 | |
| Full name | AS Docks du Centre (1919-1921) AS du Centre (1921-1942) US du centre (1942-1951) Tours FC (1951-2025) |
|---|---|
| Nickname | TFC |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Dissolved | 26 February 2025 |
| Ground | Stade de la Vallée du Cher |
| Capacity | 16,247 |
Tours Football Club, commonly referred to as simplyTours (French pronunciation:[tuʁ]), was afootball club based inTours,France. Formed in 1919, the club adopted the name Tours FC in 1951 after several other name changes. The club was dissolved due to years of financial struggles.
Home matches were played theStade de la Vallée du Cher located within the city.
Tours Football Club was founded in 1919 as under the nameAS Docks du Centre. After two years of playing under the moniker, the club changed its name toAS du Centre. The club spent 30 years under the name as French football entered professionalism in the 1930s. In 1951, the club changed its name again to the current Tours FC. Under the Tours emblem, the club achieved success in its infancy reaching the Round of 64 in theCoupe de France thanks to player-coachAlfred Aston that same year.
Tours was promoted to thefirst division in 1980. Prior to the start of the season, the club signed prolificstrikerDelio Onnis fromMonaco. Onnis improved the club's attack significantly over the next three years and departing the club in 1983 after Tours suffered relegation. During Onnis' stint between 1980 and 1983, Tours twice reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France in1982 and1983.[1][2] The club was eliminated on both occasions byParis Saint-Germain. In 1984, Tours quickly returned to the first division after winningDivision 2 title. However, after one season, the club returned to the lower league. Tours have yet to manage a return toLigue 1.[3]
During the club's current absence from Ligue 1, Tours fell to theChampionnat National, the third division of French football, after finishing dead last in the2006–07 season. During the season, Albert Falette, the club manager for eight years was removed from his position. At the end of the season, the club released or sold almost all its players, including captainDavid Fleurival. The club only kept long-time goalkeeperArmand Raimbault and young prospect Rudy Wendling. The long-term outlook strategy paid off with the club finishing second in the 2007–08 National season, thus returning to Ligue 2, where the club remained for ten years until relegated to Championnat National following a last place finish in the 2017-2018 campaign.
The club were relegated again at the end of the2018–19 Championnat National season, and were further relegated administratively by theDNCG, confirmed by appeal on 11 July 2019, forcing them to play at the fifth levelChampionnat National 3 in the 2019–20 season.[4]
In April 2020, after the truncation of the season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Tours expected to be promoted back toChampionnat National 2, due to being placed top of their group at the time the season was stopped.[5] However, on 15 June 2020, The DNCG committee of the FFF denied their promotion.[6] The decision was ratified by the appeal committee on 10 July 2020.[7]
In March 2021, after a season voided by COVID-19, the club announced the opening of aSociété coopérative d’intérêt collectif (SCIC) (cooperative shareholding society) with the hope of involving more of the community in the governance of the club.[8] In July 2021, the DNCG committee of the FFF relegated the club to the sixth tier for financial reasons. The result was confirmed on appeal later in the month.[9][10] They finished top of their division at the end of the 2021–22 season, but the league ruled they were to be denied promotion for financial reasons.[11] The decision was overturned on appeal, and Tours climbed back to National 3.[12]
On 26 February 2025, Tours's liquidation due to financial struggles was confirmed by theFrench Football Federation. The club's teams were removed from all leagues in France.[13]
Following the liquidation ofTours FC, an ephemerous association was founded under the name ofJeunesse Tours Foot for the previous members of the defunctTours FC.[14][15]
On 29 April 2025, it was announced thatFootball Club de l'Ouest tourangeau [fr], aNational 3 club based in the near cities ofBallan-Miré andSavonnières would change its name forUnion Foot de Touraine, and would extend its influence to the cities ofTours andJoué-lès-Tours, to compensate for the liquidation ofTours FC andJoué-lès-Tours FCT (liquidated in August 2024)[16][17]. The club reveals its new colours and logo on 2 June 2025.[18]
Tours' crest is inspired by the city's coats of arms with three towers and aFleur-de-lis. It bears the club's motto "Turonorum civitas libera", which means inLatin "Free city ofTurones". Turones is theCeltic tribe, which gave its name toTours. The motto was found engraved on a rock, which is now in the undergrounds of the Beaux Arts Museum located in the city.[19] Thesalamander is a reference to KingFrançois I.
Below are the notable former players who have represented Tours inleague and international competition since the club's foundation in 1919. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.
For a complete list of Tours FC players, seeCategory:Tours FC players.
Alfred AstonFatih AtıkPatrice AugustinYves BertucciJulien CétoutOlivier GiroudSébastien GondouinChristophe HimmerLaurent KoscielnyFrédéric LaurentGuy LacombeChristophe MandanneMichel RodriguezYoussouf Touré
Omar da FonsecaDelio Onnis
Gaëtan Englebert
Jean-Marc Adjovi-Bocco
Cédric ColletDavid Fleurival
Peter Jehle
Antoine Dossevi