Stade Brestois 29 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Brest

Full name	Stade Brestois 29
Nickname(s)	Les Pirates (The Pirates) Les Ti'Zefs
Founded	1903; 122 years ago (1903) (as Armoricaine de Brest) 26 June 1950; 75 years ago (1950-06-26) (as Stade brestois) 1982; 43 years ago (1982) (as Brest Armorique FC)
Ground	Stade Francis-Le Blé
Ground Capacity	15,220
President	Denis Le Saint
Manager	Éric Roy
League	Ligue 1
2021–22	Ligue 1, 11th of 20
Home colours

Stade Brestois 29, often called Stade Brestois or just Brest, is a French professional football club. They are based in the city of Brest. The club started in 1950 when five local youth clubs joined together. One of these clubs, Armoricaine de Brest, was founded way back in 1903.

Brest plays in Ligue 1, which is the top football league in France. They earned their spot in the top league during the 2018–19 season. In the 2023–24 season, Brest surprised everyone by finishing third in Ligue 1. This amazing achievement meant they qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. It was the first time in the club's history they played in a big European competition!

Club History

The exact start date of the club is a bit debated. The current club says it began in 1950. That's when five local youth groups merged to form Stade Brest. However, Stade Brest took over from Armoricaine de Brest, which started in 1903. So, many see Stade Brest as a direct continuation of that older club.

Armoricaine de Brest (1903–1950)

The sports part of the Saint Louis youth club started in 1903. It was named Armoricaine de Brest. Their motto was "Pen Huel," which means "Heads up" in the Breton language. Before World War I, many young people joined their activities. These included football, athletics, and even a brass band.

In 1922, a stadium was built for the club. It was called Petit Paris, and it's where the current Stade Francis-Le Blé stands today. The stadium opened in 1923. Some famous French players came from Armoricaine during this time. These included Alexis Thépot, Robert Coat, and Jean Guéguen. In 1926, Armoricaine won the French youth club championship.

Stade Brest's Rise (1950–1982)

In 1950, five Catholic youth clubs merged to create Stade Brest. Their goal was to become better than the other big club in Brest, AS Brest. Stade Brest quickly moved up through the regional leagues. By 1958, they reached the French Amateur Championship (CFA). This meant they were playing at the same level as their rival, AS Brest.

The club kept climbing the ranks of French football. In 1970, they joined the second division. Then, in 1979, Stade Brest made it to Division 1 for the very first time! They finished last that year, but they bounced back quickly. The next season, they were promoted again. With a new president, François Yvinec, the club stayed in Division 1 for several years.

Highs and Lows (1982–1991)

In 1983, the club changed its name to FC Brest Armorique. This was to show its location better. In 1986, the club started to spend a lot of money. They brought in famous South American players. This helped them reach their highest-ever finish in Division 1, eighth place, in 1987.

However, things went wrong behind the scenes. The president and coach had problems. The main sponsor also left. Even with talented young players like Paul Le Guen and David Ginola, the club struggled. They went down to Division 2 in 1988. But they quickly returned to the top league a year later after winning exciting play-off matches.

Back in the first division, Brest had many skilled young players. These included Corentin Martins, David Ginola, and future world champion Stéphane Guivarc'h. The team played well. But in 1991, the club had huge financial problems. Even though they finished 11th in the league, they were forced down to the Second Division.

The club's financial issues got worse. In December 1991, the professional team was shut down. The players were released. The club had to start over with its reserve team, which was playing in the third division.

Amateur Years (1991–2004)

After the professional team was dissolved, Brest spent many years in amateur leagues. In 1993, the club was promoted to the new National 1 championship. They were later relegated to the French Amateur Championship (CFA) in 1997.

After ten years in amateur football, the club returned to the National Championship in 2000. They stayed there for four seasons.

Back to Professional Football (2004–2019)

In 2004, a young player named Franck Ribéry helped the club get promoted to Ligue 2. This is the second division of French football. Brest managed to stay in Ligue 2 for several years.

In the 2009–10 season, Brest finished second in Ligue 2. This meant they were automatically promoted to Ligue 1! They secured their spot after beating Tours 2–0 on April 30, 2010.

Brest managed to stay in the top division for a few seasons. They secured their place on the final day of the 2011–12 season with an away win. However, at the end of the 2012–13 season, they were relegated back to Ligue 2.

