Henry Lesur (8 September 1875 – 5 July 1955) was a French football pioneer who was the founding president of RC Roubaix in 1895.
Henry Lesur was born in Lille on 8 September 1875, as the son of Caroline Marie-Henriette Bernard (1847–1901) and Henry Lesur (1845–1903), a judge in Saint-Omer, Public Prosecutor in Montreuil-sur-Mer.[1]
On 2 March 1903, the 27-year-old Lesur married Paule Froment (1882–1975) in Haute-Garonne, and the couple had six children, Jean Marie (1904–1966), Michel (1906–1957), Françoise (1907–1926), André Marie (1911–1996), Roger Marie (1913–1971), and Guy Lesur (1921–2004).[1]
Sporting career
Founding RC Roubaix
In 1892, the 17-year-old Lesur, together with his younger brother Ernest and the Dubly brothers (Maurice and Léon), formed a sports group called "French-Club de Roubaix-Tourcoing", which played association football and "Foot-Rugby". On 2 April 1895, after three years of playing this sport in informal meetings, either on a field located near the Croix-Wasquehal station or later on a meadow belonging to the Binet farm, this group finally decided to take a step further and officially established the club under the name "Racing-Club Roubaisien", doing so in a meeting held at the Brasserie "La Terrasse", rue de la Gare (currently avenue Jean-Baptiste Lebas) in Roubaix, and Henry was chosen as club's first-ever president while his brother Ernest was named equipment manager.[2]
The founders' ambition was to create an "all-sports" club and so, just a few weeks after this founding meeting, the directors decided to purchase the equipment needed to practice shot putting, then to form a boxing section, in 1895 a tug-of-war team, and in 1897 they formed sections for pole vaulting and tennis.[2] All these sports were considered, along with running, to promote the athletic development of the members of the football team, which remained the club's main asset.[2]
Golden age
Lesur (standing, first from right) with the Roubaix squad that won the 1902 USFSA Football Championship.[3]
Under Lesur's presidency, Roubaix became arguably the best team in the country at the start of the 20th century, with Léon Dubly, the team's captain, leading the club to a three-peat of French national championships between 1902 and 1904.[4] In the 1902 final, Roubaix fielded two of his younger brothers, Ernest and Émile, who helped their club to an epic 4–3 win over Racing Club de France.[5] Following the 1903 final, in which Roubaix again defeated RC France (), Lesur, then vice president of the Nord committee, congratulated his winning players.[6] And finally, in the 1904 final, Roubaix claimed a 4–2 win over United Sports Club[fr].[4]
At some point, Lesur stepped down from the presidency of RC Roubaix.
Later career
In 1913, RC Roubaix, on the proposal of Lesur, requested to reduce the Northern Serie A Championship from 8 clubs and 14 matches to just 6 clubs and 10 matches.[7] This proposal was voted, but a mistake was made, the automatic relegation of 2 clubs, and to repair it, it was decided that no changes would be made.[7]
In 1914, a local newspaper described him as "a northerner of the good school who defends ideas and not interests".[7]
12"Le dernier match d'un athlète"[The last match of an athlete]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Tous les sports. 23 April 1904. p.5. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
123"Les Nordistes contre les Nordistes"[Northerners against Northerners]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). La Vie sportive du Nord et du Pas-de-Calais et l'Union sportive. 16 May 1914. p.2. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
