USL Dunkerque
Encyclopedia
USL Dunkerque is a French
football
club based in the commune of Dunkirk.
They currently play in the Championnat de France Amateurs Group A
. The club's nickname is The Dove
s. Their kit colours are white
and blue
. They play their home matches at the Stade Tribut in Dunkirk.
. They have once made it to the semi-finals of the Coupe de France
, in 1929, and the quarter finals four times in 1930, 1937, 1968 and 1971.
The club is linked with and has had ties with Dartford FC of Kent, England.
(1980–82) Matt McKenzie (footballer) Jocelyn Blanchard
player Jean-Marc Bosman
sought to move from RFC Liège
in his home country to USL Dunkerque after his Belgian contract expired. However, RFCL demanded a transfer fee, quashing the proposed move. Bosman then sued to have this reserve system outlawed, and in 1995 he won his case before the European Court of Justice
. The ECJ ruling, known ever since as the Bosman ruling
, led to major structural changes in the business of European footballers' contract sales.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in the commune of Dunkirk.
They currently play in the Championnat de France Amateurs Group A
Championnat de France Amateurs
The Championnat de France amateur, commonly referred to as simply CFA and formerly known as National 2, is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2, and the Championnat National...
. The club's nickname is The Dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s. Their kit colours are white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
. They play their home matches at the Stade Tribut in Dunkirk.
History
The club was founded in 1919 and have never played in a higher division than Ligue 2Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, 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 , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
. They have once made it to the semi-finals of the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
, in 1929, and the quarter finals four times in 1930, 1937, 1968 and 1971.
The club is linked with and has had ties with Dartford FC of Kent, England.
Current squad
As of November 2009.Former players
Bruce BannisterBruce Bannister
Bruce Ian Bannister is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.He played in the Football League for Bradford City, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, and Hull City before finishing his playing career in France with USL Dunkerque. While at Bristol Rovers, Bannister and teammate Alan...
(1980–82) Matt McKenzie (footballer) Jocelyn Blanchard
Jocelyn Blanchard
Jocelyn Blanchard is a French footballer currently a Free Agent after having being Released by Austria Kärnten After the Club went into Liquidation in 2010.- Career :...
Jean-Marc Bosman
In 1990, BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
player Jean-Marc Bosman
Jean-Marc Bosman
Jean-Marc Bosman is a former Belgian footballer, whose judicial challenge of the football transfer rules led to the Bosman ruling...
sought to move from RFC Liège
R.F.C. de Liège
Royal Football Club de Liège is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège. It currently plays in the Belgian Third Division. Its matricule is 4, meaning that it was the fourth club to register with the country's national federation, and the club was the first Belgian champion in history...
in his home country to USL Dunkerque after his Belgian contract expired. However, RFCL demanded a transfer fee, quashing the proposed move. Bosman then sued to have this reserve system outlawed, and in 1995 he won his case before the European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
. The ECJ ruling, known ever since as the Bosman ruling
Bosman ruling
Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association, and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty...
, led to major structural changes in the business of European footballers' contract sales.