AJ Auxerre facts for kids
 |
||
| Full name | Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise | |
|---|---|---|
| Short name | AJ Auxerre, AJA | |
| Founded | 29 December 1905 | |
| Ground | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps | |
| Capacity | 18,541 | |
| Owner | James Zhou | |
| President | Baptiste Malherbe | |
| Manager | Christophe Pélissier | |
| League | Ligue 2 | |
| 2021–22 | Ligue 2, 3rd of 20 | |
|
|
||
AJ Auxerre, also known as AJA, is a professional French football club. It is based in the town of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club 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. This stadium is located right by the Yonne River. The team's manager is Christophe Pélissier.
The club was started in 1905. Auxerre first played in France's top league in the 1980–81 season. They stayed in the top league until the 2011–12 season. Auxerre has won the Ligue 1 title once, in the 1995–96 season. They also won their first major trophy, the Coupe de France, in 1994. Since then, they have won the Coupe de France three more times. This makes them one of the most successful teams in that competition.
Many famous French football players started their careers at Auxerre. Some of these include Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, Stéphane Guivarc'h, Philippe Mexès, Basile Boli, and Djibril Cissé. Laurent Blanc was part of the French teams that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Three players from Auxerre – Guivarc'h, Bernard Diomède, and Lionel Charbonnier – were on the 1998 World Cup-winning team. From 1961 to 2005, the club was mostly coached by Guy Roux. He was in charge for 36 years straight, from 1964 to 2000.
Club History
Early Years and Founding
The club was founded in 1905. It was started by a priest named Ernest Abbé Deschamps. The club quickly became strong in the Catholic league F.G.S.P.F. In 1908, they even reached the F.G.S.P.P. French Championship final. 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 Abbé Deschamps Stadium.
Reaching the Top League
Auxerre played its first game in Division 1 on July 24, 1980. They lost 2–0 to Bastia. A few months later, Andrzej Szarmach joined the team. He scored many goals for Auxerre. In their first season, Auxerre had some amazing games. They beat Paris Saint-Germain 3–2. They also beat Nantes 1–0 at Nantes' home stadium. This was special because Nantes had not lost a home game in five years.
European Adventures
In the 1983–84 season, Auxerre finished third in the league. This was their best finish yet. Patrice Garande was the top scorer with 21 goals. That summer, Garande won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics with the French Olympic team. Joël Bats and Jean-Marc Ferreri were also part of the winning French team at UEFA Euro 1984.
Auxerre played in a European competition for the first time in 1984. They joined the UEFA Cup. They lost to Sporting Clube de Portugal. The next year, they qualified for the UEFA Cup again. They played against Milan and won the first game 3–1. However, they lost the second game and were eliminated.
In the 1989–90 season, Auxerre had a good run in the UEFA Cup. They beat teams from Albania, Finland, and Greece. They reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Fiorentina.
The Golden Era
In the 1992–93 season, Auxerre had an amazing journey in the UEFA Cup. They beat strong teams like Copenhagen and Standard Liège. In the quarterfinals, they faced Ajax, who were champions and had not lost in European competition for two years. Auxerre won 4–2 at home and then lost 1–0 away, which meant they won on aggregate and reached the semi-finals. They lost to Borussia Dortmund in a penalty shootout.
In 1994, Auxerre won its first major trophy, the Coupe de France. They beat Montpellier 3-0 in the final. The 1995–96 season was the best in the club's history. Auxerre won the Ligue 1 title for the first time. They also won the Coupe de France again that same season. This was a fantastic "double" victory!
Recent Years
On May 13, 2012, Auxerre was relegated from the top division after 32 years. They played in Ligue 2 for many seasons. In the 2014–15 Ligue 2 season, they finished ninth in Ligue 2. They also reached the final of the 2015 Coupe de France final, but lost to Paris Saint-Germain.
In the 2021–22 Ligue 2 season, Auxerre finally earned promotion back to Ligue 1. They won a penalty shootout against Saint-Etienne in the play-offs. However, they were relegated again after just one season in Ligue 1.
On May 11, 2024, Auxerre secured promotion back to Ligue 1 for the 2024–25 season. They drew 1-1 against Amiens and won the Ligue 2 championship. This brought them back to the top league after only one year away.
Players
Current Squad
|
|
Players on Loan
|
Famous Players
Here are some of the most famous football players 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
- 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 Highlights
Auxerre has had many coaches throughout its history. The most famous is Guy Roux. He coached the team for a very long time.
- Guy Roux (1961–62, 1964–00, 2000–05): He led the club to its first league title and Coupe de France wins. He is known for his incredibly long time as coach.
- Christophe Pélissier (2022–): The current manager of the team.
Club Honours
National 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 Competitions
- Coupe de France
- Winners: 1993–94, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05
- Runners-up: 1978–79, 2014–15
International Titles
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners: 1997, 2006 (joint winner)
- Runners-up: 2000
- Coppa delle Alpi
- Champions: 1985, 1987
See also
In Spanish: Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise para niños
