Stade Brestois 29

Brest

Full name	Stade Brestois 29
Nickname(s)	Les Pirates (The Pirates) Les Ti'Zefs [1]
Founded	1903;121 years ago (1903) (as Armoricaine de Brest) 26 June 1950;73 years ago (1950-06-26) (as Stade brestois) 1982;42 years ago (1982) (as Brest Armorique FC)
Ground	Stade Francis-Le Blé
Capacity	15,931
President	Denis Le Saint
Manager	Eric Roy
League	Ligue 1
2023–24	Ligue 1, 3rd of 18
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Stade Brestois 29, commonly known as Stade Brestois ^{[lower-alpha 1]} (Breton : Stad Brest), is a French professional football club based in Brest. It was founded in 1950 following the merger of five local patronages, including Armoricaine de Brest, founded in 1903.

In its early years, the club made a rapid rise in the hierarchy of regional football, to the point of being promoted to the French Amateur Championship, the third level of French football, in 1958. The club joined the Second Division in 1970, then finally reached the First Division in 1979. It experienced its sporting peak between 1981 and 1991 under the presidency of François Yvinec, playing nine seasons in the elite in ten years. In 1991, the club was demoted before filing for bankruptcy a few months later. The club only returned to the second division in 2004 and Ligue 1 in 2010. At the end of the 2012–2013 season, it had respectively thirteen and seventeen seasons in the French First and Second divisions. ^[2]

The Brest club has been chaired since 10 May 2016 by entrepreneur Denis Le Saint.

Following the 2018–19 season, the club has played in Ligue 1, the top division of French football.

History

Sources do not agree as to the date of the club's creation. According to the version presented by the current club, it was born in 1950 from the merger of five local patronages. ^[3] However, the Stade Brestois when it was created took over the structures and the place of Armoricaine de Brest, founded in 1903, of which it would therefore be the direct heir.^{[ citation needed ]}

Armoricaine de Brest (1903–1950)

The sports section of Saint Louis patronage was created in 1903 by taking the name of Armoricaine de Brest and adopting a motto: "Pen Huel" ("Heads up" in Breton). Before the First World War, 500 young people and 400 children attended the various patronage activities: military preparation, shooting, football, athletics, men's gymnastics, theatre, choir, brass band, study circles. The war thinned the ranks of the Armoricans but activities quickly resumed.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1922, Father Cozanet had a stadium built at Petit Paris, on the site of the current Stade Francis-Le Blé, a grandstand still bearing the Armorican motto (the Pen Huel stand) as its name. The stadium was inaugurated on 9 February 1923 during a meeting between the Armoricaine and the Stade Français. From the ranks of the Armorican, between the wars, French internationals Alexis Thépot, Robert Coat and Jean Guéguen emerged.^{[ citation needed ]}

The patronage of the Armorican contested the 16th finals of the Coupe de France in 1921 and 1927, the 32nd finals in 1923, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931 and 1935. In 1926, the Armoricaine took away the title of champion of France patronage by winning in the final against Saint-Jean-de-Luz (3-0). The goalkeeper Alexis Thépot, who obtained a selection while he was part of the Armoricaine squad in 1927 against England, is one of the club's brightest players during this period.^{[ citation needed ]}

The rise of Stade Brestois (1950–1982)

In 1950, the merger initiated by Canon Balbous between five Catholic patronages (the Armoricaine de Saint-Louis, the Avenir de Saint-Martin, the Flamme du Pilier Rouge, the Milice de Saint-Michel and the Jeune de Saint-Marc) gave birth to Stade Brest. One of the objectives of this merger of Catholic teams is to supplant the great Brest club of the time, AS Brest, which is secular.^{[ citation needed ]}

At its birth, the Stade Brestois had as President (then as Honorary President until his death in 1998) Jean Offret.^{[ citation needed ]}

Taking over the place of Armoricaine in the first division of Brittany, the Stadium was promoted in Promotion d'honneur in 1951, in regional honour division (just created) in 1952 before joining the Honour Division (1953). Stade Brestois finally reached the French Amateur Championship (CFA) in 1958, taking advantage of the withdrawal of the Voltigeurs de Châteaubriant. The club is finally evolving at the same level as its rival AS Brest. In 1963, the club went back down to the honor division, but returned to the CFA in 1966. Continuing its rise in the hierarchy of French football, the Stade Brestois then acceded to the second division following its enlargement in 1970.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 1979, the Stade Brestois was promoted to the Division 1 for the first time in its history. This apprenticeship year ends with a last place in the standings, but Stade goes back up the following season. The club, whose new president is called François Yvinec, is this time quite comfortably in Division 1. Despite a certain instability in the post of coach, the Breton club confirmed its place in the elite during the following seasons.^{[ citation needed ]}

