AS Saint-Étienne facts for kids
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| Full name | Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Sainté Les Verts (The Greens) Les Stéphanois (The Stéphanois) |
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| Short name | A.S.S.E. | |||
| Founded | 1919 | |||
| Ground | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | |||
| Capacity | 41,965 | |||
| Owner | Kilmer Sports Ventures | |||
| President | Ivan Gazidis | |||
| Manager | Eirik Horneland | |||
| League | Ligue 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1, 18th of 20 | |||
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Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire, often called A.S.S.E. or simply Saint-Étienne, is a professional football club from Saint-Étienne, France. The club started in 1919 and plays in Ligue 2, which is the second-highest football league in France. Their home stadium is the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Saint-Étienne is one of the most successful clubs in French football history. They have won the top league, Ligue 1, ten times. They also have six Coupe de France titles, one Coupe de la Ligue title, and five Trophée des Champions. The club also won the Ligue 2 championship three times. Most of their big wins happened in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1976, they even reached the final of the European Cup, which is now called the UEFA Champions League.
The team is known as Les Verts, meaning "the Greens," because of their green home jerseys. They have a big rivalry with a nearby team, Olympique Lyonnais. This match is called the Derby rhônalpin. In 2009, the club also started a women's football team.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
AS Saint-Étienne began in 1919. It was started by people who worked for a grocery store chain called Groupe Casino in Saint-Étienne. The club was first named Amicale des Employés de la Société des Magasins Casino. They chose green as their main color because it was the main color of Groupe Casino.
In 1920, the French Football Federation (FFF) said clubs could not use company names. So, the club changed its name to Amical Sporting Club to keep the letters ASC. In 1927, Pierre Guichard became the club's president. He merged the club with another local team and changed the name to Association sportive Stéphanoise.
In 1930, French football decided to allow professional teams. In 1933, Stéphanoise became a professional club and changed its name to its current one, AS Saint-Étienne. They joined the second division. In the 1938–39 season, they were promoted to the top league for the first time. This was under the coach Teddy Duckworth. However, their time in the top league was cut short because of World War II. After the war, they returned to the top league and finished second in the first season after the war.
The Golden Years (1956–1981)
In 1950, Jean Snella, a former Saint-Étienne player, became the coach. Under him, the club won its first trophy, the Coupe Charles Drago, in 1955. Two seasons later, in 1956–57, they won their first league title. Key players like Claude Abbes, Robert Herbin, René Ferrier, Kees Rijvers, and Georges Peyroche helped them win. In 1958, they won the Coupe Drago again.
After Snella left for a short time, the club was relegated in 1961–62. But they also won their first Coupe de France title that year. They quickly returned to the top division. Snella came back as coach in 1963. In his first season back, Saint-Étienne won their second league title. Three seasons later, they won their third. New players like Georges Bereta, Bernard Bosquier, Gérard Farison, and Hervé Revelli joined the team.
After Snella, Albert Batteux became the coach. In his first season, 1967–68, Saint-Étienne won both the league and the Coupe de France. This is called "the double." He won the league again the next season. The season after that, he won the double once more.
In 1972, former player Robert Herbin became the coach. In his first two seasons, the club won the double twice. These were their seventh and eighth league titles and third and fourth Coupe de France titles. In 1976, Saint-Étienne made history by reaching the final of the European Cup. They played against the strong German team Bayern Munich. Saint-Étienne lost 1–0, but their journey was memorable. They won the league title that season. The next season, they won the Coupe de France.
In 1981, Saint-Étienne, led by captain Michel Platini, won their tenth league title. This is their last league title to date.
Later Years and Recent Times
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In 1982, the club faced financial problems. The long-time president, Roger Rocher, left and was later jailed. Saint-Étienne was relegated in the 1983–84 season. They returned to the top division in 1986. The club stayed in the top league for almost ten years. They reached the Coupe de France semi-finals in 1990 and 1993.
