In the early 1900s, the English export of soccer to foreign countries also reached the deepest parts of the German Empire (which had already established a national league called the Verbandsliga in 1902), including the Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine.

The team, which was financially supported by the students' teacher,[5][6] made its debut in a match against FC Germania[4] from the Schluthfeld district, in which it withdrew after conceding seven goals in the first forty-five minutes of play.

[5] Over the next three years, the team, renamed Fußballclub Cäsar Neudorf[4] and given a corporate organizational chart to cope with the inexperience of the players,[4][7] continued to produce unconvincing results, attracting criticism and threatening to split several times.

Attempts to change management's decision (including a proposal to merge with Strasbourg Red Star)[15] yielded a positive result a year later when, after a vote of 126 for, 2 against and 2 abstentions,[14] the team was finally allowed to become professional and debut in the second division.

The only notable result of the decade came in the 1954-55 season, when Strasbourg, led by Ernst Stojaspal,[19] contended for the top spots in the standings,[30] finishing fourth overall, and were eliminated by Lille in the French Cup semifinals.

[31] In the early 1960s, Strasbourg had the chance to make their debut on the European stage, playing in the 1961-62 edition of the Fairs Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round by MTK Hungária.

Thanks to subsidies from the municipality,[32] Strasbourg experienced a period of improved results, culminating in the 1964-65 season, during which the team fought for the title: in second place, one point behind Nantes with four games to play,[33] the Alsatians drew the head-to-head match and then succumbed in the final, finishing fifth.

After regaining promotion by winning the second division after a playoff with the top team in Group A (Monaco), Strasbourg started the 1977-78 season with a virtually unchanged lineup from the previous year,[44] with the addition of Jacques Novi, Francis Piasecki (both from Paris Saint-Germain),[45] and Raymond Domenech.

[50] Riding the wave of this success, Strasbourg prepared for the next season without making too many changes to the squad, only buying Roger Jouve from Nice and replacing Vergnes[50][53] with the younger Wagner.

The team started the championship in better form than the previous year, taking the lead on the fifth day[54] and maintaining it throughout the season, although a defeat against Saint-Étienne in the return leg had favored the Verts' approach.

[54] A brace by Wagner and a goal by Ehrlacher[55] in the final match against Lyon (on June 1, 1979) sparked celebrations throughout Alsace,[49] which culminated the following day when the team was welcomed by 200,000 fans at Strasbourg station.

[48] This climate of conflict at the top of the club, known as the Affaire Gress-Bord,[58] also affected the performance of the team, which, with a center forward incompatible with Gress's tactics based on the collective,[48] failed to defend the title and, as compensation, reached the quarterfinals of the European Cup, where they were eliminated by Ajax.

[6][47] This event marked the end of Strasbourg's golden era,[58] which saw the loss of almost all the players who had contributed to the 1979 championship[58] within a few years, replaced by important names (Didier Six, Jean-François Larios, Éric Pécout and Olivier Rouyer) who were never able to live up to expectations.

[63] Failure to win promotion in the 1990-91 season prompted the management to recall Gress to the bench: relying on young prospects such as Frank Leboeuf and Martin Djetou,[63] the coach led the team back to Division 1 after a close battle with Bordeaux[63] and a 4-0 victory over Stade Rennais in the promotion/relegation playoff.

That season also saw another change at the top of the club, which was taken over on March 21, 1997 by the IMG group, headed by former tennis player Patrick Proisy:[63] the new ownership sparked a wave of optimism among the team's supporters, but they played a championship far below expectations and struggled to avoid relegation until the last day.

[69] The same season will also be remembered for the team's journey in the UEFA Cup: after eliminating Rangers, Strasbourg faced Liverpool in the second round, winning 3-0 at home to effectively secure qualification, as the 2-0 defeat at Anfield did not affect the aggregate score.

[16] At the end of the season, there was a reshuffle at the top of the club, bringing in former player Léonard Specht who, after trying to sign Gernot Rohr,[76] hired Gress, who then returned to lead the team for the third time.

However, the beginning of the 2009-10 season was marked by a confusing situation at the top of the club, with Gress (opposed by Ginestet[77][78] who remained in the company as majority shareholder)[76][79] being replaced after two defeats in the first two matches.

[81] In November 2009, negotiations began for the transfer of Strasbourg's ownership to the English company FC Football Capital Limited,[82] which took control of the club on December 5 with Julien Fournier as president.

[89] In Ligue 1 in 2017-18, the team finished in 15th place, saving themselves on the penultimate day thanks to a win at Décines-Charpieu against Olympique Lyonnais in a comeback with a free kick goal by Dimitri Liénard in the final minutes.

In Strasbourg like in the rest of France, there is only one pro football club in every city and hence no in-town rivalry, a fact that heavily contrasts with the situation in Great Britain, Italy or Spain.

Nowadays, as the only professional football club in Alsace, Racing attracts a large fan base that covers both the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin départements as well as the eastern part of the Moselle.

Hechter had previously been banned from pro football following his involvement in the Paris Saint-Germain secret funds scandal but was nevertheless able to re-take a president job at Strasbourg thanks to a sentence reduction.

[107] The American group presented an ambitious project with an entirely new youth academy as well as plans for a renovated stadium, eventually winning the competition for Racing's ownership for a price of 1.5 million euros.

[110] Proisy became the chairman of the board with full control over the professional section but not the omni-sport structure that still possessed the club's name and its affiliation to the French Football Federation (FFF).

This was evidenced in 2002 when Proisy and Bord, still a chairman of the omni-sport, entered a dispute that led to the inability for the pro players to wear the name "Racing club de Strasbourg" on their jerseys for some time.

[105][112] Racing's troubles as well as the town's refusal to finance an extension of the stade de la Meinau to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup provoked heated debate during the 2001 municipal election and eventually became part of the elements that drove to the defeat of Catherine Trautmann.

Thanks to a prudent transfer policy initiated by director Marc Keller and good attendance rates, the new management was able to redress finances but the club's economic situation has remained fragile up to now.[when?]

On 7 October 1978 were a record four RCS players (Dominique Dropsy, Roger Jouve, Francis Piasecki, Albert Gemmrich) on the field for a Euro 1980 qualifying game against Luxembourg.

Other Mitteleuropa players fondly remembered include Elek Schwartz, Ivica Osim, Ivan Hašek, Alexander Vencel or Danijel Ljuboja while Russian Aleksandr Mostovoi is the last world-class star to play for Racing to this date.