FC St. Gallen
Austrian football team.
FC St. Gallen is a professional football club based in St. Gallen, Switzerland, that competes in the Swiss Super League. Founded in 1879, it is the oldest existing club in Swiss football and one of the oldest in continental Europe. The club plays its home matches at the kybunpark, formerly known as AFG Arena, which has a capacity of 19,568 spectators.
St. Gallen's colors are green and white, which has earned them the nickname "Die Espen" (The Aspens). Throughout their long history, they have won two Swiss championships, in 1904 and 2000, and one Swiss Cup in 1969. Despite not being one of the most successful clubs in terms of trophies, St. Gallen has a rich history and a dedicated fan base.
The club's first major success came early in its history when they won the Swiss championship in 1904. However, it would take nearly a century for them to repeat this feat. In the intervening years, St. Gallen experienced various ups and downs, including periods in the second tier of Swiss football.
St. Gallen's modern era of success began in the late 1990s under the management of Marcel Koller. The club won its second Swiss championship in the 1999-2000 season, breaking a 96-year title drought. This triumph remains one of the most celebrated moments in the club's history and led to their first participation in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.
In European competitions, St. Gallen has had limited success but has provided some memorable moments for its fans. Their most notable European campaign came in the 2013-14 season when they reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, facing teams like Swansea City, Valencia, and Kuban Krasnodar.
St. Gallen has a strong rivalry with FC Zürich, with matches between the two teams often being fiercely contested. In recent years, St. Gallen has established itself as a competitive force in the Swiss Super League. Under the management of Peter Zeidler, who took charge in 2018, the team has played an attractive, high-pressing style of football that has won plaudits from fans and neutrals alike. In the 2019-20 season, St. Gallen mounted a serious challenge for the league title, finishing second behind Young Boys in what was their best league performance in two decades.