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Olympique Lyonnais Féminin is a French women's football club based in Lyon. The club started as the women's section of FC Lyon in 1970.
The women's section of FC Lyon were a four-time French league champion, having won league titles in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1998. In 2004 when FC Lyon transferred its sports rights to Olympique Lyonnais, its women's club became the women section of Olympique Lyonnais and was renamed as Olympique Lyonnais Féminin.
On 24 May 2018, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin defeated Wolfsburg in the final of Women's Champions League. It was the record fifth time they ended their campaign with the winner's medal. They become the first team to win the Champions League in three successive seasons. You may find that statistic surprising, but technically they are the first team in Champions League history - male or female - to have won the trophy three times in a row.
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Aulas influential to Lyon's remarkable rise
Women's football has changed a lot over the past ten years and Lyon's model has acted as an effective catalyst. Therefore, it would not be an overstatement to say they are one of the best women's sides in football history.
Part of this credit for their turnaround should go to the influential president Jean-Michel Aulas, who himself has been at Lyon since 1987. He took the big task of boosting the women's football.
He has been patient, never looked for profitability as the Qataris can do with the PSG men's team. And he took advantage of the example of Montpellier. Jean-Michel Aulas arrived with ambition and the desire to accumulate titles, as for boys.-- Dounia Mesli
Jean-Michel Aulas wanted to work on the development and popularity of football among the females in France. In an immense initiative in 2004, he bought the women's section from FC Lyon. It was incipiently an idea of Thierry Braillard, then Sports assistant of the City of Lyon. He proposed Jean Aulas to take over the women's section of FC Lyon. He invested heavily in the team and brought them onto the world map. He shrugged off all the conservatism and with his vision guided the team to the top of the women's football world.
He has professionalised women's football, requiring the Federation to create a convention for the players because it had no status, he gave the necessary boost. He is sometimes criticised but he is passionate and, after reflection, the idea seduced him -- Thierry Braillard
Lyon's success an example for all
Over the last ten to fifteen years, they have dominated the women's football like none other. Their records speak for themselves and whatever they have achieved so far is unimaginable. Since 2004, they have won the league 12 times in a row, Coupe de France 7 times and Champions League five times. Unsurprisingly, they are currently UEFA's highest-ranked club.
It has become the most popular and successful women's football club across Europe, while boasting the pulling power of the game's best stars. International talents including Dzsenifer Marozsán and Ada Hegerberg have joined in recent seasons - both of whom are world-class players in their own right.
The massive turnaround in just over 14 years is an impressive story, which did not attract much media attention either. However, the club's recent success shows just how much you can achieve with collective solidarity, a long-term plan and shared ambitions to be the world's best.