Reaching New Heights (2019–Present)

At the end of the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season, Brest earned promotion back to Ligue 1. They returned to the top league after six years away. In the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season, they finished 14th. In 2020–21 Ligue 1, they stayed safe from relegation on the very last day.

From October to December 2021, Brest had an amazing winning streak. They won six Ligue 1 games in a row! This was the club's longest winning streak ever in the top league. They finished the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season in 11th place. This was their best finish since the 1990–91 season.

On March 3, 2024, Brest beat Le Havre 1–0 at home. This extended their unbeaten run to thirteen matches, breaking a club record from 1991. Their streak ended six days later with a 1–0 loss to Lens.

On April 28, 2024, Brest won 5–4 against their rivals Rennes. This victory meant they qualified for European football for the first time ever! On the final day of the 2023–24 season, Brest finished third in the league. This was the club's best-ever season in the first division. They earned a direct spot in the UEFA Champions League.

Brest's home stadium, Stade Francis-Le Blé, did not meet the rules for Champions League matches. So, they had to play their home games at Guingamp's Stade de Roudourou. In their first European game on September 19, 2024, Brest won 2–1 against Sturm Graz. On October 1, they had a historic 4–0 win against Red Bull Salzburg in their first official match outside France. They continued their strong start with a 1–1 draw against German champions Bayer Leverkusen and a 2–1 win against Sparta Prague. However, they later lost to Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Real Madrid. They finished 18th in the Champions League league phase. In the play-offs, they lost to Paris Saint-Germain.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Bradley Locko 4 DF Junior Diaz (on loan from Troyes) 5 DF Brendan Chardonnet (captain) 7 DF Kenny Lala 8 MF Hugo Magnetti 9 MF Kamory Doumbia 10 FW Romain Del Castillo 12 DF Luck Zogbé 14 FW Mama Baldé

No. Position Player 18 DF Justin Bourgault 19 FW Ludovic Ajorque 20 MF Pierre Lees-Melou (vice-captain) 25 DF Julien Le Cardinal 30 GK Grégoire Coudert 33 MF Hamidou Makalou 45 MF Mahdi Camara MF Hianga'a Mbock FW Axel Camblan

Players on Loan

Famous Players

Here are some well-known players who have played for Stade Brestois. They either played in many official matches for the club or represented their country's national team.

Club Officials

Position	Name
Manager	Éric Roy
Assistant Manager	Julien Lachuer
First-Team Coach	Bruno Grougi
Goalkeeping Coach	Christophe Revel
Conditioning Coach	Yvan Bourgis
Sporting Director	Grégory Lorenzi
Team Coordinator	Matthieu Jézéquel
Doctor	Michel Kergastel
Physiotherapist	Gilles Baudouin Erwan Orlach Hugo Keriven
Scout	Thierry Bonalair
Head of Marketing	Pascal Robert
Marketing Staff	Jean-Luc Le Magueresse
Board Member	Daniel Le Roux Yvon Kermarec

Coaches

Club Achievements

Here are some of the titles and best finishes Stade Brestois has achieved:

• Ligue 2
  • Champions: 1980–81
• Coupe de France (French Cup)
  • Quarter-finalist: (2 times) 1982–83, 2014–15
• Coupe Gambardella (Youth Cup)
  • Winner: 1990
• Division d'Honneur (Brittany)
  • Champions: (4 times) 1966, 1972, 1977, 2005
• Cup of Brittany
  • Winner: 1969
• Championnat de France des patronages (Catholic Football League)
  • Winner: 1923

European Games

Stade Brestois made its debut in European competition in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. Here's how they did:

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2024–25	UEFA Champions League	League phase		Sturm Graz	2–1	N/A	18th
				Red Bull Salzburg	N/A	4–0
				Bayer Leverkusen	1–1	N/A
				Sparta Prague	N/A	2–1
				Barcelona	N/A	0–3
				PSV Eindhoven	1–0	N/A
				Shakhtar Donetsk	N/A	0–2
				Real Madrid	0–3	N/A
		Knockout phase play-offs		Paris Saint-Germain	0–3	0–7	0–10

Club Partnerships

Since September 2011, Stade Brestois 29 has sponsored an amateur American football club. This club is called Stade Brestois New York and is located in New York City.

See also

In Spanish: Stade Brestois 29 para niños