The peak with Brest Armorique, then the brutal fall (1982–1991)

In 1983, President François Yvinec decided to change the name of the club to that of FC Brest Armorique in order to better specify the geographical location of the club. The year 1986 is a turning point in the life of the club. From this season, the Bretons embark on the path of "football-business" by recruiting South American stars, who after a fanfare debut allow them to reach a historic (unmatched until 2024) 8th place in Division 1 in 1987. However, behind the scenes, the rupture between the president and the coach Raymond Keruzoré leads to the resignation of the latter, then to the withdrawal of the main sponsor, the Leclerc stores.^{[ citation needed ]}

Young Paul Le Guen, Vincent Guérin and Patrick Colleter are not enough to keep the club going, which went down to Division 2 in 1988 with its promising young generation. It was against the Racing Club de Strasbourg that they regained their place in the elite a year later after play-offs which remain as a great moment in the history of the club.^{[ citation needed ]}

Back in the first division, the Brest team is made up of talented young players such as Corentin Martins, David Ginola, the Paraguayan Roberto Cabañas or the future world champion Stéphane Guivarc'h, who allow the club to rank well in the elite. But in 1991, despite the 11th place obtained by Brest in the league, the club's significant deficit led to its administrative relegation to the Second Division. ^[4]

The club on the banks of the Penfeld ended up imploding in December of that same year. During his last match with the rival Guingamp, the invasion of the lawn by the exasperated Brest supporters forces David Ginola to call for calm so that the match can resume. The results of matches played by the club since the start of the competition are void. The club, whose liabilities are estimated at 150 million francs, filed for bankruptcy. ^[5]

The professional team was dissolved, and Brest's players were released. The reserve team, which then played in the third division, became the pennant team.^{[ citation needed ]}

Years in amateur championships (1991–2004)

In 1993, the club was promoted to the brand new National 1 championship. Following the merger of the two National groups in 1997, the Stade Brestois was relegated to the French Amateur Championship, where three seasons remained.^{[ citation needed ]}

After ten years in the amateur championships, the Breton club, which regained its original name (in 1993), went back to the National championship in 2000, where four seasons remained.^{[ citation needed ]}

Revival and return to professional divisions (2004–2019)

In 2004, led by a young Franck Ribéry, the club secured promotion to Ligue 2, the second division of French football. The club managed to stay at this level in the following years. However, Brest was not a serious candidate for promotion until the end of the decade. The 2009–10 season saw the Breton club, coached by Alex Dupont, finish in second place, which secured automatic promotion to Ligue 1, following a 2–0 victory against Tours on 30 April 2010. In addition, the team had a good run in the Coupe de France, eventually falling in the round of 16 to RC Lens in extra time.^{[ citation needed ]}

The club managed to ensure its position in the top division, obtained on 29 May 2011 despite a defeat at home against Toulouse. During the 2011–12 season, Brest secured its place in the first division with a win over Évian on the final day of the season. It was also the club's first away win during the campaign.^{[ citation needed ]}

New heights (2019–present)

At the conclusion of the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season, Brest won promotion back to Ligue 1, returning to the top flight for the first time in six years. ^[6] In the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season, they finished in 14th place. ^[7] In the 2020–21 Ligue 1, the team secured its safety on the final match-day of the season, finishing in 17th place. ^[8] From 31 October to 4 December 2021, Brest won six Ligue 1 games in a row, defeating Monaco, Lorient, Lens, Bordeaux, Saint-Étienne, and Marseille in the club's longest-ever winning streak in the top flight. ^[9] They finished the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season in 11th place, the club's best finish since the 1990–91 Division 1 season. ^[10]

On 3 March 2024, Brest defeated Le Havre at home by a score of 1–0 to extend their unbeaten run to thirteen matches, thereby breaking the club's record established in 1991. ^[11] Their streak was snapped in the following match six days later after a 1–0 defeat away to Lens. ^[12] On 28 April, following a 5–4 win away to Breton rivals Rennes, Brest secured European football for the first time in their history. ^[13] On the final matchday of the 2023–24 season, Brest finished third in the league after a 3–0 away win over Toulouse, securing direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League, following a stoppage-time equalizer from Nice in a 2–2 away draw against Lille. ^[14]

