Full name | En Avant de Guingamp Côtes-d'Armor |
---|---|
Founded | 1912 |
Ground |
Stade de Roudourou, Guingamp |
Capacity | 18,250 |
Chairman | Bertrand Desplat |
Manager | Antoine Kombouaré |
League | Ligue 1 |
2015–16 | Ligue 1, 16th |
Website | Club home page |
En Avant de Guingamp Côtes-d'Armor (Breton: War-raok Gwengamp; commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp) is a French association football club based in the commune of Guingamp. The club was founded in 1912 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football, having won promotion from Ligue 2 following the 2012–13 season. Guingamp plays its home matches at the Stade de Roudourou in the city. The club's status as a professional club is atypical with the club playing in a commune of 7,280 inhabitants, with a stadium capable of holding upwards of 18,000 spectators.
However having remained amateur for a long time, playing within the regional leagues, the club got promoted 3 times under the presidency of Noël Le Graët, who took over in 1972. In 1976, Guingamp reached the Third Division (now called Championnat National), and the next season went straight into the Second Division (now called Ligue 2), where they stayed until 1993. The club adopted professional status in 1984, and in 1990 the Stade de Roudourou was opened, hosting Paris Saint-Germain in its first match. The club's first major honour was winning the Coupe de France in 2009; in the process becoming only the second team to win the competition from outside Ligue 1. The team defeated Derby Breton rivals Rennes 2–1 in the final. Also, in 2014, En Avant de Guingamp beat Stade Rennais F.C. 2–0 at the Stade de France. Aside from two years of Coupe de France triumph, the club's other success was winning the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup