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 | Olivier Dall'Oglio | |||
| League | Ligue 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1, 18th of 20 | |||
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| AS Saint-Étienne active departments | ||
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 Football (men's) |
Football (women's) |
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Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire, often called Saint-Étienne or A.S.S.E., is a famous French professional football club. They are based in the city of Saint-Étienne, France. The club was started in 1919 and plays in Ligue 1, which is the top football league in France. Their home stadium is the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Saint-Étienne has won many important titles. They have won the Ligue 1 championship ten times, which is a lot! They also have six Coupe de France titles, one Coupe de la Ligue title, and five Trophée des Champions. They even won the Ligue 2 championship three times. Most of their biggest wins happened in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1976, the club made it to the final of the UEFA Champions League, which is a huge achievement.
Saint-Étienne is known as Les Verts, which means "the Greens," because of their green home uniforms. They have a big rivalry with a nearby team called Olympique Lyonnais. This match is known as the Derby Rhône-Alpes. In 2009, the club also started a women's football team.
Club History
How it All Started
AS Saint-Étienne was first created in 1919. It was started by people who worked for a grocery store chain called Groupe Casino in Saint-Étienne. Back then, it was called Amicale des Employés de la Société des Magasins Casino (ASC). The club chose green as its main color because it was the main color of the Casino company.
In 1920, the French Football Federation (FFF) said that sports clubs couldn't use company names. So, the club changed its name to Amical Sporting Club to keep the "ASC" initials. In 1927, a new president, Pierre Guichard, took over. After joining with another local club, they changed the name again to Association sportive Stéphanoise.
In 1930, French football decided to allow professional teams. In 1933, Stéphanoise became a professional club and got its current name. They joined the second division and were one of the first teams in that league. Saint-Étienne played in Division 2 for four more seasons. Then, in the 1938–39 season, they moved up to Division 1. This was thanks to their coach, Teddy Duckworth. However, their first time in the top league was cut short because of World War II.
After the war, Saint-Étienne returned to the first division. They surprised everyone by finishing second in the first season after the war. This was under coach Ignace Tax. But they didn't do as well in the next few seasons. So, in 1950, Jean Snella, a former player, became the new coach.
Winning Many Titles (1956–1981)
Under coach Jean Snella, Saint-Étienne won its first trophy, the Coupe Charles Drago, in 1955. Just two seasons later, in 1956–57, the club won its first ever league title! Key players like goalkeeper Claude Abbes, defender Robert Herbin, midfielders René Ferrier and Kees Rijvers, and striker Georges Peyroche helped them win. They finished four points ahead of Lens. In 1958, they won the Coupe Drago again.
After Snella left, the team had a tough season. But in 1961, Roger Rocher became the club's president and invested a lot. In 1961–62, Saint-Étienne was relegated to the second division. However, they also won their first Coupe de France title that year! They beat Nancy 1–0 in the final. They quickly returned to Division 1 after just one season. Then, Jean Snella came back as coach.
In Snella's first season back, Saint-Étienne won its second league title. Three seasons later, in 1966–67, they won their third. This period saw new talented players like Georges Bereta, Bernard Bosquier, Gérard Farison, and Hervé Revelli join the team. After this, Snella left again, and Albert Batteux became the new coach.
In Batteux's first season, 1967–68, Saint-Étienne won "the double." This means they won both the league and the Coupe de France! The next season, Batteux won the league again. And the season after that, he won the double once more. The club was doing incredibly well. After two seasons without a trophy, Batteux was replaced by former Saint-Étienne player Robert Herbin.
In Herbin's first year, the team finished fourth in the league and reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. In the next two seasons, they won the double again! These were their seventh and eighth league titles, and third and fourth Coupe de France titles. In 1976, Saint-Étienne became the first French club in a long time to reach the final of the European Cup. They played against the strong German team Bayern Munich. Saint-Étienne played well but lost 1–0. Their fans still remember the goalposts at Hampden Park as "les poteaux carrés" ("the square posts").
Saint-Étienne still won the league that season, which was a great achievement. The next season, they won the Coupe de France. In 1981, with Michel Platini as captain, Saint-Étienne won its tenth league title. This is their last league title to date. After two more seasons, Herbin left to coach their rivals, Lyon.
Challenges and Recent Times
In 1982, the club faced some financial difficulties, and long-time president Roger Rocher left. Saint-Étienne then struggled and was relegated in the 1983–84 season. They returned to the first division in 1986. The club stayed in the top league for almost ten years, reaching the Coupe de France semi-finals in 1990 and 1993.
In 1996, Saint-Étienne was relegated again. They returned to Division 1 in 1999. In the 2000–01 season, the club had many changes in management. They also faced problems with player registrations, which led to them losing seven league points and being relegated again.
Saint-Étienne spent three seasons in the second division before returning to the top league, now called Ligue 1, for the 2004–05 season. They finished fifth in the 2007–08 season, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time since 1982. Young players like Bafétimbi Gomis, Loïc Perrin, Blaise Matuidi, and Dimitri Payet were important for the team.
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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. On November 30, 2014, Saint-Étienne defeated their big rivals Lyon 3–0 at home. This was their first win against Lyon at home since 1994.
The 2017–18 Ligue 1 season started poorly, including a big 5–0 loss to Lyon. The manager was changed, and the team improved under Jean-Louis Gasset, finishing 7th. In the 2018–19 season, Saint-Étienne finished fourth, their best finish since returning to the top league.
The 2020–21 season was tough, with the team often near the relegation zone. The club announced that it was for sale. In the 2021–22 season, the team had a very difficult start, going 12 games without a win. They ended up finishing 18th and were relegated to Ligue 2 after losing a playoff match. The club also faced penalties, including points deduction, due to incidents after a game.
Despite a tough start in the 2022–23 season, Saint-Étienne managed to finish 8th. This season also saw the club introduce a new logo. In the 2023–24 Ligue 2 season, Saint-Étienne played well enough to enter the promotion playoffs. They won their two-legged playoff against Metz 4-3 on total score, earning their way back to Ligue 1!
Players
Current squad
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Out on loan
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Other players under contract
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Retired numbers
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Records and Statistics
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European Record
As of 2019
| Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against |
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| 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 |
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| 116 |  Apollon Limassol |
13.500 |
| 117 |  Nice |
13.000 |
| 118 | Saint-Étienne |
13.000 |
| 119 |  Zürich |
12.000 |
| 120 |  Fehérvár |
11.500 |
Honours
Domestic Titles
- Ligue 1
- 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
- Winners (3): 1962–63, 1998–99, 2003–04
- Coupe de France
- Winners (6): 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77
- Coupe de la Ligue
- Winners: 2012–13
- Trophée des Champions
- Winners (5): 1957, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1969
- Coupe Charles Drago
- Winners: 1955, 1958
European Competitions
- European Cup/Champions League
- Runners-up (1): 1975–76
Youth Titles
- Coupe Gambardella
- 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: Olivier Dall'Oglio
- Assistant manager: Grégory Pérès
- Goalkeeper coach: Thierry Cotte
- Fitness coach: Benjamin Guy
- 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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See Also
In Spanish: Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne para niños
