Nîmes Olympique

Nîmes Olympique commonly referred to as simply Nîmes is a French association football club based in Nîmes.

The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first level of French football.

The club's most important achievements were winning Ligue 2 in 1950 and the Championnat National in 1997 and in 2012.

Nîmes plays its home matches at the Stade des Costières of a capacity 18,482 located within the city.

The team is managed by Bernard Blaquart.

The Sporting Club Nîmois (SCN) was founded in 1901 by Henri Monnier, who, at the age of 21, had just returned from a two-year trip to England. He decided to start a new team in Nîmes, his home town. Originally, the team was for young Protestants only.

Due to financial problems, SCN abandoned their professional activities in 1937. Following efforts from local businessmen, the club moved to the district of Lozère-Gard in Nîmes and was reformed as Nîmes Olympique.

The team moved to the Stade des Costières on 15 February 1989. The first league match at the stadium was on 4 March 1989, against Montceau in a Ligue 2 game, with 3,647 spectators in attendance. The record attendance to date was 25,051, which was recorded in the 1991–92 season, in a Ligue 1 game against Marseille.

The largest group of Ultras are the Gladiators Nîmes founded in 1991. The name refers to Nîmes' rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire.

Before the start of each home game, an extract of Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" is heard.

There is a long rivalry with the nearby city of Montpellier which extends to both local football teams.