Born from the merger of GFCA-SCOA in 1997. This club is the continuation of the famous Gazélec d'Ajaccio which won the Champion de France Amateurs four times in the 1960s, under coach Pierre Cahuzac. Third last term only to have promotion denied by the league and the FFF
The saga drags on in court and still had not been resolved as the new season kicked off. The uncertainty led to the departure of several key players.
Ambitions: avoid relegation if the club takes part in the competition (the match at Istres was postponed)
Formed 1919. Participated several times in D1 before finally being relegated in 1993-94. Formerly noted for being an attacking side. Former famous players include : Kopa, Bianchéri, Loncle, Dogliani, Deloffre, Guillou and also Patrice Lecornu (currently coach of Red Stars' Academy). Currently features ex-Red Star player Alain Gunia.
Honours : Champion de France de D2 : 1969 & 1976, finalist Coupe de France 1957.
Last Season : 12th, National
Ambitions : No cock-ups like last season
Coach predicts : Denis GOAVAEC (Angers) : Beauvais, Red Star 93, Martigues, Valenciennes, Paris FC & Racing.
Founded 1945, relegated last season along with Red Star. Menaced by relegation several times in recent seasons, last season the club finally said its adieus to D2 before being completely rebuilt by new coach Jacky Bonnevay, with the aim of bouncing back immediately to the D2.
Honours: Cup ¼ finalists 1989
Last Season: 20th and last in D2
Ambitions : top 3 finish.
Coach predicts : Jacky BONNEVAY (Beauvais) : Paris FC, Red Star 93, Martigues, Istres not forgetting Beauvais.
Formed 1987, sucessors to the ill-fated RC Franc-Comtois Besançon, whose demise permitted Red Star to avoid the drop from the D2 that year. Back to a correspondingly high level after several seasons in the wilderness.
Last Season: 2nd CFA (group A)
Ambitions : survival
Coach predicts : Syvain MATRISCIANO (Besançon) : Paris FC, Valenciennes & Beauvais.
Founded 1911, first time out in the National. Club with ambitions, starred in the 1997 French Cup by eliminating Paris SG. Good level of support, could cause one or two upsets in the National.
Honours: ¼ finalist Coupe de France 1997. Champion de France CFA 1999.
Last Season: 1st CFA (group C)
Ambitions : top ten spot
Coach predicts : René LE LAMER (Clermont Foot) : Beauvais, Valenciennes, Martigues & Grenoble.
Formed 1897, the paupers of the division, but play in the biggest stadium (Bondouffle, 22 000 capacity) No bouts of madness in the recruitment policy, have taken five players from the Paris region.
Last Season: 1st CFA (group D)
Ambitions : survival
Coach predicts : Bernard TOURET (Evry) : Beauvais, Martigues & Valenciennes.
Founded 1938, one of the founder members of the National. Could be yet anotherbattle for the Varois this season.
Last Season: 10th in the National
Ambitions : survival
Coach predicts : Didier DERVOUT (Fréjus) : Beauvais, Paris FC, Martigues & Istres.
Founded 1997, result of the merger of two clubs including FC Grenoble twice members of D1. Regard promotion to the National as a stepping stone on the way to bigger things in 2002. Big budget, some good signings could make Grenoble a good long-shot bet.
Last Season: 1st CFA (group B)
Ambitions : to be the revelation of the championship
Coach predicts : Alain MICHEL (Grenoble) : Beauvais, Red Star 93, Paris FC, Martigues & Valenciennes.
Founded 1920 and former D2 club. Istres look to be going forwards, and have invested heavily, including ex-Red Star player David Guion.
Last Season: 13th in National
Ambitions : be among the front-runners
Coach predicts : Alain RAVERA (Istres) : Beauvais, Grenoble and a Paris club.
Founded 1921, Martigues was the last club in the National to have played in the D1 (1994-96). Following the slide to D2 then the National, the club went through un unsteady period, resulting in a change of coach. Now, under Christian Dalger, Martigues has gone on the offensive and should be one of the clubs looking fot a top three place.
Honours: Champion de France de D2 :1993
Last Season: 11th in National
Ambitions : promotion
Coach predicts : Christian DALGER (Martigues) : Red Star 93, Racing, Paris FC & Beauvais.
Founded 1943. The club of the Sandjak clan, Noisy are always a handful at home, and the yellows and blacks are set to be one of the top clubs this time out.
Last Season: 6th in National
Ambitions : build on last years' form
Coach predicts : Nasser SANDJAK (Noisy-le-Sec) : Beauvais, Racing, Paris FC & Valenciennes.
Formed 1970, the smallest set-up in the league. Survived a difficult first season, no mean achievement for a village team !
Last Season: 16th in National
Ambitions : survival, preferably before the last round of matches !
Coach predicts : Laurent HATTON (Pacy-sur-Eure) : Martigues, Beauvais, Paris FC & Valenciennes.
Founded 1970, former D1 outfit who pipped Red Star in 1978 who fancy themselves as the second club in Paris. Every year, it seems a new crisis hits the club. However this year, big-name signings, playing in a big stadium (Charléty, 21 000 capacity) mean that the club is going all-out for D2.
Honours: semi-finalist Coupe de France, 1980
Last Season: 9th in National
Ambitions : promotion
Coach predicts : Jean-Pierre CARAYON (Paris FC) : Beauvais, Red Star 93, Martigues & Paris FC.
