AJ Auxerre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Auxerre

Full name	Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise
Short name	AJ Auxerre, AJA
Founded	29 December 1905; 119 years ago (1905-12-29)
Ground	Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps
Ground Capacity	18,541
Owner	James Zhou
President	Baptiste Malherbe
Manager	Christophe Pélissier
League	Ligue 2
2021–22	Ligue 2, 3rd of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, often called AJ Auxerre or just AJA, is a professional football club from Auxerre, a town in Burgundy, France. The team plays in Ligue 1, which is the top football league in France. They earned their spot in Ligue 1 for the 2024–25 season by winning the Ligue 2 championship in 2023–24. Auxerre plays its home games at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, located by the Yonne River. The current manager of the team is Christophe Pélissier.

Auxerre was started in 1905. They first joined the top French football division in the 1980–81 season. They stayed in the top league until the 2011–12 season. The club has won the Ligue 1 title once, in the 1995–96 season. Before that, in 1994, Auxerre won its first major trophy, the Coupe de France. They have won the Coupe de France three more times since then. This makes them one of the top five teams to have won this trophy the most times.

Many famous players have come from Auxerre. Some of the most well-known French football stars who started here include Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, Stéphane Guivarc'h, Philippe Mexès, Basile Boli, and Djibril Cissé. These players all went on to play for the French national team. Laurent Blanc was part of the teams that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Three players from Auxerre – Guivarc'h, Bernard Diomède, and Lionel Charbonnier – were even world champions in 1998. From 1961 to 2005, the club was mostly coached by Guy Roux. He was in charge for a very long time, 36 years straight, from 1964 to 2000.

Club History: Auxerre's Journey

Early Days and First Stadium

The football club Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise began in 1905. It was founded by a priest named Ernest Abbé Deschamps. The club quickly became strong in the Catholic league called F.G.S.P.F. In 1908, they even reached the F.G.S.P.F. French Championship final, but they lost that game 8–1. After the First World War, the club lost its playing field. Father Deschamps then bought land along the Yonne River. This land later became the famous Abbé Deschamps Stadium, where the team still plays today.

Reaching the Top League

Auxerre played its first game in Division 1 on July 24, 1980, against Bastia. They lost that match 2–0. A few months later, in November 1980, Andrzej Szarmach joined Auxerre. He scored his first goal for the team just two days later. Auxerre's first season in Division 1 had some amazing moments. They beat Paris Saint-Germain 3–2 in Paris. They also won 1–0 against Nantes, a team that hadn't lost a home game in five years! In the next two seasons, AJA finished 15th and 8th.

First European Adventures

In the 1983–84 season, AJA reached the top three for the first time, finishing third. Patrice Garande was the top scorer with 21 goals. That summer, Garande won a gold medal at the Olympics with the French team. Joël Bats and Jean-Marc Ferreri were also part of the French team that won UEFA Euro 1984.

Sadly, in 1984, a new player named Michel N'Gom died in a car accident. One of the stands at Abbé Deschamps Stadium is named after him to honor his memory. The 1984–1985 season was special because Auxerre played in a European competition for the first time, the UEFA Cup. They lost to Sporting Clube de Portugal in the first round. However, because Monaco won the French Cup, Auxerre qualified for the UEFA Cup again the next year.

Memorable European Matches

In 1985, Joël Bats left, and Bruno Martini became the new goalkeeper. In the UEFA Cup, Auxerre played against Milan. Auxerre won the first game 3–1. But they lost the return match 3–0 and were knocked out.

In the 1988–89 season, AJA finished fifth in the league. They also reached the semi-finals of the French Cup. This fifth-place finish meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup again. This time, they had a great run! They beat teams from Albania, Finland, and Greece. They finally lost in the quarter-finals to Fiorentina. In 1990, the team sold Basile Boli and brought in new players like Enzo Scifo. Auxerre finished third in the league that year.

Reaching the Semi-Finals and First Trophies

In 1991–92, Auxerre was knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Liverpool. The next year, they had an amazing journey in the UEFA Cup. They beat teams like Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Copenhagen. In the quarter-finals, they faced Ajax, who were the defending champions and had not lost in the European Cup for two years. Auxerre won the home game 4–2. Even though Ajax won the second game 1–0, Auxerre went through to the semi-finals! They played against Borussia Dortmund and lost the first game 2–0. Auxerre fought back in the second game, making the score even, but they lost in a penalty shootout.

Auxerre qualified for the UEFA Cup again after a scandal involving other teams. But this time, they were knocked out early by Tenerife. In 1994, Auxerre had a great season. They finished third in the league and won their first major trophy, the French Cup! They beat Montpellier 3–0 in the final. The next season, they finished fourth in the league and reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup, where they lost to Arsenal.

Auxerre players and fans celebrate their 2003 Coupe de France final victory.

Double Winners and Recent Years

During the 1995–96 season, the club achieved something incredible: they won both the Division 1 title and the Coupe de France! This was a historic "double" for the team.

On May 13, 2012, Auxerre's 32-year stay in the top division ended when they were relegated after losing to Marseille. The next few seasons in Ligue 2 were tough. In the 2014–15 Ligue 2 season, they finished ninth in Ligue 2. They also reached the 2015 Coupe de France final but lost to Paris Saint-Germain.

