Dijon

Full Name: Dijon Football Côte-d'Or
City: Dijon
Founded: April 29, 1998
Stadium: Stade Gaston Gérard (15,995)
Colors: Red, White
Nickname: DFCO, Les Rouges

Description:

Dijon FCO (the most common name for this French club) were formed by the 1998 merger of two rival Dijon clubs - Cercle Sportif Dijonnais et le Dijon FC with the goal of creating one club from Dijon who could compete at the national level. This happened first in 2000 with DFCO's promotion to the 3rd tier Championnat de France National, to the 2nd tier Ligue 2 in 2004 and finally to the promised land of Ligue 1 in 2011.

The city of Dijon is the capital of the French département of Côte-d'Or in the eastern French region of Burgundy (Bourgogne). Thus the full name of the club Dijon Football Côte-d'Or.

The owl in Dijon FCO's logo (somewhat rare in football heraldry it must be said) represents the chouette Dijonnaise (the Dijon owl), which is carved within the entrance to Dijon's Notre Dame cathedral, which dates to the 13th century. Visitors touch the owl with the left hand for good luck. The choutte Dijonnaise is a symbol of the city.

DFCO originally wore blue shirts with white as alternate. During the 2005-06 season red was used as a 3rd color and Les Rouges won every game while wearing the shirts so a transition to red as the primary color was made.

Stade Gaston-Gérard:

The Stade Gaston-Gérard (Gaston Gérard stadium) opened in 1934. It takes its name from a former mayor of Dijon (Gaston Gérard) who was instrumental in finding a location and providing financial support for its construction. Since the launch of Dijon FCO and the club's transition professionalism the stadium has been completely rebuilt and expanded.

League Titles:

Fourth-Tier League Titles:

• Championnnat de France Amateur (2000)

Links:

• Official Website: dfco.fr