Pau FC

Pau Football Club ( Bearnese [paw futˈbɔl klub]), commonly referred to as Pau FC or simply Pau, is a French professional association football club based in Pau, capital of Béarn. They compete in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The club plays its home matches at the Nouste Camp.

Pau FC were founded in 1920 as Bleuets de Notre-Dame de Pau, although their official founding date is in 1959, when Football Club de Pau were first formed. Bleuets de Notre-Dame joined the highest amateur league in France in 1958 after success in the French South-West League (Ligue du Sud-Ouest). However, the religious authorities argued that the football section had outgrown the rest of the club and financial support was withdrawn. As a consequence, José Bidegain, a local businessman, created the Football Club de Pau. In the early years after the club's formation in its original home of Pau, they played their home matches at many different grounds until finally settling at the Nouste Camp.

The club's achievements include winning the Championnat National in 2020, winning the National 2 title twice in 1998 and 2016 and winning the French South-West League in 1958 and 1968.

Pau FC have long-standing rivalries with several other clubs in Southern France in the Adour river basin. The most notable of these are Bayonne, Mont-de-Marsan and Tarbes. With the rise of Pau FC and the decline of Bayonne, Mont-de-Marsan and Tarbes, Pau recently became a strong rival to Bordeaux and both form the New Aquitaine derby.