Popular Sports in France
France is situated in Western Europe, and is geographically placed in the northern, and also the western and eastern hemispheres. The countries of Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Andorra, Spain, Italy, Monaco, and Luxembourg border France. The country is also bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the English Channel. Like most countries in the world, France has a passion for sports. Sports in this country play a very significant role in the community as they are very common among the locals. France also has a very rich history in sporting. The most common sports in this country include football, judo, tennis, basketball, rugby, handball, sailing, cycling, ice hockey, and motorsports just to mention a few. Sporting activities are not only limited to the locals as tourists and people visiting the country can also take part in the different sports, recreation and fitness options available in the country.
Some of the common sports in France have been discussed in brief below.
Football (Soccer) in France
France vs Uruguay in International Friendly, SourceSome countries refer to this sport as soccer. Football is the most common sport in France as it has over 1.9 million certified players in the leagues. This sport was adopted from England towards the end of the 19th century. In the early years, football got a lot of followers especially from the northern region of the country and the Paris region. The first teams to be formed were Normandy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Both were formed outside Paris. The sport is governed by the Fédération Francaise de Football. This is the country’s governing organization that is tasked with administering all the facets of the game of association football, both qualified and amateur. This organization assigns the responsibility of both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who administer, categorize, and direct the two top leagues in the country. The LFP is also tasked with preparing and planning the Coupe de la Ligue. This is the league cup competition in the country.
Besides Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, there are other leagues that take place in the country. One of these is the Championnat National and it is the third division in football in France. The other is the Championnat de France amateur also referred to as CFA. This mostly caters to amateur clubs and a few clubs that are semi-qualified. There is also the Championnat de France amateur 2 and this operates the same way as its predecessor. The other type of league is the Amateur Football which is managed and organized by the Ligue du Football Amateur. This organization oversees the actions of the district and regional leagues starting with the Division d'Honneur and down to the lowest divisions of the departmental district. The other is the Women’s football which has three main divisions; Division 1 Féminine, Division 2 Féminine, and Division 3 Féminine. D1 Féminine is the top league for the women’s association football guilds in the country. The last is the overseas leagues.
Football in France has two main cup competitions. These are the Coupe de la Ligue and the Coupe de France. There are also other state cups that are targeted by clubs at various levels. These include the Trophée des champions, Coupe de I'Outre-Mer, and the Women’s football cup competition which is made up of the Coupe Fédérale, Coupe Nationale, and the Challenge de France.
Rugby in France
French Halback Thomas Bosc in Samoa vs France Rugby Match, Source This sport was introduced into the country in the 1870s by people from Britain. The sport flourished in the southern region of France. In 1895, rugby divided itself to form the rugby league and the rugby union and the rugby clubs in France stayed aligned with the Home Nations clubs. Rugby league is a sport played by two teams each made up of 13 players on a rectangular field. Rugby union, on the other hand, is made of 15 players in each team. Rugby union is more common in the country especially in the southern region in areas such as Catalonia, Toulouse, and the French Basque country. The clubs take part in the local club competition. The clubs also take part in the European Rugby Challenge Cup, the European knock-out competitions, and the European Rugby Champions Cup.
Tennis in France
This is the second most common sport in France as per the number of certified players who stood as 1,111,316 in 2012. Every year in spring, tennis players from across the world meet at the Roland Garros to compete and put their skills to the test. France also hosts other tennis events such as the Paris Masters, the French Open, and also the four Grand Slam tourneys.
Cycling in France
This is also a very popular sport in France. The country annually hosts the cycling race, Tour de France. The race takes place every July and takes a duration of three weeks. This race is among the three Grand Tours, which are the most esteemed phase races in road cycling. This race has made cycling in France very popular as it attracts over 12 million people from across the world who want to see the race with their own eyes. The race also attracts about 3.5 billion people who make up the television audience globally. Besides this race, the northern region of France also hosts a one-day race, Paris-Roubaix. This race is identified as one of the cobbled classics as it takes place in a challenging landscape. There are other prestigious races that are incorporated as a section of the top-ranking UCI World Tour. These include the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Paris-Nice stage races that are mostly used as warm up races for riders taking part in the Tour de France. The other race is the GP Ouest-France.
Motorsports in France
Valentino Rossi (Italian) at Le Mans MotoGP in France, 2010, SourceThese sports are also very common in France, particularly motorcycle racing and auto racing. Formula One has been found to have a very sturdy relationship with the country’s long history. It has its roots in the European Grand Prix motor racing whose birth has been traced to the French Grand Prix in 1906. Besides Formula One, France also takes part in sports car racing. This is, however, not that popular compared to Formula One. Every year France hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and it attracts racers from across the globe. Rallying is also common in France and two World Rally Championship rallies are held in the country. These are the Rallye d'Alsace and Tour de Corse which was last hosted in 2008. France also hosts an ice racing championship every year. This race is referred to as the Andros Trophy.
Ice hockey in France
This is a rather common sport in France, particularly in the Rhȏne-Alpes area and in the towns of Amiens, Tours, and Rouen. This sport is governed by Fédération Française de Hockey sur Glace (FFHG) which translates to the French Ice Hockey Federation. This body oversees the Ligue Magnus which is the state’s championship league in the country.
Handball in France
France did not have a formal handball team until the 1990s. From that time, the team has had quite a number of successful games in numerous tournaments. There is a men’s team, the Montpellier Agglomération Handball, which is administered by the Ligue nationale de handball and it takes part in the Championnat de France de handball league competition. The country also has a national women’s team, the Metz Handball, which has been very successful compared to other women teams.
As of 2012, France had licensed about 470, 590 handball players. This sport is very popular in both primary and secondary schools in the country and it is gaining more popularity across the country as well.
Basketball in France
The fact that basket ball is quite common in France in a bit surprising to a few people across the world. The country’s national basket team has done very well in global competitions over the years and in 2013, the senior team won its first ever title in the EuroBasket completion. The national team is governed by the Fédération Française de Basket-Ball. This body also oversees the women’s state professional competitions. The men’s state competitions are managed by the Ligue Nationale de Basket ball. This league has two main categories Pro A and Pro B, also referred to as first division and second division respectively.
Sailing in France
France is most of the times used as the beginning point for sail races. Sailing is mostly focused on short-handed/single-handed ocean racing. The main pinnacle of this sport is the Vendée Globe single-handed across the globe race which commences every 4 years and it begins at the French Atlantic. There are other sailing races that people can participate in. These include the Solitaire du Figaro, and the Route du Rhum races.
Petanque in France
This sport if often played outside cafes in France using a glass of wine. This game has two variations; Boules and Petanque and their rules vary a little bit. This is a social sport that is played by family and friends. It is, however, a very skillful sport when played at a specialized level.
There are other sports that are developing in France. Some of these include parkour which is a physical activity sport that is similar to martial arts. The other is Gaelic football. Little is known about this sport in the country. There are other pastime sports in the country such as table football which is mostly played in homes and bars. Other sports include judo, orienteering, cricket, and skiing.