About

Vannes Olympique Club (Breton: Gwened Olimpek Klub; commonly referred to as simply Vannes) is a French football club based in Vannes. The club was formed in 1998 as a result of the merger of Véloce vannetais founded in 1911 and FC Vannes known before 1991 as UCK Vannes founded in 1946 and currently play in Championnat National 2, the fourth level of French football. Vannes plays its home matches at the Stade de la Rabine located within the city. Though formed in the late 1990s, Vannes developed into a solid football club. In the club's first season of existence, it won the Division d'Honneur of the Brittany region. Almost a decade later, the club won the Championnat National, the third division of French football to ascend to Ligue 2. In cup competitions, Vannes surprisingly reached the final of the 2008–09 edition of the Coupe de la Ligue, in what was the club's first time participating in the tournament. The team defeated Ligue 1 clubs Nice and Auxerre on its way to the final, where Vannes lost to Bordeaux. The club remained in Ligue 2 for three seasons, but were relegated in 2012 and failed to return, and were declared bankrupt in 2014. They reformed in the Brittany Region Division Supérieure Elite (equivalent to the seventh level of football in France) under order of the FFF. Two successive promotions brought the club back to CFA 2 for the 2016–17 season.