Championnat National
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/* Champions (since 1997-98) */
{{Infobox sports league
|current_season=Championnat National 2007-08
|logo=Le nouveau logo FFF.png
|pixels=80px
|sport=[[Football (soccer)|Football]]
|founded=1936
|teams=20
|country={{FRA}}
|champion=[[Clermont Foot]]
}}
The '''Championnat de France National''' (also called Division 3) is the third highest division in [[Football in France|French football]], one division below [[Ligue 2]], one above the [[Championnat de France Amateurs]].
The Championnat National consists of 20 teams. At the end of the season, after all clubs have played a home and away series against each other, the three top teams in the league are promoted to [[Ligue 2]], replaced by the latter's bottom three teams; and the bottom four are relegated to the [[Championnat de France Amateurs]], replaced by their top four clubs. After the [[Ligue 2]] clubs are relegated, they are allowed to keep their professional status for two seasons, except under exceptional circumstances. Thus, this league contains both [[professional]] and [[amateur]] clubs.
Since [[1970]], there has been an automatic promotion/relegation link between the D3 and the Ligue 2. However, before 1970 the Division 3 was open to reserve teams from the best professional teams in France, whose first teams played in [[Ligue 1]]. Nowadays, the best reserve teams are eligible for the division below, the [[Championnat de France Amateurs]].
In the long run, the professionalisation of the Championnat's member clubs is uncertain. The [[Ligue de Football Professionnel|French League]] does not want to divide its profits into smaller shares, so it does not collaborate with amateur clubs to help them become professional.
The matches in the Championnat National attract on average between 1500 and 2000 spectators per match.
== Honours ==
=== Championnat National (1993-94 - 1996-97), (two parallel groups in the division) ===
* [[1994]]. [[LB Châteauroux]]
* [[1995]]. [[FC Lorient]]
* [[1996]]. [[Sporting Toulon Var]]
* [[1997]]. [[Nîmes Olympique]]
=== Champions (since 1997-98) ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season
! Winner
! Runner Up
|-
| 1997-98
| AC Ajaccio
| Sedan
|-
| 1998-99
| Louhans
| Creteil
|-
| 1999-00
| Beauvais
| Martigues
|-
| 2000-01
| Grenolbe
| Amiens
|-
| 2001-02
| Clermont Foot
| Stade Reims
|-
| 2002-03
| Besancon
| Angers
|-
| 2003-04
| Stade Reims
| Brest
|-
| 2004-05
| Valenciennes
| Valence
|-
| 2005-06
| Niort
| Tours
|-
| 2006-07
| Clermont Foot
| Boulogne
|-
|-
| [[Championnat National 2007-08|2007-08]]
| Vannes
| Tours
|-
|}
==External links (in French)==
*[http://www.fff.fr/compnati/national/index.shtml Official Website of The Championnat de France National]
* [http://www.soccerway.com/national/france/national/ Championnat National Fixtures,Live Results,Standings and Detailed Statistics] {{en icon}}
*[http://www.foot-national.com Foot-National]
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[[Category:French football competitions|3]]
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[[ja:フランス全国選手権]]
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