Stade Rennais FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Stade Rennais Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Les Rennais (The Rennais) Les Rouge et Noirs (The Red and Blacks) |
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| Short name | SRFC, Rennes | |||
| Founded | 10 March 1901 | |||
| Ground | Roazhon Park | |||
| Capacity | 29,778 | |||
| Owner | Artémis | |||
| President | Arnaud Pouille | |||
| Head coach | Jorge Sampaoli | |||
| League | Ligue 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1, 4th of 20 | |||
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Stade Rennais Football Club (often called Stade Rennais or just Rennes) is a professional football team from Rennes, Brittany, France. They play in Ligue 1, which is the top football league in France. Their home games are held at Roazhon Park. The team is owned by Artémis, a company belonging to businessman François Pinault.
Rennes was started in 1901 as Stade Rennais. They were one of the first teams to join the top French football division. Rennes and Nantes are big rivals in their region, and their matches are called the Derby Breton. The best they have finished in the league is third place, which they did in the 2019–20 season. Rennes has won the Coupe de France (French Cup) three times: in 1965, 1971, and 2019. After winning the cup in 1971, they changed their name to Stade Rennais Football Club. Their team colors, red, black, and white, have been the same since the beginning.
Rennes is famous for its excellent youth academy, called the Henri Guérin Training Centre. It was created in 2000. In 2010, the French Football Federation (FFF) said Rennes had the best youth academy in France. Their under-19 team has won the Coupe Gambardella (a youth cup) three times: in 1973, 2003, and 2008. Many talented players have come from this academy, like Ousmane Dembélé, Eduardo Camavinga, and Sylvain Wiltord.
The Story of Stade Rennais
Stade Rennais Football Club was founded on March 10, 1901, by a group of former students in Brittany. Football was becoming popular nearby, and it soon came to Brittany. The club's first game was two weeks later against FC Rennais, which Stade lost 6–0.
In 1902, Stade Rennais joined a sports group called USFSA. They also helped start a new regional league called the Ligue de Bretagne de football. In their second season, Rennes won this league by beating FC Rennais 4–0 in the final.
On May 4, 1904, Stade Rennais joined with their rivals FC Rennais. They formed a new club called Stade Rennais Université Club. Their main goal was to beat US Saint-Malo, a team that had been winning the Ligue de Bretagne a lot. The new club used the red and black colors of FC Rennais. After three years, Rennes finally beat Saint-Malo in 1908, led by Welsh manager Arthur Griffith. Rennes won the league again the next year.
After World War I, Rennes focused on winning the new Coupe de France (French Cup). With new international players like François Hugues, Rennes reached the final in 1922. They played against Red Star Olympique and lost the match. In 1929, Rennes left their league because they didn't agree with playing more games. They then played many friendly matches instead.
In July 1930, the French Football Federation decided that football could be professional. Rennes, led by club president Isidore Odorico, was one of the first teams to become professional. They were also founding members of the new professional league. In the league's first season in 1932–33, Rennes finished in the middle of their group. Two years later, in 1935, the club reached the Coupe de France final again. However, they lost 3–0 to Marseille. Rennes stayed in the first division for four more years before moving down to Division 2 in 1936–37. Professional football stopped during World War II. After the war, Rennes returned to Division 1. They had their best league finish, fourth place, in 1948–49.
Under new president Louis Girard, Rennes improved a lot. They renovated their stadium and aimed to be a top team. They were promoted back to Division 1 in 1958. After several seasons finishing lower down the table, Rennes, now managed by former player Jean Prouff, finished fourth in the 1964–65 season. In the same season, they won their first major trophy, the Coupe de France. Rennes beat UA Sedan-Torcy 3–1 in a replay of the final. This cup win meant Rennes played in a European competition for the first time in the 1965–66 season. They lost in the first round to Dukla Prague.
In the years that followed, Rennes struggled in the league but did well in the Coupe de France. They reached the semi-finals twice. In 1971, Rennes won their second Coupe de France title. They beat Lyon 1–0 in the final, with the only goal scored by André Guy.
On May 23, 1972, Rennes officially changed its name to Stade Rennais Football Club. After this, the club went through a tough period. From 1972 to 1994, Rennes had many different managers and often moved between Division 1 and Division 2. In 1978, the club was almost bankrupt. They had to sell their best players and save money. In the 1980s, the city of Rennes took over most of the club's ownership.
In 1994, Rennes returned to Division 1 and became more stable. This was mainly because they used their youth academy. Instead of buying expensive players, Rennes trained their young players and brought them into the main team when they were ready. This worked well with players like Sylvain Wiltord. In 1998, the city sold the club to François Pinault, a rich businessman. Pinault invested a lot of money. He built a new training center, which opened in 2000. He also rebuilt the stadium and bought several players from South America.
From 2000 to 2010, Rennes played in European competitions five times. Their youth academy continued to produce many talented players. In the league, Rennes matched their best finish ever, coming fourth in 2004–05. In 2009, Rennes reached the Coupe de France final again. They played against their local rival Guingamp and were expected to win. However, they lost 2–1. In 2014, Rennes reached the Coupe de France final once more, again against Guingamp, and lost 2–0. In the 2017–18 season, Rennes finished 5th, which allowed them to play in the UEFA Europa League.
