Étoile Carouge FC

Étoile Carouge FC is a Swiss football team based in Carouge. The club was founded in 1904. As of the 2024–25 season. They play in the Challenge League, the second tier of Swiss football, following their promotion from the 2023–24 Promotion League. The team play their home games at Stade de la Fontenette, which seats up to 3,690 spectators.

History

Founded in 1904 as FC Carouge, the team first played in the lower leagues of the region Geneva. Following the merger with Étoile Sportive, in 1922, the name Étoile Carouge FC appeared. The Stade de la Fontenette was made available to the growing club by the municipality of Carouge as of the 1923-24 season. In 1923 the club achieved promotion to the top tier 1923–24 Swiss Serie A. In June 1926, a second merger took place with Carouge Stade FC, without the club changing its name.

In the 1927–28 Swiss Serie A season they reached the finals for the championship, but failed in the group. Behind champions Grasshopper Club and runners-up Nordstern, they ended the league season in third position. FIve years later, despite suffering relegation in the 1932–33 Nationalliga season, in the following 1933–34 Swiss 1. Liga season Étoile Carouge FC were group champions and promptly achieved immediate re-promotion to the 1934–35 Nationalliga. But the season that followed was so poor, that they again suffered relegation.

Problems then mounted with the accumulation of debts, and the club went bankrupt in 1936. Even though the debt was relatively small, it could not be stemmed by the club's members. According to the then valid regulations, the name Étoile Carouge could not be used for twenty years. It was during this period that the Union Sportive Carouge and the Union Sport (who were close to Catholic circles) developed. The Union Sport became the new Carouge Stade, a non-political club. But the club again disappeared into, and played in, the lower regional leagues. Eventually, in 1945, they achieved promotion to the 2. Liga. However, it was not until another 10 years later that the Geneva Football Association accepted the return to the name Étoile Carouge instead of Carouge Stade. In the 1958–59 Étoile Carouge achieved promotion to the 1959–60 Swiss 1. Liga. They established themselves in that division for many years.