Nord-Pas-de-Calais ; Picard: Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais borders the English Channel (west), the North Sea (northwest), Belgium and Picardy (south). Until the 17th century, the history of the North was largely in common with the history of Belgium, that of a land that "for almost a thousand years served as a battlefield for all of Europe." The majority of the region was once part of the historical Southern Netherlands, but gradually became part of France between 1477 and 1678, particularly during the reign of king Louis XIV. The historical French provinces that preceded Nord-Pas-de-Calais are Artois, French Flanders, French Hainaut and (partially) Picardy. These provincial designations are still frequently used by the inhabitants. The former administrative region was created in 1956 under the name "Nord" and maintained that name until 1972 when "Pas-de-Calais" was added. This remained unchanged until its dissolution in 2016.
Douai is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some 40 kilometres from Lille and 25 km (16 mi) from Arras, Douai is home to one of the region's most impressive belfries.
Lens is a city in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of the main towns of Hauts-de-France along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras and Douai. The inhabitants are called Lensois.
Philippe-Antoine Merlin, known as Merlin de Douai, was a French politician and lawyer.
Villeneuve-d'Ascq is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area (27.46 km2) after Lille. It is also one of the main cities of the Hauts-de-France region.
Olympique Lyonnais, commonly referred to as simply Lyon or OL, is a French professional football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and compete in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, beginning a national record-setting streak of seven successive titles. Lyon has also won eight Trophées des Champions, five Coupes de France, and three Ligue 2 titles.
Stade Rennais Football Club, commonly referred to as Stade Rennais or simply Rennes, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. It competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and plays its home matches at the Roazhon Park. The team's president is Olivier Cloarec, and its owner is Artémis, the holding company of businessman François Pinault.
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's for sponsorship purposes, is the top-level association football league in France located at the top of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, Ligue 1 is contested by 18 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation from and to Ligue 2.
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974. Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Jean-Louis Gasset and captained by Téji Savanier.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel, commonly known as the LFP, is a French governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France and Monaco. It 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.
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, located within the city. The team is managed by Jean-Noël Cabezas.
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligue 2 and Championnat National. Contested by 48 clubs, the Championnat National 2 operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National and Championnat National 3, the fifth division of French football. Seasons run from August to May, with teams in the three groups will playing 30 games each. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.
The University of Douai was a former university in Douai, France. With a medieval heritage of scholarly activities in Douai, the university was established in 1559 and lectures started in 1562. It closed from 1795 to 1808. In 1887, it was transferred as University of Lille 27 km away from Douai.
The English College was a Catholic seminary in Douai, France, associated with the University of Douai. It was established in 1568, and was suppressed in 1793. It is known for a Bible translation referred to as the Douay–Rheims Bible. Of over 300 British priests who studied at the English College, about one-third were executed after returning home.
Douai School was a public school run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999.
Daniel Leclercq was a French football defender and manager. He played 440 matches from 1967 to 1984 for US Valenciennes, Olympique de Marseille and RC Lens. He later managed clubs from 1986 to 2017. He remains the only manager to have led RC Lens to the Ligue 1 championship.
Aniche is a commune in the Nord département in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.
Lambres-lez-Douai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Julien Lorthioir is a French former professional footballer who played in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 for Sedan. He also played for lower-division clubs Tours, Rodez and Paris FC.
Réda Rabeï is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He was a professional futsal player and France Futsal international, where he played as a goalkeeper, before switching to football.
