FC Istres


Football Club Istres Ouest Provence is a French association football club based in Istres. The club was formed in 1920 and currently play their home matches at the Stade Parsemain in Fos-sur-Mer, a commune in the Arrondissement of Istres.

History

FC Istres was founded in 1920 by Édouard Guizonnier as SS Istréenne. In 1969, SS Istréenne was merged into the more general sports club Istres Sports, who chose to keep Istréenne's distinctive purple and black colours. In 1977 the club made young entrepreneur Michel Aviet the club's president and ex-Yugoslav goalkeeper Georges Korac the club's manager. During the Aviet-Korac years, the club advanced from France's lower regional divisions all the way up to Ligue 2.
In the 2004-05 season, the club reached Ligue 1 for the first time but finished last and was relegated to Ligue 2 the following year. The club returned to Ligue 2 for the 2009–10 season after winning the Championnat National 2008–09. The club got relegated from Ligue 2 in 2013–14 season after a 2–4 defeat to Dijon FCO.
In July 2015 the club was relegated to the 7th tier for financial reasons.

Naming history

Notable former players

For a list of former FC Istres players, see :Category:FC Istres players.

Rivalries

The club has two major rivalries. First is with neighbours FC Martigues, with many encounters over the years. The second is the Provence derby against AC Arles-Avignon.

Honours