Full name | Stade Rennais Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) |
Les Rouges et Noirs (The Red and Blacks) |
Founded | 10 March 1901 |
Ground |
Roazhon Park, Rennes |
Capacity | 29,778 |
Owner | Groupe Artémis |
Chairman | René Ruello |
Manager | Christian Gourcuff |
League | Ligue 1 |
2016–17 | 9th |
Website | Club home page |
Stade Rennais Football Club (French pronunciation: [stɑd ʁɛ.nɛ]), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais, SRFC or simply Rennes (French pronunciation: [ʁɛn]), is a French association football club based in Rennes. The club was founded in 1901 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Rennes plays its home matches at the Roazhon Park, located within the city. The team is managed by Christian Gourcuff and captained by defender Pedro Mendes. The team's president is René Ruello and its owner is Artémis, the holding company of businessman François Pinault.
Rennes was founded in 1901 under the name Stade Rennais and is one of the founding members of the first division of French football. Alongside Nantes, Rennes is one of the top football clubs in the region and the two are among the main clubs that contest the Derby Breton. The club's best finish in the league has been fourth with the club accomplishing this feat on four occasions, most recently in 2006–07. Rennes has won two Coupe de France titles in 1965 and 1971. After winning the Coupe de France in 1971, Rennes changed its name to its current version.
Rennes is known for its youth academy, known in English as the Henri Guérin Training Centre, which was formed in 2000. The French Football Federation (FFF) has regularly recognised Rennes as having the best youth academy in the country; the club has finished in first place for the past two seasons. The patriarch of the academy is the under-19 team, which has won the Coupe Gambardella three times in 1973, 2003 and 2008. The academy has produced several notable talents, such as Sylvain Wiltord, Yoann Gourcuff, Yann M'Vila, Moussa Sow, Yacine Brahimi, Ousmane Dembélé and Jimmy Briand, among others.