Provence Aix

In 2007, a club still playing in the second division reached the final of the Coupe de France and put up 21 points against Paris Saint-Germain Handball before losing 28-21. It was proof, five years before promotion, that Aix belonged higher than its league placed it.

That promotion came in 2012, when Provence Aix Université Club won Division 2 and reached the Starligue for the first time since the club was founded as Aix Université Club in 1955. Its highest finish came in 2021-2022, when it placed third — one year after finishing fourth.

Nikola Karabatić and his brother Luka both came through Aix before their careers took them elsewhere, and Jérôme Fernandez is remembered here from the same generation. More recently the derby against Istres Provence Handball has given the club its sharpest rivalry.

PAUC have since tested themselves in Europe, taking part in the group stage of the EHF Cup and, in successive seasons, the EHF European League.