The second division of French football was established in 1933, one year after the creation of the all-professional first division. The inaugural season of the competition consisted of the six clubs who were relegated following the 1932–33 National season, as well as many of the clubs who opposed the creation of the first division the previous season. Clubs such as Strasbourg, RC Roubaix, and Amiens SC all played in the second division's debut season despite having prior grievances with the subjective criteria needed to become professional and play in the first division. The first year of the second division consisted of twenty-three clubs and were divided into two groups ("Nord" and "Sud"). Fourteen of the clubs were inserted into the "Nord" section, while the remaining nine were placed in "Sud". Following the season, the winner of each group faced each other to determine which club would earn promotion. On 20 May 1934, the winner of the "Nord" group, Red Star Saint-Ouen, faced Olympique Alès, the winner of the "Sud" group. Red Star were crowned the league's inaugural champions following a 3–2 victory. Despite losing, Alès was also promoted to the first division and they were followed by Strasbourg and Mulhouse, who each won a pool championship, after the first division agreed to expand its teams to 16.