Étoile Football Club was a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club which was formed to play in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

S.League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which re ...

in 2010 and is currently a local football academy focused on grassroots football development for the underprivileged. Étoile FC was the first team of players all born in Europe to play football in Singapore's professional league, and the first in Asia. The team was mostly made up of players of French origin. After pulling out of the S-League in 2012, Étoile FC was converted to a football academy based in Commonwealth, aiming to provide quality football coaching and development for individuals from all walks of life.

History

Étoile FC became the eighth team defined by foreign team composition to compete in the

after

Sinchi FC Sinchi Football Club ( Chinese: 新麒足球俱乐部) is a professional soccer club from China which played as a foreign team in Singapore's S.League from 2003 to 2005. The club played its home games in Singapore at the Jurong Stadium. The team's ...

(2003),

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the f ...

(2004), Sporting Afrique (2006),

Liaoning Guangyuan Liaoning Guangyuan Football Club ( Chinese: 辽宁广原足球俱乐部) was a Chinese professional soccer club which played in Singapore's S.League as a foreign team in the 2007 season. The club was a satellite team of the Chinese Super League cl ...

and Super Reds (both 2007),

Dalian Shide Siwu FC Dalian Shide Siwu Football Club () was a Chinese professional football club which was formed to play as a foreign team in Singapore's S.League in 2008. The club was a satellite team of the Chinese Super League club Dalian Shide. Players from D ...

(2008) and

DPMM FC Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club (His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Brunei Football Club in English, commonly known as DPMM FC) is a professional football club based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The club played in the Brunei Pr ...

(2009). Étoile FC's debut season was one for the team to remember as they were not only crowned champions of the

Singapore League Cup The Singapore League Cup was an annual soccer competition in Singapore. It was launched in 2007, and was open to teams who play in the S.League. The 2007 competition was sponsored by SingTel, and officially titled the SingTel League Cup. Eight of ...

, but also the Champions of the

S-League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), which ...

and 3rd place in the

Singapore Cup The Singapore Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Singaporean football. Established in 1998, it is the foremost football cup competition in the country. It is open to clubs in the Singapore Premier League. Since ...

. Étoile FC became the first foreign team to win the S-League following a 4–2 win over

Albirex Niigata Singapore FC Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, abbreviated as Albirex Niigata (S), is a Singaporean football club that plays in the Singapore Premier League. The club is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan. History Albirex Niigata Singapore, a satellite ...

at Jurong East Stadium. On that fateful night, Kobayashi had scored twice to give the Japanese satellite team a 2–1 lead at half time. However, goals by Frédéric Mendy (2 goals) and Matthias Verschave sealed the title win for Étoile FC. Étoile FC was the 'brainchild' of ex-

Gombak United Gombak United Football Club was a professional football club which competed in the S.League, the top division of football in Singapore. The club was based in Bukit Gombak. During the early years of the S. League, Gombak United played their ho ...

midfielder Johan Gouttefangeas. He was the chairman of Étoile FC since its formation in 2010. However, in June 2011, Johan relinquished his position as Chairman and Hicham Moudden took over. Étoile FC pulled out of the S-League for the 2012 season to focus on grassroots football and youth development with the creation of Étoile FC Academy. Étoile FC Academy bases itself on three core principles: Grassroots football is football for all, play is the best means of learning – above all, youngsters should have fun and children are not just miniature adults. They were sponsored by

Lufthansa Technik Lufthansa Technik AG ('Lufthansa Engineering', often referred to simply as “LHT”) provides worldwide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for aircraft, engines, and components. It is a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Headquarte ...

in 2017.

Players

First-team squad

Club Ambassador

Étoile FC had, on 22 March 2011, appointed

Sidney Govou Sidney Rodrigue Noukpo Govou (born 27 July 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played primarily as a winger, but was occasionally deployed as a striker. He holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles won (seven), along with Her ...

, as the club's ambassador. In the process, Étoile FC becomes the first

club to have an ambassador appointed to represent the club. Sidney and his brother, Jules, arrived in Singapore on 8 June 2011 and conducted a soccer clinic for children.

Honours

League *

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Cup *

* Singapore Charity Shield: Runners-up 2011

Seasons

References

External links

Official Website

Etoile FC Academy

Etoile FC Academy (Instagram)

S.League.Com: Étoile FC and Beijing Guoan to play in S.League 2010

TODAYonline.Com: Sports: "Voila, and the French are here"

TODAYonline.Com: Sports: Get ready for some French flair

* ttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1031541/1/.html ChannelNewsAsia.Com: Football: French and Chinese team expected to add more buzz to S.League
TheNewPaper: Bonjour, S-League

* ttp://www.zaobao.com/ty/ty100119_001.shtml 早报体育: 取代韩国超红和文莱DPMM 北京国安法国埃图瓦勒角逐新联赛
法国球队加盟新联赛国安预备队对抗欧洲力量_中国足球_体育_腾讯网

* ttp://in.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idINIndia-45478320100118 Reuters: French and Chinese sides enter Singapore league for 2010
Kallangroar.com: Étoile FC

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queenstown Stars FC Foreign teams in Singapore football leagues Expatriated football clubs Singapore Premier League clubs