Stade Brestois was born in 1950 from the merger of five Catholic clubs in the city, and the founding date usually given is 26 June. On 26 June 2027 the Pirates of Brittany turn 77. Their roots, though, go all the way back to 1903.

Five parishes, one team

In 1950, on the initiative of Canon Balbous, five parish clubs merged: the Armoricaine, the Avenir, the Flamme, the Milice and Les Jeunes. The goal was a strong Catholic team to rival the secular AS Brest.

The new Stade Brestois inherited the ground and structures of the Armoricaine, founded in 1903 in the parish of Saint-Louis. Its motto, "Pen Huel", means "heads held high" in Breton.

Red and white from the city flag

The colours, red and white, come from an old flag of Brest. The first shirt was white with a red diagonal sash, worn with red shorts and red socks.

Over the years red took over, and in 2016 the club returned to the historic outfit: red shirt, white shorts, red socks. Since 2020-21 the shirts have been made by Adidas.

The ermine, Armorique and the number 29

The 1960 badge carried the initials SB and the city's coat of arms. In 1980 a stylised ermine, the symbol of Brittany, appeared, and from 1983, for about a decade, the club was called Brest Armorique.

The 29 in the name is the number of the Finistère department, and in 2010 the year 1950 was added to the badge. There are two nicknames: the Pirates, a name that suits a port city, and the "Ti' Zefs".

Several explanations exist for the second one. The best known says it comes from a local word for a "little zephyr", the breeze that brought ships into port.

The golden decade and the shock of 1991

With François Yvinec as president, Brest reached the top flight for the first time in 1979 and won the second division title in 1981. Between 1981 and 1991 they spent nine seasons at the top, with eighth place in 1987 as their best.

Then came the shock of 1991: heavy debts, a demotion by the financial watchdog and bankruptcy, which sent the club down to amateur level. Players who had passed through included David Ginola, Paul Le Guen, 1998 world champion Stéphane Guivarc'h and Claude Makélélé.

Even Franck Ribéry wore the red, in the side that won promotion to the second division in 2004.

From Francis-Le Blé to the Champions League

Since its founding the club has played at the Stade Francis-Le Blé, which opened in 1922 as the Armoricaine's ground. Today it holds about 10,000 spectators, and a new stadium is expected around 2027.

In 2023-24 Brest finished third in Ligue 1, the best placing in their history, and qualified for Europe for the first time, straight into the Champions League. Because their ground did not meet UEFA standards, they played their home games at Guingamp's Roudourou, beat teams such as PSV and Salzburg and reached the play-offs, where PSG knocked them out.

In 2025-26 they finished twelfth and remain in Ligue 1.

Celebrate with us

From five small parish clubs to Champions League nights, Brest have stayed true to red and to Brittany. Happy 77th birthday to the Pirates, and always "Pen Huel"!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Route de Quimper stand at the Stade Francis-Le Blé – Hypotypose1, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.