While having general conversations about football, when someone says “Red Star” you would be forgiven for just assuming that they are referring to Red Star Belgrade. What not a lot people may be aware of is that there is a club called Red Star FC that has been in operation in Paris since 1897 & are considered one of the founding members of professional French football. Couple their rich history with their diverse fan base & you have a very unique little club that couldn’t be more different from all of the glitz & glam across the city at the Parc des Princes.

With their foundation in 1897, Red Star are by far the oldest club in Paris & are in fact the second oldest club in France after Le Havre AC was founded in 1872. The club have been through a series of name changes throughout their history, with only the Red Star aspect of the name remaining constant; Red Star Olympique, Stade-Français Red Star & AS Red Star being some of the previous names. 

He was a relative nobody back in 1897 when founding the club at just 24 years old, but the founder of Red Star, Jules Rimet, would rise to prominence & play a pivotal role in world football. Rimet later served as President of the French Football Federation & FIFA President, serving as FIFA President for a record term of 33 years from 1921 - 1954. It was under his guidance that the first ever World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930. A hugely important name in world football & it all started with Red Star.

Amazingly this small club from the Northern Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, places a very respectable joint fourth on the list of all-time French Cup wins, level with AS Monaco, Olympique Lyonnais & RC Paris with five wins & trailing in titles only to the French powerhouses of Paris Saint Germain, Olympique de Marseille, AS Saint-Étienne & Lille OSC. Red Star’s five cup successes came in a twenty-one year spell from 1921 - 1942, while their last appearance in France’s top tier, Ligue 1, was in 1975. The more recent history of the club languishing in France’s lower divisions would explain why Red Star’s notoriety would not extend too far outside of French footballing circles.

Red Star play their home games at the Stade Bauer. It was built in 1909, has a capacity of 10,000 & has had very little work done to it since, so it very much falls into the category of stadium that has an “old-school” feel to it. Red Star fans love their ancient ground but due to modern safety laws, all of their recent seasons spent in Ligue 2 have had to be played away from the Stade Bauer. It is an unusual situation that Red Star fans find themselves in, on the one hand any promotion is celebrated as a step in the right direction of the club, but a promotion to Ligue 2 means saying goodbye to the Stade Bauer for at least a season. Promotions are celebrated with a tinge of sadness.

A couple of years ago, current Red Star owner Patrice Haddad presented a plan to Red Star fans of a €200million overhaul of the Stade Bauer which would modernise the stadium & surrounding area, allowing them to stay in their Saint-Ouen location for any future seasons in Ligue 2 & beyond. The plan was rejected by fans, citing the current Stade Bauer as the spiritual home of the club & key to its identity & culture. That is how much the current Stade Bauer means to Red Star fans.

Plans & discussions are still ongoing between club, fans & the relevant authorities about plans to modernise the Stade Baeur.

As previously alluded to, Red Star have not spent a single season in Ligue 1 since 1975 & as a result of this a ‘Paris Derby’ is not actually contested with PSG. Instead a Paris Derby is contested between Red Star FC & Paris FC & all of these derbies between the two have come about in France’s lower leagues. Both Red Star & Paris have spent much of their recent history yo-yoing between Ligue 2 & the Championnat National (third tier). As a result a rivalry with PSG was never formed so Red Star considers Paris FC as their main city rivals.

Anyone who does know anything about Red Star will always mention one thing about the club; the fans. Red Star has a very community-active & politically-active fan base & they have never made any secret of that. Historically the Saint-Ouen neighbourhood has been home to generations of immigrants who have come to settle in the French capital, with a large percentage coming from North & Central Africa & the Caribbean. As a result, Saint-Ouen & in turn fans of Red Star are a very ethnically diverse group of people. Ultras group of Red Star known as Collectif Red Star are self-proclaimed as being anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic & welcoming of immigrants.

The politically left-wing nature of Collectif Red Star & other fans can regularly be seen on the terraces, for example the presence of Palestinian flags & rastafarian colours, or more blatant large displays unveiled with a very clear message of support for humanitarian & social issues.

Red Star’s most famous ever player is one who isn’t famous for happenings on the football pitch & his story mirrors the exact political ideologies of a lot of Red Star’s fans. Rino Della Negra joined the French Resistance during World War II where during the conflict he was wounded, captured by Nazi forces & eventually executed by firing squad. It is reported in his final letter to his brother before being executed he included the line; “Hello & Goodbye to Red Star”. Red Star fans celebrate Rino Della Negra’s life & story to this day & he has featured in countless displays & flags at the Stade Bauer.

Does the name David Bellion sound familiar? To some Sunderland FC, Manchester United & Bordeaux fans it probably does. Bellion finished up his playing career in 2016 with Red Star but then stayed on with a club with a purposely created role which was very unique to the club. He was appointed Creative Director at the club with his job revolving mostly around the integration of local kids into courses created by the club in a community programme called RedStar Lab. For example, during school holidays kids would participate in dance, photography or cooking courses organised by Red Star & headed by Bellion. The idea behind it is getting the kids more engaged with the club & community, potentially giving them a base of skills towards a future career & keeping them out of trouble during time away from education.

While more closely related to football, the Red Star FC academy is constantly developing local young talent, some of who have gone on to play at the highest level of club football & even represent Les Bleus. Some of these academy graduates include Abou Diaby, Steve Marlet & Moussa Sissoko.

Nowadays football in Paris is dominated by PSG. They have dominated French domestic football in recent times & have the finances available to assemble a squad to launch an assault on capturing the Champions League. However, if happenings at the Parc des Princes isn’t really your ‘scene’, hop on a metro in a Northerly direction out of central Paris. Get off at the stop Garibaldi in the Saint-Ouen neighbourhood & go experience a club that is involved & in-touch with the local community & mingle with a passionate set of fans who welcome all comers along to the Stade Bauer.