It's hard to not fall in love with RC Lens. A real working class club with its roots in the mines of the north of France, something you feel in everything. And the Stade Bollaert-Delelis is a beautiful refurbished diamond, not more than two hours from Paris.
Sang et Or. Blood and gold. A great nickname, referring to the yellow-red colours of RC Lens. Lens, well-known for the flourishing mining industry in the region, but also for (after the closing of the mines) unemployment and poverty. Racing Club de Lens is the pride of the working class: rolling up your sleeves and accessibility are real core values of the club. In other parts of France they like to talk contemptuous about the north, but for the locals, it only stirs up the pride and love they feel for their team and region. You have to go there to understand them.
Bollaert-Delelis is already near 90 years the home of RC Lens, in the heart of the city Lens. Fun fact: there's a place for every single inhabitant of the city in the stadium, the capacity exceeds the population (38.000 against 30.000). Even though it's quite a small town, , Lens still was one of the host cities for both World Cup 1998 and EURO 2016. Despite radical renovations for both tournaments, the football spirit of the stadium has always been kept alive. A cutting-edge arena wouldn't suit this working class club either.
The four stands of Bollaert-Delelis are named after men who meant in the history of the club and the region (Trannin, Marek, Delacourt and Lepagnot), just like the names of Bollaert and Delelis who where of great importance for the development of the club and the city.
Not often a league title has been celebrated better than when RC Lens were crowned champions for the first and only time, back in 1998. The day after, there was a driving tour from Bollaert-Delelis to the town hall. But not with an open bus like you usual see, but - only in Lens - with a tractor and a coupled container in the club colours. At the wheel, chairman Gervais Martel, the players in the container and at the side of the road more than 50.000 ecstatic fans. The container has always been preserved and is parked right in front of the stadium, behind Tribune Delacourt. Still, on match days fans come to the truck to take a picture with it.
For a couple of years now, a street along Stade Bollaert-Delelis is named after Marc-Vivien Foé, former midfielder of RC Lens and part of the league winning squad of 1998. In 2003, the Cameroonian died tragically suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch, aged only 28. Live on television, for viewers all over the world. His number at Lens, 17, has been retired since.
Not a single bar in Lens that doesn't wear the colours of RC Lens, but of all, we think Chez Muriel at the Rue Edouard Bollaert is the most special one. The café was opened by former player Lanislas Smid long ago and has been a meeting point for fans of Sang et Or throughout the years.
When you visite a home game of RC Lens, make sure you're in the stadium on time. Just before kick-off, the famous 'Les Corons' is played, sung along by every single Lensois in the stadium. The song of singer Pierre Bachelet is an ode to the north of France, the mine workers and the northern landscape. It's not really a football song, but has been adopted by Lens and their fans as an alternative club hymne. By far one of the best chansons you'll ever hear in a French stadium.
Tickets for RC Lens are easily bought on the official website of the club. We recommend a place with a nice view on the fanatics standing on the low level of Tribune Marek, opposite the main stand.
The small town of Lens is just a 30 minute drive beneath Lille, and Bollaert-Delelis is situated right in the heart of it. Follow directions towards the city center and you'll find the stadium automatically. From the railway station of Lens it's just a short walk, approximately 10 minutes.
