The story begins in 1893 when a pair of English students enrolled at the Mulhouse Chemistry School in Mulhouse in the Alsace-Lorraine region of Germany founded the club. The two--whose names appear to have been lost in the annals of history--introduced the game to their classmates and the club was subsequently formed.
In 1901, Mulhouse absorbed the Young Boys team from the Oberrealschule Gymnasium. Three years later, Mulhouse joined the VSFV (Verband Suddeutscher Fussball Vereine or Federation of South German Football Clubs). The club went through a period of financial difficulties in 1905-06 but survived to play on.
Following World War I, France reclaimed the territory of Alsace from the Germans and "FC Mulhausen" became part of the top flight in the Division D'Honneur. Back under the Mulhouse name, the team enjoyed its best stretch of success, winning the title in 1921 and finishing vice-champions with Strasbourg in 1926-27. Mulhouse then ran off an impressive streak of dominance, capturing the title five straight years while also lifting the Coupe Souchaux (also known as the Challenge Peugeot) in 1932. That competition was one of the predecessors to the first national championship that was staged the following season.
One of the stars of those early teams was forward Pierre Korb, who won 12 caps for France and was part of the squad that competed in the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Other notable names from that era were midfielders Pierre Hornus and Marcel Kaufmann.
After the re-organization of French football into a national system, Mulhouse played a single season in the First Division/Group A before being relegated. They played their way back to the top flight in 1934 but were relegated once again in 1937,
With the onset of World War II and the re-conquest of Alsace by Germany, Mulhouse returned to that country's competition in the Gauliga Elsass, the regional first division. They quickly established themselves as the dominant team, capturing titles in 1941, 1943 and 1944. Mulhouse wasn't able to advance in the German national championship playoffs though, losing in the early rounds each season. Play in the Gauliga was suspended part way through the 1944-45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany,
Following the war, Mulhouse returned to French competition, playing one season in the second division before slipping to amateur level play where they remained until 1970. Gradual improvement followed though and they team established itself as a solid second division side. Mulhouse even reached the top flight on two occasions: 1982-83 (W10, D8, L20, 46-76, 20th place, relegated) and 1989-90 (W9, D10, L19, 42-58, 20th place, relegated).
In the early 1990s, the club played under the name Mulhouse Sud-Alsace and continued to play in the second division before being relegated following the 1997-98 season. A financial crisis bankrupted the club in 1999; Mulhouse was then re-organized as an amateur side the following season. In 2005, the club won promotion to the fourth division (Championnat de France Amateurs), the country's highest amateur division. It remains there today, competing against the likes of Jura Sud Foot, JA Drancy, Montceau Bourgogne , Raonnaise, Sarre-Union and several reserve sides of top flight teams.
In 1973, Mulhouse landed the services of a lanky 6-3 midfielder from Mutzig named Arsene Wenger. Mostly playing on the right, Wenger scored four goals in 56 appearances for the club before leaving for Strasbourg (he was doubling as a student in Strasbourg at the time at the commutes were wearing on him.) In his final game, Mulhouse defeated Nancy to avoid relegation.
More importantly than any on-field contributions though, it was the influence of manager Paul Frantz that helped mold Wenger. Frantz was a strong believer in proper nutrition, isometrics and working on a player's strong points; all traits that Wenger took to England when he became manager of Arsenal in 1996, re-shaping the "beer and steak" culture along the way.
Mulhouse's other prized alumni is Raymond Domenech, who played 13 games at fullback for the team in 1984-85 before going on to manage the team from 1985-89. From there, Domenech moved to Lyon for four seasons before spending nearly a decade coaching the French under-21 team. On July 21, 2004, Domenech was named to replace Jacques Santini as coach of the national team and led the team to the final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, losing on penalties to Italy. Domenech was also on the sidelines as France finished bottom of its group in the disappointing Euro 2008 and was in charge for the disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa that featured a player boycott and ended with France failing to win any of its group games.
Another top name from French football with Mulhouse ties is midfielder Didier Six, who was on the EURO 84 champions after scoring 12 goals in 31 games for the team in 1983-84. Six also represented France at the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.
The team currently plays its home games at the Stade d'Illi, which--at a capacity of 11,300--is by far the largest in the division. Between 1906 and the end of World War I, Mulhouse played at the Stade Velodrome and played in the Stade Bourtzwiller before moving to the d'Illi.
The club plays in white tops with blue shirts and blue socks at home and dons an all-white kit for away games.
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