USL Dunkerque

Union Sportive du Littoral de Dunkerque (French pronunciation: [ynjɔ̃ spɔʁtiv dy litɔʁal də dœ̃kɛʁk]) is a football club based in Dunkirk, France. It competes in Ligue 2, having achieved promotion from the Championnat National in the 2022–23 season. The club colours are blue and white, and home matches are played at the Stade Marcel-Tribut. The club was founded in 1909 under the name of Union Sportive Dunkerque-Malo from a merger of two local teams, Stade Dunkerquois and Union Sportive de Malo-les-Bains. The latter, founded in 1900, had been the most widely supported club in the Dunkirk area and was based in the neighbouring town of Malo-les-Bains (later annexed by the city of Dunkirk in 1970). US Dunkerque-Malo then became Union Racing Dunkerque-Malo after merging with Racing Club de Dunkerque in 1927, Olympique Dunkerquois after merging with Amis de la Balle Dunkerquoise in 1933 and Union Sportive de Dunkerque after merging with Dunkerque Étudiant Club in 1954. The club adopted its current name of Union Sportive du Littoral de Dunkerque in 1987 after receiving the financial support of the communauté urbaine of Dunkirk Grand Littoral. Dunkerque gained professional status in 1935 and played in Division 2 until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The club relaunched following the war as part of the regional leagues, gaining promotion to the Division d'Honneur in 1958 and the Championnat de France Amateur (CFA) in 1960. It was promoted back to Division 2 in 1966, regaining its professional status, and remained in the league for 30 years. In 1996, Dunkerque was relegated to the Championnat National and then the Championnat National 2 one year later. The club would even make several appearances the Championnat National 3, the fifth tier of French football, before finally making its way back to the Championnat National...