Full name | Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire |
---|---|
Nickname(s) |
Les Verts (The Greens) Sainté (Saints) |
Short name | ASSE |
Founded | 1919 |
Ground | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard |
Capacity | 42,000 |
Chairman | Bernard Caiazzo Roland Romeyer |
Manager | Christophe Galtier |
League | Ligue 1 |
2016–17 | Ligue 1, 8th |
Website | Club home page |
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (French pronunciation: [asɔsjasjɔ̃ spɔʁtɪv də sɛ̃t‿etjɛn lwaʁ]; commonly known as AS Saint-Étienne, ASSE, or simply Saint-Étienne) is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city. The team is managed by Christophe Galtier and captained by Loïc Perrin, who started his career at the club in 1996. Saint-Étienne is known as Les Verts meaning "the Greens" due to its home colours.
Saint-Étienne is, arguably, the most successful club in French football history having won ten Ligue 1 titles, six Coupe de France titles, a Coupe de la Ligue title and five Trophée des Champions (the French Super Cup). The club's ten league titles are the most professional league titles won by a French club, while the six cup victories places the club third among most Coupe de France titles. Saint-Étienne has also won the second division championship on three occasions. The club achieved most of its honours in the 1960s and 1970s when the club was led by managers Jean Snella, Albert Batteux, and Robert Herbin. Saint-Étienne's primary rivals are Olympique Lyonnais, who are based in nearby Lyon. The two teams annually contest the Derby Rhône-Alpes. In 2009, the club added a female section to the football club.