Paris almost secretly guards the romantic history of Red Star FC, a club with substance and values founded in a Parisian café in 1897 by none other than Jules Rimet, the third and longest-serving FIFA president, who held the position for thirty-three years. There are two theories about the club's name: the first is a reference to the red star of the Buffalo Bill, the second to the Red Star Line shipping line.
The historic Parisian club started out competing in the blue and white colours but moved from one location to another. Its first stadium was Martel, near the Eiffel Tower. It then moved to Meudon and Granelle, before finally settling in Saint-Ouen. By moving to the commune of Saint-Ouen, the club changed its bourgeois and Catholic origins and formed an idiosyncrasy in keeping with the working class of its new neighbourhood, a stronghold of the French communist party.
The club, which had its golden age during the 1920s and 1930s, was also a founder of the professional league and won four cups between 1921 and 1928. Later, in 1942, it would win its fifth. In the mid-1930s, Red Star FC adopted the green colour that identifies it, and after the war it went through a crisis that ended in a merger with another club.
In recent times, however, Red Star has been reborn as the counter-cultural club of the French capital. Like Sankt Pauli in Germany, Red Star fans demand more than just football from their club, which is always involved in social causes. They have not been in the top flight since 1975, but thanks to their loyal fan base they are still trying to reach the top flight and recall the old glories of the past. The Bosnian Safet Susic or the Irishman Tony Cascarino are some of the football legends who once wore the green shirt against the football business of Paris.
Red Star Tickets and Experiences at Football Host
Football Host, gives visibility to such clubs that fly the flags of respect, equality and social justice in their stands. The best way to get to know a club like Red Star FC and its people is through a local fan (host) who accompanies you and integrates you with the rest of the fans. Our host in Saint-Ouen is Bahaa, a loyal fan of the green and white team, who will show you how a fan of this Parisian club spends his match day.
You'll meet Bahaa at La Boutique du Red Star, where you can try on any of the team's fabulous clothes. They're all beautiful, adorned with the stylish red star crest. After visiting the official shop you'll have a few beers at L'Olympic, the bar where the supporters meet before every match at the Stade Bauer. From there it's on to the match, which you'll enjoy from one of the best seats in an English-style stadium.
You can buy Paris Saint-Germain football tickets, but it is much more advisable to buy the experience to watch a Red Star FC match with Bahaa and more fans of a historical and peculiar team that you will become a fan of forever.
Text: Football Host
Front page photo: (L'Equipe/Alexis Reau)
