Vendée Challans Basket
| Vendée Challans Basket | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | "VCB", "The Ducks" | ||
| Leagues | LNB Pro B | ||
| Founded | January 26, 1936 | ||
| Arena | Salle Michel Vrignaud | ||
| Capacity | 2,452 | ||
| Location | Challans, France | ||
| Team colors | Red, White, Grey | ||
| President | Jerome Sejourné | ||
| Head coach | Sébastien Lambert | ||
| Championships | 1 French Cup 1 Pro B Championship 1 NM1 Championship | ||
| Website | challans-basket.com | ||
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Vendée Challans Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in the commune of Challans, France. The club plays in the Pro B, the second highest professional division in France.
History
The club was founded in 1936 as Étoile Sportive du Marais Challans. In 1971, under the abbreviated name ESM Challans, the team was promoted to the National 1 League, the first division of the French Basketball Championship. Through the 1970's Challans often finished in sixth and seventh place, certifying itself as a leading member of the midfield. The team received invitations to play in the FIBA Korać Cup in both 1977 and 1979, losing in the first round each time to Carrera Venezia and Cotonificio. After many years in the top league a descent into the second division could not be prevented in 1981–82.
Challans quickly won the National 2 Championship in 1980 to receive promotion and return to the premier National 1 League. While playing in the top league, Challans defeated Lyon to win the French Cup in 1983, and made it as far as the Quarterfinals of the 1987 Korać Cup. In the early 1990's, after relegation to the National 2 League, Challans relegated itself to the National 4 League amid financial difficulties.
The team continued to play in the amateur fourth-highest division through the 1990's and early 2000's. In 2004 the club was renamed Vendée Challans Basket, and has played in the third-highest division, the NM1 League, since 2005.[1]
After 20 years in the third division, Challans defeated Mulhouse 80–70 on 22 June, 2025, to win the NM1 Championship and receive a promotion to the ProB League for the 2025–26 season.[2][3]
Name through history
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Honours
- Winners (1): 1979–80
- Winners (1): 2024–25[4]
- Winners (1): 1982–83
Season by season
| Season | Tier | League | Pos. | French Cup | Other competitions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | 3 | NM1 | 5th | Round of 32 | ||
| 2017–18 | 3 | NM1 | 7th
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| 2018–19 | 3 | NM1 | 1st
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| 2019–20 | 3 | NM1 | 11th
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| 2020–21 | 3 | NM1 | 7th | |||
| 2021–22 | 3 | NM1 | 11th | |||
| 2022–23 | 3 | NM1 | 8th | Round of 16 | ||
| 2023–24 | 3 | NM1 | 9th | |||
| 2024–25 | 3 | NM1 | 2nd
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| 2025–26 | 2 | Pro B | ||||
Notable players
Barry White (1973–78)- Murray Brown
Bruno Constant (1979–87)- Valéry Demory (1983–87)
- Kevin Figaro (1984–87)
- Philippe Hervé (1985–86)
- Lance Berwald (1985–86)
Seán Ring (2018-present)
References
- ^ "Historique". Vendée Challans Basket (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ Campassens, Julie (24 June 2025). "Vendée Challans Basket are France's NM1 champions!". Syndicat National des Basketteurs. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Blin, Marion (22 June 2025). "🏀 Le Vendée Challans Basket 🏆 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 – 𝗡𝗠𝟭 🏆 - Basket". TV Vendée (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ FFBB. "Palmarès | NM1". Nationale Masculine 1 de Basketball (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2025.
External links
- Official website (in French)