In 1996, Saint-Étienne was relegated again. They returned to the top division in 1999. In the 2000–01 season, the club had problems with fake passports for two players. The club lost seven league points and was relegated again.
Saint-Étienne spent three seasons in the second division. They returned to the top league, now called Ligue 1, for the 2004–05 season. In 2007–08, they finished fifth, which allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup. Young players like Bafétimbi Gomis, Loïc Perrin, Blaise Matuidi, and Dimitri Payet were important for the team.
In April 2013, Saint-Étienne won the Coupe de la Ligue. This was their first major trophy in over 30 years. This win helped them qualify for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. In November 2014, Saint-Étienne beat their rivals Lyon 3–0 at home for the first time since 1994.
The 2017–18 Ligue 1 season started poorly. After a big loss to Lyon, coach Óscar García Junyent was replaced by former player Julien Sablé. Later, Jean-Louis Gasset took over. Under Gasset, Saint-Étienne went 13 games without losing and finished seventh.
In the 2018–19 season, Saint-Étienne finished fourth, their best finish since returning to the top league. The next year, the season ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. They also reached the Coupe de France final but lost to Paris Saint-Germain.
In the 2020–21 season, the club struggled but managed to finish 11th. In April 2021, the club announced it was for sale. The 2021–22 season was very difficult. After a long winless streak, coach Claude Puel was replaced by Pascal Dupraz. The team finished 18th and was relegated to Ligue 2 after losing a playoff. The club also faced penalties due to fan incidents.
The 2022–23 season started tough, but Saint-Étienne improved and finished eighth. They also introduced a new club logo that season. In the 2023–24 Ligue 2 season, Saint-Étienne earned promotion back to Ligue 1 through the playoffs. However, they were relegated again after the 2024–25 season.
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Other Players Under Contract
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Retired Jersey Number
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Club Records and Statistics
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European Competition Record
As of 2019
| Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 41 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 50 | 44 |
| UEFA Europa League | 68 | 28 | 22 | 18 | 111 | 73 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Total | 115 | 51 | 32 | 38 | 163 | 124 |
UEFA Club Ranking
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 116 |  Apollon Limassol |
13.500 |
| 117 |  Nice |
13.000 |
| 118 | Saint-Étienne |
13.000 |
| 119 |  Zürich |
12.000 |
| 120 |  Fehérvár |
11.500 |
Club Honours
Domestic Trophies
- Ligue 1 (Top French League)
- Champions (10): 1956–57, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1980–81
- Runners-up: 1945–46, 1971–72, 1981–82
- Ligue 2 (Second French League)
- Winners (3): 1962–63, 1998–99, 2003–04
- Coupe de France (French Cup)
- Winners (6): 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77
- Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup)
- Winners: 2012–13
- Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup)
- Winners (5): 1957, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1969
- Coupe Charles Drago
- Winners: 1955, 1958
European Trophies
- European Cup/Champions League
- Runners-up (1): 1975–76
Youth Trophies
- Coupe Gambardella (Youth Cup)
- Winners: 1962–63, 1969–70, 1987–88, 2018–19
Management and Staff
Club Officials
- Senior Club Staff
- President: Ivan Gazidis
- Executive Vice-President: Huss Fahmy
- General Manager: Jaeson Rosenfeld
- Coaching and Medical Staff
- Manager: Eirik Horneland
- Assistant Manager: Hassan El Fakiri, Andrea Loberto
- Goalkeeper Coach: Jean-Francois Bedenik
- Fitness Coach: Benjamin Guy, Thierry Cotte, Philippe Djo Petitjean
- Doctor: Tarak Bouzaabia
- Masseur: Hubert Largeron, Laurent Bensadi, Mathieu Rachet
- Kit Manager: Frédéric Emile
- Academy Coaching Staff
- Director of Youth Academy: Bernard David
- Head of Youth Scouting: Gerard Fernandez
- Director of Youth Department: Laurent Huard
Coaching History
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Images for kids
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AS Saint-Étienne logo
See also
In Spanish: Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne para niños
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