In the 2018–19 season, Rennes had mixed results in the league, finishing tenth. But they won their third Coupe de France on April 27, beating Paris Saint-Germain 6–5 on penalties after being two goals down. Paris Saint-Germain had won the French Cup for the past four years and were the league champions. Rennes also did well in the Europa League, reaching the round of 16. They beat Real Betis and then faced Arsenal. Rennes won the first game at home 3–1, but Arsenal won the second game 3–0 in London, knocking Rennes out.
In the 2019–20 season, Rennes finished third in Ligue 1. This meant they qualified for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League for the very first time!
Roazhon Park: Rennes' Home Stadium
Rennes has played on the land where their stadium, the Roazhon Park, stands since 1912. The stadium was built in 1912 and was first called Stade de Route de Lorient. It was officially opened on September 15, 1912, with a match between Rennes and SA du Lycée de Rennes. A month later, Rennes played Racing Club de France in front of 3,000 fans.
The city of Rennes owns the Roazhon Park. It has been updated three times: in 1955, 1983, and 1999. In 1983, they tried to make it look like the Olympiastadion in Munich. The new stadium was shown off on March 7, 1987. The renovations in 1999 cost a lot of money and took four years to finish. The stadium was celebrated twice after these updates: first with a game between France and Bosnia and Herzegovina in August 2004, and then with a game between Rennes and Metz two months later. The stadium can now hold 29,778 people.
The Henri Guérin Training Centre
The Henri Guérin Training Center, also known as La Piverdière, opened in June 2000. It is named after Henri Guérin, a former player and manager for the club. La Piverdière is located just outside Rennes, near Roazhon Park. This center is where the main team trains, along with the club's reserve and youth teams. Since 2007, the club's main offices have also been at La Piverdière.
Since it opened, La Piverdière has become famous for producing many talented young players who have become well-known internationally. The club's youth system has provided many players for the main team. For example, Eduardo Camavinga and Joris Gnagnon came from this academy. Rennes has been recognized as having the best youth academy in France.
Rennes has won the Coupe Gambardella, which is the national youth competition for under-19 teams, three times: in 1973, 2003, and 2008. In 2003, the winning team included Yoann Gourcuff. Gourcuff later won awards for best player in France and played for the French national team. In 2008, the team that won the competition had players like Yacine Brahimi and Yann M'Vila. Many of these players went on to play for the main team.
Rennes Supporters
Rennes has several fan groups. The oldest and largest is Allez Rennes, founded in 1962. Another big group is Les Socios, started in 1992.
A special part of the stadium, called Tribune Mordelles, is home to the Roazhon Celtic Kop (RCK). This group was formed in 1991, but its beginnings go back to 1987. The RCK is known for constant singing, using flares, and creating large displays called tifos. They often show off Breton (local) and Celtic symbols. A cool fact is that the RCK made the biggest Gwenn-ha-du (Brittany flag) ever, measuring 270 square meters! They showed it at the Mordelles stand in the 1994–95 season.
The RCK supports the team at all games, including European matches. They are known for their "ultra" style of support, which means they are very passionate. Their values are "Friendship, Respect, and Party." The group is against "football business" (when football becomes too much about money) and racism. They are part of groups that fight racism in football, like RSRA and Fare.
Another fan group is Section Roazhon Pariz, which is a part of the RCK for fans living in Paris. They support the team at important away games. There have been other fan groups over the years, but the RCK remains a strong and active presence. Their main rival group is the Brigade Loire, who support Rennes' rival club Nantes.
Current Players
Main Team
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Players on Loan
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Retired Jersey Numbers
| No. | Player | Nationality | Position | Rennes debut | Last match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Romain Danzé |  France |
Right back | 4 November 2006 | 7 January 2018 |
Famous Former Players
Many great players have played for Rennes since 1901. Here are some of the most notable ones:
For a full list of former Stade Rennais F.C. players with a Wikipedia page, check out this category.
Ramy Bensebaini- Raïs M'Bolhi
Jérémy Doku
Raphinha
Petr Čech- Benjamin André
- Jimmy Briand
- Eduardo Camavinga
- Romain Danzé
- Ousmane Dembélé
- Yoann Gourcuff
- Steve Mandanda
- Mathys Tel
- Sylvain Wiltord
Asamoah Gyan
Abdoulaye Doucouré
Nayef Aguerd
Édouard Mendy- Ismaïla Sarr
- Moussa Sow
Kim Källström
Alexander Frei
Club Management and Coaching
- Club Leaders
- President: Arnaud Pouille
- Technical Director: Frederic Massara
- Sports Coordinator: Sylvain Armand
- Coaching Staff
- Head coach: Jorge Sampaoli
- Assistant head coach: Sébastien Tambouret, Cristián Arán, Jorge Desio
- Goalkeeper coach: Olivier Sorin
- Youth academy director: Denis Arnaud
Club Achievements
League Titles
- Ligue 2 (Second Division):
- Winners: 1955–56, 1982–83
Cup Wins
- Coupe de France (French Cup):
- Winners: 1964–65, 1970–71, 2018–19
- Runners-up (Finalists): 1921–22, 1934–35, 2008–09, 2013–14
- Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup):
- Runners-up (Finalists): 2012–13
- Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup):
- Winners: 1971
- Runners-up (Finalists): 1965, 2019
European Competitions
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Joint Winners: 2008
Youth Team Success
- Coupe Gambardella (Under-19 National Youth Cup):
- Champions: 1973, 2003, 2008
Rennes in European Football
See also
In Spanish: Stade Rennes Football Club para niños