Players

Current squad

As of 1 February 2024 ^[15]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF   FRA Bradley Locko 3 DF   FRA Lilian Brassier 5 DF   FRA Brendan Chardonnet (captain) 7 FW   URU Martín Satriano (on loan from Inter Milan) 8 MF   FRA Hugo Magnetti 9 FW   BEN Steve Mounié 10 FW   FRA Romain Del Castillo 11 FW   FRA Axel Camblan 12 DF   CIV Luck Zogbé 14 FW   FRA Adrien Lebeau 16 GK   FRA Yan Marillat 18 DF   FRA Antonin Cartillier (on loan from Monaco)

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 DF   FRA Jordan Amavi (on loan from Marseille) 20 MF   FRA Pierre Lees-Melou (vice-captain) 21 FW   ALG Billal Brahimi (on loan from Nice) 22 FW   FRA Jérémy Le Douaron 23 MF   MLI Kamory Doumbia (on loan from Reims) 25 DF   FRA Julien Le Cardinal (on loan from Lens) 26 MF   POR Mathias Pereira Lage 27 DF   FRA Kenny Lala 28 MF   FRA Jonas Martin 30 GK   FRA Grégoire Coudert 40 GK   NED Marco Bizot 45 MF   FRA Mahdi Camara

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 4 DF   MAR Achraf Dari (at Charleroi until end of season) 18 MF   FRA Hiang'a Mbock (at Caen until end of season) 44 DF   FRA Josué Escartin (at Ajaccio until end of season)

No. Pos. Nation Player 70 MF   ENG Karamoko Dembélé (at Blackpool until end of season) 97 FW   FRA Taïryk Arconte (at Rodez until end of season)

Notable players

Below are the notable former and current players who have represented Stade Brestois in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1903. To appear in the section below, a player must have either played in at least 80 official matches for the club or represented their country's national team either while playing for Brest or after departing the club. For a complete list of Stade Brestois players, see Category:Stade Brestois 29 players.

• José Luis Brown
• Jorge Higuaín
• Júlio César
• Gérard Buscher
• Patrick Colleter
• David Ginola
• Vincent Guérin
• Stéphane Guivarc'h
• Bernard Lama
• Paul Le Guen
• Yvon Le Roux
• Corentin Martins
• Bernard Pardo
• Pascal Pierre
• Franck Ribéry
• Nolan Roux
• Roberto Cabañas
• Drago Vabec

Club officials

Position	Name
Manager	Eric 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
Scout	Thierry Bonalair
Head of Marketing	Pascal Robert
Marketing Staff	Jean-Luc Le Magueresse
Board Member	Daniel Le Roux Yvon Kermarec

Coaches

• Francis Chopin (1950–62)
• Albert Toris (1962–63)
• Sarkis Garabedian (1963–76)
• Armand Fouillen (1) (1963–76)
• Ernest Rannou (1964–66)
• Alain de Martigny (1) (1976–82)
• Dušan Nenković (1982–84)
• Robert Dewilder (1984–86)
• Raymond Kéruzoré (1986–87)
• Bernard Maligorne (1987–89)
• Slavoljub Muslin (1989–91)
• Armand Fouillen (2) (1991–93)
• Yvon Le Roux (1991–93)
• Yves Todorov (1993–94)
• Pierre Garcia (1994–95)
• Denis Goavec (1995–97)
• Pascal Robert (1997–99)
• Alain de Martigny (2) (1999–02)
• Sylvain Matrisciano (2002–03)
• Albert Rust (July 2003 – Mar 2006)
• Thierry Goudet (March 2006 – Dec 2006)
• Pascal Janin (Jan 2007 – Oct 2008)
• Gérald Baticle (Nov 2008 – May 2009)
• Alex Dupont (1) (May 2009 – Apr 2012)
• Landry Chauvin (May 2012 – Apr 2013)
• Corentin Martins (interim) (April 2013 – May 2013)
• Alex Dupont (2) (June 2013 – May 2016)
• Jean-Marc Furlan (May 2016 – May 2019)
• Olivier Dall'Oglio (2019 – May 2021)
• Michel Der Zakarian (May 2021 – October 2022)
• Bruno Grougi (interim) (October 2022 – January 2023)
• Eric Roy (January 2023 – present)

