Marseille and Rugby
- A little of history
Marseille has a rich rugby history going back 100 years.
Starting from 1892, The Sporting Club of Marseille and the Union Sportive Phocéenne are the pride of the city’s sports clubs.
The major sport is rugby, but Sporting soon established a football section, then known as “association” (the word “football” is generally reserved for rugby at that time), probably having arrived via french ports circa 1895 with british merchant mariners.
In 1897, René Dufaure de Montmirail, aged 20, arrives in England to train in his profession. He is stuck by english passion for the sport and upon his return founds a new “omnisports” club, the Football Club de Marseille. As per the tastes of the times, the main section is, naturally, devoted to rugby. FC Marseille plays in white shorts and mauve-and-black striped jerseys, with the motto “Droit au But” (straight to the goal) and quickly gain importance as the principal club in the city.
In August 1899, Dufaure de Montmirail merges FC Marseille with L’Epée fencing club. The new organisation is renamed Olympique de Marseille, in reference to the club’s vocation to different sports and to the Greek origins of the city. The kit is white with the letter OM in blue and retains the motto “Droit au But” of the former Football Club.