AllezRedStar.com has been going now since 1998 and over the years we have had much interest from outside of France. Maybe this hs been due to the name "Red Star", or perhaps down to the fact that the club is quite famous or maybe it's just because we are one of the very few French clubs to have an English version for international, non-francophone visitors. Whatever the reason, many questions have been asked over the years and sometimes questions repeat themselves from time to time. So, in order to avoid having to type the same reply out several times, this page will try to answer these frequently asked questions. If you think that we've forgotten something, please mail us !
WHY RED STAR ?
The club was originally founded as a omnisports club by Jules Rimet, who later went on to invent the football world cup. The name Red Star was actually conjured up by an English lady, called Jenny, who was the governess to M. Rimets' children at the time. Several stories exist as to why she came up with this name: the most romantic is that of a red star seen in the night sky when the club was decided upon; a more realistic reason is that Red Star Lines was the steamship company used by Miss Jenny to cross the English Channel to come and live in France.
SO WHY DOESN'T THE CLUB PLAY IN RED ?
The club colours are green and white. At the beninning of its' history, the colours were navy blue and white stripes. In 1926 the club "merged" with Olympique de Paris football club, and effectively all that remained of the old Olympique were the green and white colours. So for eighty years these have been associated with Red Star. During the dark years of the Marville era (1998-2002) the club wore red and this, combined with the move to the ill-placed new stadium, resulted in disenchantment among the faithful supporters. Happily the club is now back at its spiritual home and playing in green and white.
WHERE DOES THE CLUB PLAY ?
Red Star have been associated with the northern suburban town of Saint-Ouen since 1910. The club moved here after leaving the seventh district of Paris. At the time Saint-Ouen was vastly different to today, with allotments bordering the stadium. Over the years Saint-Ouen became industrialised but in recent years many factories have closed down and the urban landscape changed once again.
Saint-Ouen is accessible from central Paris by taking the Métro line 13 and alighting at the station Mairie de Saint-Ouen Once you leave the station, you will be in front of the impressive town hall building. Turn left, towards a small square with trees and a pharmacy on the left. Straddling the road is the patinoire or ice-skating rink. Turn right, you will see the Salle de Fêtes Barbabra on your right. Follow this road for 1/2 km andthe ground is on the right, after passing under a raliway bridge. The long road is the rue du Docteur Bauer, named after a resistance worker killed by the Nazis during the war.
By road : parking in and around Saint-Ouen is a nightmare, like any other town at the moment. But if you insist, exit from Paris Porte de Clignancourt and follow the road until you see a left turning signposted "Michelet-Bauer". Turn left and the ground is on your left. Parking in front of the ground is limited to officials only, so carry on past the stadium and take the first turn on your left - if you're lucky you might find a space there. From the north, exit the A1 motorway at junction 3 signposted A86/Saint-Ouen: stay on the left and follow the signs to Saint-Ouen. Turn left after about 3km just in front of a Quick burger restaurant, pass under the patinoire and the ground is about 500m on the right.
WHICH DIVISION DOES THE CLUB PLAY IN ?
Red Star are currently plying their trade in the National. This is the third division. In this division are professional clubs (the ones that have been relegated from the second division over the last two seasons, the rest are semi-pros, like the Conference in the UK.
WHY 93 ?
93 is the number of the département or county in which the clubs plays. 93 is the Seine-Saint-Denis département and includes clubs such as Villemomble (CFA), Noisy-le-Sec & Les Lilas (CFA 2) and Aubervilliers (DH). It is also home to the Stade de France, scene of the 1998 World Cup Final. The postcode of Saint-Ouen is 93400.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO SEE A GAME ?
Stade Bauer, Red Stars' home is three-sided, but with one stand closed and the other, the "new" (1975) stand very rarely used, the club only opens one stand on match days. This runs along the touchline and consits of three sections. The central section with plastic seating costs five euros, the two wing stands cost three euros and this is where Red Stars' more vociferous elements gather. You can sit on the cold concrete or stand up if you don't want a cold backside. Make sure that you're not blocking anyone's view and you'll be allright. The first section after the entrance gate is best for disabled supporters as there aren't any steps to climb. You can't buy tickets in advance; just turn up on the day and queue up at the ticket windows by the entrance gate. Cash only, in Euros. Incidentally, the ticket windows at Bauer are the smallest at any venue in France !
You can "change ends" at half-time if you want, which is what most of the fans do, so that you can see which end Red Star are attacking.
ANYTHING TO EAT ?
For most first-team games, there is a snack bar situated behind the stand. This is dead cheap, although for the moment there is no hot food. You can buy hot & cold drinks, cold sandwiches, chocolate & crisps.
IS IT SAFE TO BRING THE KIDS ?
Of course ! Red Star fans are noisy, but good natured and no trouble. With gates of around seven to eight hundred, there is still some atmosphere in the ground. More like UK non-league football.
HOW ABOUT RED STARS' OTHER SIDES ?
The reserves and the under 18s play nearby at the Ile des Vannes. This is tricky to get to without a car as there isn't a tube station nearby. From the Porte de Clignancourt in Paris, the busses 166 & 137 pass in front of the Ile des Vannes stadium. Behind Stade Bauer is the Stade Joliot Curie, a synthetic pitch used by Red Stars' third XI as well as some of the youth teams.
CAN I BUY SOUVENIRS ?
Probably not.
ARE YOU THE OFFICIAL SITE ?
No. We used to be but the club decided to do their own "thang" and here is the result.
I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY FOR YOUR CLUB
Don't send us CVs, requests for trials etc etc etc. Send them to the official club site.
© AllezRedStar.com 2007
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