 1933 under the name Division 2 and has served as the second division of French football ever since. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. Since the league is a part of the LFP, it allows clubs who are on

234-512: The Coupe de la Ligue only allowed professional clubs to participate. The competition was considered second-rate compared to the Coupe de France and attracted much criticism from many who deem the cup as having less prestige and creating fixture congestion. The DNCG is the organisation responsible for monitoring the accounts of professional association football clubs in France. It was founded in 1984 and

260-399: The Ligue de Football Professionnel dates back before World War II when the committee's primary motive was to ensure clubs in France pay players their wages. The chairman of the early predecessor of the league was Emmanuel Gambardella . Another committee, which monitored professional clubs and the status of professional players also existed during this time and was headed by Gabriel Hanot , who

286-568: The National, that decision was later overturned by an appeal to the Conseil d'État and the French Football Federation. In December 2021, the majority of LFP member clubs, including Championnat National club leaders, voted to contract Ligue 2 from 20 to 18 clubs for the 2024–25 season. This happened one year after Ligue 1 itself dropped from 20 to 18 teams for the 2023–24 season. The plan

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312-472: The brink of professionalism to become so. The second division of French football was established in 1933, one year after the creation of the all-professional first division. The inaugural season of the competition consisted of the six clubs who were relegated following the 1932–33 National season, as well as many of the clubs who opposed the creation of the first division the previous season. Clubs such as Strasbourg , RC Roubaix , and Amiens SC all played in

338-456: The clubs being divided into four groups. Because of World War II, football was suspended by the French government and the Ligue de Football Professionnel . Following the end of the war, the second division developed stability. Due to the increase in amateur clubs, the league intertwined professional and amateur clubs and allowed the latter to become professional if they met certain benchmarks. In 2002,

364-536: The federation were not thinking in their best interests and, instead, opted to join an initiative by Gambardella referred the Groupement des clubs autorisés . On 27 October 1944, the Ligue Nationale de Football (National Football League) was officially founded with Gambardella being installed as the organization's first president. The league changed its name back to Groupement des clubs autorisés shortly after and kept

390-528: The league changed its name from Division 2 to Ligue 2 . In November 2014, the presidents of Caen and Nîmes were amongst several arrested on suspicion of match fixing . The arrests followed a 1–1 draw between Caen and Nîmes in May 2014, a result very beneficial for each club. There are 18 clubs in Ligue 2. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for

416-510: The name until 1970 before returning to Ligue Nationale de Football. In 2002, the league changed its name to the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The Ligue de Football Professionnel describes itself through its mission statement . The LFP must: The 36 member clubs of the LFP are grouped into two divisions: Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 (18 clubs, respectively). The LFP also oversee the professional clubs that suffer relegation to third-tier Championnat National . Currently, there are six clubs playing in

442-418: The other being Ligue 1 , the country's top football division. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with both Ligue 1 and the third division Championnat National . Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 34 games each, totalling 306 games in the season. Most games are played on Fridays and Mondays, with a few games played during weekday and weekend evenings. Play

468-536: The rules of operation and to defend the morals and interests of French football in general. Since the LFP's foundation, there have been a total of nine presidents who have served. The first president of the league was Emmanuel Gambardella who ran the organization from 1944 to 1953. His positive influence on French football led to the French Football Federation naming the country's prestigious under-19 youth cup tournament after him. The current president

494-404: The same position. If there is a tie for the championship or for relegation, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The second-place finisher are also promoted automatically to the first division. The fourth and fifth-place finishers play a one leg fixture at the fourth-place finisher's stadium, the winner of this fixture faces the third-place finisher at the third-place finisher's stadium,

520-501: The second division's debut season despite having prior grievances with the subjective criteria needed to become professional and play in the first division. The first year of the second division consisted of twenty-three clubs and were divided into two groups ( Nord and Sud ). Fourteen of the clubs were inserted into the Nord section, while the remaining nine were placed in Sud . Following the season,

546-491: The third division that the league manages. In any given season a club plays each of the others in the same division twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, though special circumstances may allow a club to host matches at other venues such as when Lille hosted Lyon at the Stade de France in 2007 and 2008. This makes for a total of 34 games played each season in both leagues. Clubs gain three points for

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572-422: The winner of each group faced each other to determine which club would earn promotion. On 20 May 1934, the winner of the Nord group, Red Star Saint-Ouen , faced Olympique Alès , the winner of the Sud group. Red Star were crowned the league's inaugural champions following a 3–2 victory. Despite losing, Alès was also promoted to the first division and they were followed by Strasbourg and Mulhouse , who each won

598-428: The winner of this fixture plays the 16th-placed team in Ligue 1 for the right to play in Ligue 1 the following season. The three lowest placed teams are relegated to the Championnat National and the top three teams from National are promoted in their place. While a decision was originally made that during the 2015–16 season only the best two teams would be promoted to Ligue 1, and the last two teams would be relegated to

624-480: Was for Ligue 2 to relegate four clubs to, and promote two from, National at the end of 2023–24. Notes: Ligue de Football Professionnel The Ligue de Football Professionnel ( French pronunciation: [liɡ də futbol pʁɔfɛsjɔnɛl] , Professional Football League ), commonly known as the LFP , is a French governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France and Monaco. It

650-493: Was founded in 1944 and serves under the authority of the French Football Federation . The current president of the league is Vincent Labrune. It is headquartered in Paris . The league is responsible for overseeing, organizing, and managing the top two leagues in France, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and is also responsible for the 36 professional football clubs that contest football in France (both 18 in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2). The history of

676-611: Was later responsible for the creation of the European Cup , now the UEFA Champions League . During the Vichy regime , professionalism in France was abolished, which led to clubs forming unpopular regional amateur leagues. Under the current LFP hierarchy, the years 1939–1945 are non-existent. Following the conclusion of the war, many clubs were hesitant to follow the initiatives of the French Football Federation due to their belief that

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