Aviron Bayonnais FC
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| Full name | Aviron Bayonnais Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Txuri-Urdin l'ABFC | ||
| Founded | 1935[1] | ||
| Ground | Stade Didier Deschamps, Bayonne | ||
| Capacity | 3,500[2] | ||
| Chairman | Lausséni Sangaré | ||
| Manager | Alain Pochat | ||
| League | National 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | National 3 Group A, 1st of 14 (promoted) | ||
| Website | http://www.avironbayonnaisfc.fr/ | ||
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Aviron Bayonnais Football Club (French pronunciation: [aviʁɔ̃ bajɔnɛ futbol klœb]; commonly referred to as simply Bayonne or ABFC) is a French association football club based in Bayonne. The club is a part of a sports club that was formed in 1904 that is also known for its rugby union club. The team is known primarily for youth development.[2] The team is set to play in National 2 from 2025–26 after promotion from National 3 in 2024–25.
History
The football club was founded in 1935 and currently play in the Championnat National 3, the fifth level of French football. Bayonne plays its home matches at the Stade Didier Deschamps located in the city. It is named after Bayonne native, former youth player and the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 winning captain Didier Deschamps, who also played for Marseille and Juventus. Central defender Aymeric Laporte is another player who featured for Bayonne as a youth before starring for Athletic Bilbao and later Manchester City. Athletic have had a collaboration agreement with Bayonne for several years that they recently renewed until 2024.[3][4] While Aviron is the largest club in the French Basque Country,[citation needed] it has not replicated the successes of the clubs on the Spanish side of the border, though the club's new investor, Karim Fradim, who was previously the president of Chamois Niortais, hopes to professionalise the club.[5]
In 2021, former AS Saint-Étienne goalkeeper Stéphane Ruffier joined as an educator in the club.[6]
In 2024–25, Aviron Bayonnais secured promotion to National 2 for the first time in their history from next season.
Current squad
- As of 5 November 2025[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
Youth
Senior
Jean-Claude Larrieu
Alexandre Oukidja- Raymond Camus
- Christian Sarramagna
- Jean-Louis Cazes
- Didier Deschamps
- François Grenet
- Stéphane Ruffier
Aymeric Laporte- Kévin Rodrigues
- Vincent Laban
Gallery
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2013-14 home kit -
2013-14 away kit
Bibliography
- Charles and Christophe Bartissol: Les racines du football français. PAC, Paris 1983, ISBN 978-2-85336-194-1
- Thierry Berthou/Collectif: Dictionnaire historique des clubs de football français. Pages de Foot, Créteil 1999 - Volume 1 (A-Mo), ISBN 2-913146-01-5
References
- ^ "1935 - 1952". Aviron Bayonnais FC (in French). Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ a b Scragg, Steven (8 December 2014). "The French Basque Country: a rugby heartland with world-class footballers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "The Aviron Bayonnais signs until 2021 as convened". Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ "Aviron Bayonnais : le partenariat avec l'Athletic Bilbao prolongé !" (in French). foot-national.com. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ "Vers un club de football professionnel au Pays Basque Nord". www.mediabask.eus (in French). 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Stéphane Ruffier arrête sa carrière et rejoint l'Aviron Bayonnais FC comme éducateur". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ "Squad". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 December 2025.