Troyes ACESTAC Troyes was officially founded in 1986 as Association Troyes Aube Champagne (ATAC), but its story is above all that of a club that kept rising from the ashes. The first football team in the city, Union Sportive Troyenne, was founded in 1900. After merging with Savinienne in 1931 it became AS Troyes-Savinienne, which played in the top flight in the 1950s and reached the Coupe de France final in 1956. That club was dissolved in 1967, but in 1970, as Troyes Aube Football, it returned to professional football and won promotion to Ligue 1 in 1973. After relegation in 1978 and bankruptcy, the team merged with Patronage Laïque, and the city was left without a professional club again. The third attempt came in 1986, when ATAC started in the fourth tier. The club’s traditional kit is blue, and Troyes lies in the heart of the Champagne region, in the Aube department.
The climb back to the elite began in 1993, when Alain Perrin became coach. In 1996 the club won promotion to the second division, and in 1999 to Ligue 1. The best period in its history came in 2000/01 and 2001/02, when the team twice finished seventh, a record for the club. That qualified it for European competition for the first time. When ATAC reached the top flight, it was reportedly forced to change its acronym to ESTAC, for Espérance Sportive Troyes Aube Champagne, because the same acronym belonged to a supermarket chain.
The most memorable match in the club’s history remains the 2001 Intertoto Cup final. After a goalless draw at the Stade de l'Aube, Troyes drew 4–4 at St James’ Park with Newcastle United and won on away goals. The side included Jérôme Rothen, Rafik Saïfi, Tony Heurtebis, Fabio Celestini and Nicolas Goussé. It was the club’s greatest achievement on the European stage. In the 2001/02 UEFA Cup, Troyes eliminated Slovakia’s MFK Ružomberok in the first round (6–1 and 0–1), then lost to Leeds United 5–4 on aggregate in the second round despite winning the second leg 3–2.
After those glory years the club became one of the “yo-yo” sides, moving between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and battling financial problems. In 2020 City Football Group became the majority shareholder, and in 2020/21 Troyes returned to the top flight as Ligue 2 champions. The club’s calling card is youth development: the academy produced Blaise Matuidi and Djibril Sidibé, both 2018 World Cup winners, as well as goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni. Matuidi was the first club youth product to make his debut for France, in 2010. Midfielder Benjamin Nivet, who joined Troyes in 2001 and returned in 2012, became a symbol of loyalty to the shirt.
The stands do not hold the crowds typical of the biggest clubs, but the club has kept a strong bond with the local community of Champagne. Average attendances hover around ten thousand, and those who come have lived through the European nights and the relegations alongside the team.
The club’s home is the Stade de l'Aube, a ground used for football since the 1920s, located east of the city centre, about twenty minutes on foot. Its name refers to the Aube department rather than to a sponsor. The stadium holds around 20,750 spectators. It has hosted AS Troyes-Savinienne, Troyes Aube Football and the present ESTAC, making the ground the one constant in the history of the successive clubs that have represented Troyes.