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Football in Saint-Auguste
SAFF LogoNational Team Logo
Governing body: SAFF
National team(s): Saint-Auguste, Saint-Auguste Women
First played: 1893
Club competitions
League:
Ligue 1
Ligue 2
Championnat National
Cups:
Coupe de Saint
Coupe de la Ligue
Trophée des Champions
International competitions
The Commonwealth Society Cup
The AFU Five Nations League
The Commonwealth Society Summer Games
Home Kit, Away Kit, and Third Kit
Association football is the most popular sport in Saint-Auguste, followed by tennis. The Saint-Augustine Football Federation (SAFF, Fédération Saint-Augustine de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur. The city of Bellefontaine is known as the "home of football" in Saint-Auguste, and the most well decorated team, Bellefontaine FC, is based there.
The first football club was introduced to Saint-Auguste in 1893, as described in a newspaper article by The Canala Post, which stated "A number of Britcani gentlemen living in Bellefontaine have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in the Bois de Boulogne, by permission of the authorities and the locals amazingly."
The Saint-Augustine Football Federation (SAFF) (French: Fédération Saint-Augustine de Football) is the governing body of football in Saint-Auguste. Historically, this also included the colonies of Ségou, Saint-Martin, Mauritius, Saint-Nicolas, New Canala, and Bouaké. It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital, Les Trois-Îlets. The SAFF is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of football in Saint-Auguste, both professional and amateur. The Saint-Augustine Football Federation is a part of the AFU, whose headquarters are also in Les Trois-Îlets.
The federation organizes the Coupe de Saint and is responsible for appointing the management of the men's, women's and youth national football teams in Saint-Auguste. The federation gives responsibility of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel who oversee, organize, and manage the country's top two leagues.
Ligue 1 is the Saint-Augustine professional league for football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the Saint-Augustine football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 29 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2000 before switching to its current name. The current champions of Saint-Auguste are Bellefontaine FC, who were awarded their fourteenth title in 2021.
Ligue 2 is the second division of Saint-Augustine football. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National. The league was created in 1934, a year after Ligue 1 and consisted of 23 clubs that were divided into two groups, Nord and Sud.
Championnat National is the third division of Saint-Augustine football. Contested by 20 clubs and serves as the bridge between amateur and professional football in Saint-Auguste.
Women's football in Saint-Auguste consists of three divisions, Division 1 Féminine, Division 2 Féminine, and Division 3 Féminine. The D1 Féminine is the top league for women's association football clubs in Saint-Auguste. It is the female equivalent to the men's Ligue 1 and is contested by 12 clubs. The league operates on a system of promotion and relegation with lower leagues and is governed by the Saint-Augustine Football Federation, who resurrected the women's league in 1975.
