Overview
Racing Club de Lens (, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply Lens) is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, Les Sang et Or, comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. As of the 2023–24 season, Lens competes in Ligue 1, the highest tier of French football.
Lens most famously won the Division 1 (now-Ligue 1) title in the 1997–98 season, and has finished as runner-up on five occasions. The club has a strong rivalry with neighbors Lille, with whom they contest the Derby du Nord.
History
Origin of the club
The club was established in 1906 in Lens by local students who enjoyed playing football on the city's Place Verte (the current Place de la République). The name "Racing Club de Lens" was chosen as a reference to Racing Club de Roubaix and Racing Club de France, both popular clubs at the time.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).