Founded 1995 after the previous club went under. Cup specialists with a fanatical following. K-o'd Saint-Etienne last season in the cup.
Last Season: 7th National
Ambitions : get amongst the top dogs.
Coach predicts : Pascal PLANCQUE (Pau) : Beauvais, Paris FC, Racing & Valenciennes.
Founded 1897, a history of big names : Jordan, Delfour, Vaast, Vignal, Cisowski, Ujlaki, Marche.... once top-dogs of Paris football, who claimed the Double in 1936 have once again attracted a big-name sponsor and the recruitment this season reflectes this. Top goalscorer of last seasons' National, Van Kets from Ajaccio means that Racing are in for the scrap for the D2. Racing do not hide their ambition of the D1 in 2005. Memories of byegone years will come back with matches versus Red Star and Reims. Three legends in the National.
Honours: Champion de France :1936, Coupe de France :1936,1939,1940, 1945 & 1949
Last Season: 4th, National
Ambitions : Promotion to D2
Coach predicts : Jean-Marie LAWNICZAK (Racing Club de Paris) : Beauvais, Red Star 93, Martigues & Valenciennes.
Founded 1921. Last seasons early surprise package could once again be a handful this term. Hard to beat at home, will be looking to consolidate their postition.
Last Season: 8th in National
Ambitions : consolidate their position.
Coach predicts : Didier OLLE-NICOLLE (Raon-l'Etape) : Paris FC, Martigues, Valenciennes.
Founded 1897. After a disastrous season, an overhauling of the team with several young players from the Academy mixed with some experienced old hands. Red Stars' gold mine is its wealth of young talent and it aims to use this to take a top three spot. Difficult start to the season which could be all-important in the long-run. Date to note for older supporters will be the 28th August, when Reims are at Marville, with memories of January 1965 and 20 000 spectators at Bauer for a clash in D2.
Honours: Champion de France de D2 : 1939 Coupe de France :1921-1922-1923-1928-1942
Last Season: 19th in D2
Ambitions : one only, to bounce back to D2
Coach predicts : Jean-Luc GIRARD (Red Star 93) : Paris FC, Valenciennes, Red Star 93 & Istres.
Founded 1931. Find themselves in the National after Pontivy were blocked by the league. Reims was the bastion of " champagne football " in the 1950s with Kopa, Jonquet, Penverne, Fontaine, Piantoni, Vincent, Colonna, Wendling, Muller, Rodzik, Siatka, all internationals under coach Albert Batteux. Reims aims to steady itself in the National before pushing for the D2 despite a crumbling edifice of a stadium. Still well supported (2 500 in the CFA), watch out for the return of the Rémois.
Honours: Champion de France : 1942 (zone Nord), 1949, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960 & 1962.
Coupe de France : 1950 & 1958.
Coupe d'Europe : finaliste : 1956 & 1959
Last Season: 3rd in the CFA (group A)
Ambitions : mid-table if not better
Coach predicts : Manuel ABREU (Reims) : Beauvais, Red Star 93 & Valenciennes.
Founded 1930, another " little " rubbing shoulders with the " big boys ". Aim is to keep the place in the National, but sometimes struggles away from home.
Last Season: 14th in National
Ambitions : survival
Coach predicts : Thierry GOUDET (Thouars) : Beauvais, Valenciennes, Paris FC & Martigues.
Founded 1913 out of the Union Sportive Valenciennes-Anzin, former D1 outfit who his a slide in the 1990s following the Valenciennes-Marseille match-fixing affair. Well positioned until the last few matches of the season, Valenciennes then blew up and slipped to fifth place. Still a big part to play in the National, can be regarded as a good outside bet.
Honours: Champion de France de D2 : 1972, 1976 & 1992
Last Season: 5th in National
Ambitions : improve on last season.
Coach predicts : Ludovic BATELLI (Valenciennes) : Beauvais, Istres & Martigues.
1 Beauvais, 2 Paris FC, 3 Martigues, 4 Istres, 5 Grenoble, 6 Valenciennes, 7 Red Star 93, 8 Racing, 9 Noisy, 10 Reims, 11 Angers, 12, Pau, 13 Clermont, 14 Raon l'Etape, 15 Evry, 16 Fréjus, 17 Besançon, 18 Pacy-sur-Eure, 19 Thouars, 20 GFCO Ajaccio.
1 - Beauvais 2 - Racing Club Paris 3 - Martigues 4 - Istres 5 - RED STAR 93 6 - Noisy-le-sec 7 - Stade de Reims 8 - Evry 9 - Valenciennes 10 - Paris FC 11 - Angers 12 - Besançon 13 - Raon l'Etape 14 - Thouars 15 - Clermont Foot 16 - Grenoble 17 - Pau 18 - Fréjus 19 - Pacy-sur-Eure
1 Martigues 2 Paris FC 3 RED STAR 93 4 Beauvais 5 Valenciennes 6 Racing 7 Istres 8 Grenoble 9 Clermont Foot 10 Reims 11 Angers 12 Raon-l'Etape 13 Besançon 14 Pau 15 Noisy-le-Sec 16 Thouars 17 Pacy-sur-Eure 18 Fréjus 19 Evry 20 GFCO Ajaccio