Formed : 1995
Colours : navy blue & black
Last Season : 6th in the National
Stadium : Stade du Hameau, boulevard de l'Aviation 64000 Pau (Tel. +33 5 59 80 22 22)
Capacity : 13 819 places.
President : : Bernard Laporte-Fray
General Manager : Richard Allenda
Coach : Joël Lopez
In : Belbachir (Villenave-d'Ornon), Bourouina (Mulhouse), Coffy (La Roche-sur-Yon), Fournel (Montpellier), Lecomte (Sedan), Leglib (La Réunion), Vigneaux (Lorient).
Out : Baiocco (Perpignan), Bécas (Sedan), Bedani (Valence), Cassouret (Bayonne), Chapeh (Toulouse), Ipharraguerre (Bayonne), Noclin (Armentières), Plancque (Staff at Auxerre), Sallaberry (Bayonne), Sykora (retired).
Deep in Rugby Union country, not to mention basketball land, football has a struggle to gain any kind of level of interest. With limited financial means, a budget is tied to 7 million francs per year. Pau FC is a new club from the ashes of previous clubs which have gone into liquidation. After a decent season last year (and despite a mid-season slump), this season things are not looking as rosy for the Basques. Currently lying eighteenth in the league, with the same number of points as their visitors, one place below. Top scorer is Denis Baylac, scorer of half of Paus' six goals this season.
With the aim of strengthening the side, Pau have signed a parternship deal with a Spanish club.
Note that two players have worn the colours of both clubs : Samuel Boutal and Jean-Philippe Foręt.
Pau won the home match 2-1.
PAU, main town of the region Pyrénées-Atlantiques, on the Gave de Pau (90 000 inhabitants). Some 751km from Paris, formerly capital of the Béarn, there is a castle. Home town of King Henri IV and the Tour de France passes virtually every year.
G. Valck