Club honours

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

History of last 24 years

Season	Level	Div.	Pos.	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Points	Eur.Cup Entrance	French Cup	French League Cup	Av.Attendance [16]
as Stade Brestois 29
1997–98	4	CFA-D	9.	34	12	10	12	45	40	46	---	qual.stage	–	530
1998–99			9.	34	12	12	10	44	38	48		qual.stage		–
1999–00			1.	34	20	9	5	50	31	69		R. 1/32
2000–01	3	Championnat National	6.	38	19	6	13	64	48	63		qual.stage
2001–02			13.	38	11	11	16	40	43	44		qual.stage
2002–03			10.	38	13	11	14	49	44	50		qual.stage
2003–04			2.	38	20	8	10	45	30	68		R.1/8
2004–05	2	Ligue 2	9.	38	13	16	9	38	34	55		R.1/32	R.1/16	7,340'
2005–06			17.	38	9	15	14	34	48	42		R.1/8	qual.stage	6,167
2006–07			14.	38	10	15	13	40	40	45		R.1/32	qual.stage	5,932
2007–08			7.	38	15	12	11	38	38	57		R.1/16	R.1/32	5,739
2008–09			14.	38	13	6	19	45	50	45		R.1/16	qual.stage	6,334
2009–10			2.	38	20	7	11	53	34	67		R.1/8	first round	7,702
2010–11	1	Ligue 1	16.	38	11	13	14	36	43	46		R.1/32	third round	13,549
2011–12			15.	38	8	17	13	31	38	41		R.1/64	third round	13,597
2012–13			20.	38	8	5	25	32	62	29		R.1/16	third round	11,796
2013–14	2	Ligue 2	7.	38	15	11	12	38	32	56		R.1/32	third round	7,609
2014–15			6.	38	14	15	9	41	27	57		R.1/4	first round	7,557
2015–16			10.	38	12	11	15	34	41	47		qual. stage	first round	6,887
2016–17			5.	38	19	8	11	58	44	65		R.1/64	second round	8,042
2017–18				38	18	11	9	58	43	65		qual. stage	first round	7,458
2018–19	2.	38	21	11	6	64	35	74	R.1/64	second round		9,216
2019–20	1	Ligue 1	14.	28	8	10	10	34	37	34		R.1/64	R.1/4	13,699 (14 matches played)
2020–21			17.	38	11	8	19	50	66	41		R.1/16	x	4,496 (With 4 games played outside camera)
2021–22			11.	38	13	9	16	49	58	48		R.1/8		11,710
2022–23			14.	38	11	11	16	44	54	44		R.1/32		12,657
2023–24			3.	34	17	10	7	53	34	61	R.1/16	TBD

Partnership

Since September 2011, Stade Brestois 29 sponsors its amateur American counterpart in New York City, Stade Brestois New York. ^{[17] [18]}

Notes

1. Stade Brest, used by some English-speaking media outlets and journalists, is not a grammatically correct name for the club.

References

1. "#445 – Stade Brestois : les Ti'Zefs" (in French). Footnickname. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
2. Stade brestois, club profile on the Ligue de Football Professionnel websites.
3. "L'historique du Club". Stade Brestois Official Site.
4. "Saison 1990-1991 (Division 1)". Stade Brestois Official Site.
5. "Le club de Brest est mis en liquidation judiciaire et exclu du championnat de deuxième division". Le Monde . 8 December 1991.
6. "Ligue 2 : Brest est promu en Ligue 1". Europe 1 (in French). 10 May 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
7. "Classement Ligue 1 2019-2020 : Championnat de France - Football". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2024.
8. "Ligue 1 - "A un moment, on a oublié qu'on jouait le maintien" : le bilan de la saison du Stade Brestois - France Bleu". ici par France Bleu et France 3 (in French). 24 May 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
9. "La folle série de Brest, auteur face à l'OM de sa sixième victoire de suite, en chiffres". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2024.
10. Ouest-France (26 May 2022). "SONDAGE. Stade Brestois : votez pour le meilleur joueur de la saison 2021-2022". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2024.
11. "Avec un record de treize matchs consécutifs sans défaite, ce Stade Brestois est plus que jamais deuxième de Ligue 1 - Foot Amateur Bretagne". footamateur.letelegramme.fr (in French). 4 March 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
12. CZAJA, Alexis (9 March 2024). "Stade Brestois. Une fin d'invincibilité et des regrets". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 April 2024.
13. "Brest arrache la victoire contre Rennes et se qualifie pour une coupe d'Europe". Foot National (in French). 28 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
14. "Brest Clinch Automatic UCL Spot After Win Over Toulouse". Ligue 1. 19 May 2024.
15. "Effectif". Stade Brestois 29. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
16. Average attendances since 2004 from lfp.fr: Ligue 1 – Affluences par journée, par club, taux de remplissage (Ligue1 seasons), Ligue 2 – Affluences par journée, par club, taux de remplissage (Ligue2 seasons)
17. "Stade Brestois provide Bretons in NY with soccer equipment". Le Telegramme. 26 September 2011.
18. "Stade Brestois is represented in NY". Ouest France. 27 September 2011.

External links

• Official website (in French)