They are not the most exciting club in France, but they do play some spectacular matches every now and then. Unfortunately for Troyes, they are usually at the losing end of it. A sympathetic small-town club nearby other clubs you can visit too.
Of all Ligue 1 clubs, they probably have the best name: Ésperance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne, simply called Troyes or ESTAC. The performances on the pitch are in stark contrast with the name, but there's a lot of ambition at the club founded in 1986. Since 2020, Troyes has been part of the City Football Group, who'll aim to make them a stable Ligue 1 side in the coming years. However, it's proven difficult so far: following the last three promotions to the French top flight, the club from the Champagne region relegated immediately back to Ligue 2.
Although the current Troyes was only founded in 1986, football was already in town since the beginning of the 20th century. The present club is actually an end product of over 100 years of football in Troyes, given the fact that the club filed for bankruptcy several times. Since 1935 they have been playing in the Stade de l’Aube, at the eastern border of Troyes.
The stadium at Avenue Robert Schumann has a capacity of 20.400 places and is one of the smaller stadiums in Ligue 1.
Never forget where you come from. With that creed Blaise Matuidi and Djibril Sidibé came back to Troyes, the city where they started their professional career. Even though they didn't play long for L'ESTAC, they still had a good reason to come back to Troyes. Both players became world champions with France in the summer of 2018 and were greeted by a big crowd in front of the town hall, at the Place Alexandre Israël. It seemed that the whole population of Troyes came to see the players and the World Cup they won, which they showed proudly from the window on the left above the main entrance.
Troyes isn't a city where football culture is up for grabs, but whoever seeks shall find. For example in Le Barrois (Rue Claude Huez 7), a small bar in the city centre. On the walls inside you'll find several memories to the football history of Troyes, especially of the precursors of L'ESTAC from photo's to banners and even team sheets of historical matches.
In Troyes, you don't have to be afraid of ending up without a ticket. The city and regional impact of the club are simply not big enough to fill the stadium. Against the top sides, the Stade de l'Aube usually attracts more people. But also against Stade de Reims, a real derby. The spirit of the 'Derby de la Champagne' is alive, especially at Troyes, historically the smaller side than Reims.
Because of the location at the border of Troyes, you can reach the stadium easily by car. Otherwise, the best way to get there is by bus. Bus 1 drives from the city to the stadium, and passes the railway station as well. Take the bus in direction of Creney-Chataignier or Point Sainte Marie (both are alright), and get off the bus at stop Stade Arbouin.
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