In the 2020–21 Ligue 2 season, Auxerre had their best finish since being relegated, coming in 6th place. Finally, in the 2021–22 Ligue 2 season, AJA earned promotion back to Ligue 1 after ten years! They won a penalty shootout against Saint-Etienne in the play-offs.

However, after just one season, Auxerre was relegated back to Ligue 2 in 2023. But they didn't stay down for long! On May 11, 2024, Auxerre secured promotion back to Ligue 1 for the 2024–25 season. They became champions of Ligue 2 after a 1-1 draw against Amiens.

Team Players: Who Plays for Auxerre?

Current Squad

Here are the players currently on the AJ Auxerre team:

No. Position Player 3 DF Gabriel Osho 4 DF Jubal (captain) 8 MF Nathan Buayi-Kiala 9 FW Theo Bair 10 FW Gaëtan Perrin 11 FW Eros Maddy 12 DF Fredrik Oppegård 14 DF Gideon Mensah 16 GK Donovan Léon 17 FW Lassine Sinayoko 18 MF Assane Dioussé 19 FW Florian Ayé 20 DF Sinaly Diomandé

No. Position Player 21 MF Lasso Coulibaly 23 DF Ki-Jana Hoever (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) 24 DF Ange-Loïc N'Gatta 25 MF Hamed Traorè (on loan from Bournemouth) 26 DF Paul Joly 27 MF Kévin Danois 30 GK Tom Negrel 37 GK Raphaël Adicéam 40 GK Théo De Percin 42 MF Elisha Owusu 45 FW Ado Onaiwu 80 MF Han-Noah Massengo (on loan from Burnley) 92 DF Clément Akpa

Players on Loan

These players are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis:

No. Position Player DF Saad Agouzoul (at Radomiak Radom until 30 June 2025)

Famous Players from Auxerre

The club's fans voted for their favorite historic players. Here are some of the most famous footballers who have played for Auxerre:

• Khalilou Fadiga
• Bruno Martini
• Basile Boli
• Philippe Mexès
• Bacary Sagna
• Enzo Scifo
• Jean-Alain Boumsong
• Abou Diaby
• Yann Lachuer
• Djibril Cissé
• Eric Cantona
• Andrzej Szarmach
• Fabien Cool
• Yaya Sanogo
• Joël Bats

Club Management: Who Runs the Team?

• Owner: James Zhou
• President: Yunjie Zhou
• Director of Youth: Gao Linfang
• Director of Football: Li Guoqing
• Manager: Christophe Pélissier
• Assistant manager: Loïc Lemaitre
• Goalkeeper coach: Younès Houcine
• Fitness coach: Philippe Duchamp, Moussa Ouédraogo
• Video analyst: Gauthier Pascal
• Scout: Aymeric Moulin, François Vivant
• Physiotherapist: Jérémy Cobault
• Team Organiser: Romain Favre

Coaching History

Here is a list of the coaches who have managed Auxerre over the years:

Dates	Name	Notes
1946–47	Pierre Grosjean	Auxerre's first official coach.
1947–48	Jean Pastel
1948–50	Jacques Boulard Bruneau
1950–52	Georges Hatz
1952–53	Marc Olivier
1953–55	M. Pignault
1955–56	Pierre Meunier
1956–58	Jacques Boulard	First manager to manage the club twice.
1958–59	Joseph Holmann	First manager from outside France to coach the team.
1959–61	Christian Di Orio
1961–62	Guy Roux
1962–64	Jean-Claude Gagneux Jacques Chevallier
1964–00	Guy Roux	Led the club to its first league and Coupe de France title.
2000–01	Daniel Rolland
2000–05	Guy Roux	First manager to serve three stints at the club. Won two Coupe de France titles.
2001–02	Alain Fiard	Served in interim role due to Roux taking a leave of absence due to coronary artery bypass surgery.
2005–06	Jacques Santini
2006–11	Jean Fernandez
2011–12	Laurent Fournier
2012	Jean-Guy Wallemme
2012–14	Bernard Casoni
2014–16	Jean-Luc Vannuchi
2016	Viorel Moldovan
2016–2017	Cédric Daury
2017	Francis Gillot
2018-2019	Pablo Correa
2019	Cédric Daury	Interim until end of 2018–19 season.
2019–2022	Jean-Marc Furlan
2022–	Christophe Pélissier

Club Honours: Auxerre's Trophies

Domestic Titles

League Championships

• Ligue 1
  • Champions: 1995–96
• Ligue 2
  • Winners: 1979–80, 2023–24
• Division d'Honneur (Burgundy)
  • Winners: 1970
• FGSPF Championnat
  • Runners-up: 1909
• FGSPF Burgundy Championnat
  • Champions: 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914

Cup Wins

• Coupe de France
  • Winners: 1993–94, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05
  • Runners-up: 1978–79, 2014–15

International Competitions

• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Winners: 1997, 2006 (joint winner)
  • Runners-up: 2000
• Coppa delle Alpi
  • Champions: 1985, 1987

Season Statistics: How Auxerre Performed

Here's a look at Auxerre's performance in recent seasons, including their league position and cup results.

Color Key:

See also

In Spanish: Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise para niños