CS Fola Esch

Football club infobox
clubname = Fola Esch


fullname = Cercle Sportif Fola Esch
nickname = -
founded = 1906
ground = Stade Émile Mayrisch,
Esch-sur-Alzette
capacity = 3,900
chairman = "Vacant"
manager = Michael Lofy
league = Luxembourg Division of Honour
season = 2006-7
position = Division of Honour, 3rd
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_redhoops|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=FF0000|socks1=FF0000

Sporting Circle Fola Esch ( _fr. Cercle Sportif Fola Esch), usually abbreviated to Fola Esch or simply Fola, is a football club, based in Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. They play their home games at Stade Émile Mayrisch, in the south of the city, which they share with their sister athletics club CA Fola Esch.

Founded in 1906 by a British professor, Fola was the first football club in Luxembourg. During its heyday, it was the best club in the country, winning four National Division championships and two Luxembourg Cups between 1918 and 1924. Fola won another championship in 1930 and the Luxembourg Cup in 1955, but has since lost its place in Luxembourg's top flight.

Fola stubbornly rejected a merger with its larger neighbours, Jeunesse Esch, during the wave of consolidation in the 1990s. In 2004-05, Fola was relegated to the third tier of Luxembourgian football, but were promoted the following season. In 2006–07, they finished third, qualifying for a promotion play-off, which they lost to FC Victoria Rosport. In August 2007, Fola pulled off a transfer coup by signing former Morocco midfielder Mustapha Hadji.

In 2008, the club managed to secure second place in the championship, granting them promotion to the Fortis Leage (the top league in the country).

History

*1906: Club founded as "Football and Lawn Tennis Club Esch"
*1907: Adopts current colours of red and white stripes
*1910: Absorbs FC Nerva, becoming "Cercle Sportif Fola Esch"
*1918: Wins first championship title
*1924: Wins the Double
*1930: Wins last championship title
*1935: Moves to current stadium, Stade Émile Mayrisch
*1973: First participation in European competition (season 1973-74)

Honours

*National Division:Winners (5): 1917-18, 1919-20, 1921-22, 1923-24, 1929-30:Runners-up (7): 1916-17, 1918-19, 1920-21, 1928-29, 1948-49, 1953-54, 1954-55

*Luxembourg Cup:Winners (3): 1922-23, 1923-24, 1954-55:Runners-up (1): 1972-73

European Competition

Fola Esch have qualified for UEFA European competition once.

*UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:First round (1): 1973-74

Overall, Fola's record in European competition reads:

Current squad

External links

* [http://www.fola.lu CS Fola homepage]