Artillerie FC

The Artillerie Football Club is a professional football club based in Nouvelle-Estia, Collinebourg, Yonderre. Artillerie plays in the Ligue Yonderre, the highest football league in Yonderre, and is considered amongst the best teams of the league with annual participation in the international WAFF tournaments. Artillerie has won the Ligue Yonderre 17 times, most recently in the 2024-25 season, and is the only club to have gone a whole season undefeated when they won the league in the season 1996-97, totalling a streak of 48 games without a defeat. Since 2002, the Champ d'Artillerie with a capacity for 58,525 spectators has been the home field of Artillerie FC. Former Artillerie striker and current manager Joanus Charpentier is the all-time Ligue Yonderre topscorer with 326 goals scored between 1992-2009. Artillerie has a rivalry with neighbouring Collinebourg clubs Lance FC and Collinebourg Chevaliers.

Artillerie FC was founded by soldiers of the 16th Arillery Regiment based in the Nouvelle-Estia barracks on the 6th of December, 1913. Artillerie joined the Ligue Yonderre in 1918 and has never since been relegated to Ligue 2, holding the record for the longest time in the Ligue Yonderre. Artillerie won their first title in 1923-24 when they defeated FC 1908 in the ASY-Supercup final. Artillerie had their first Ligue Yonderre title in the 1933-34 season, ending the streak of FC Stahl Toubourg who had won the three previous seasons. Artillerie contended the top spot in the Ligue Yonderre against top teams FC Stahl Toubourg, Donnebourg SC and AS Castruppe throughout the 1930s under the leadership of their manager Guy Souyer. Artillerie FC fell behind during the 1950s and 60s but remained in the 10 top placed clubs of the Ligue Yonderre regardless except for 1953 when they came 13th. A focus on home-grown talent development bore fruit in the late 1960s, and in the 1973-74 season Artillerie won their first double, achieving both the ASY-Supercup and the Ligue Yonderre first place.

Urcean manager Gregor Iulianus led Artillerie to a streak of new victories from 1973 until 1985 when the Burgoignesc Thierry d'Argonne took over management. d'Argonne led Artillerie to new levels of success during his tenure as manager, including the 1996-1997 season where Artillerie went undefeated in 48 games, winning them another double title and the nickname Les Invincibles, 'The Invincibles'. d'Argonne retired at the end of the 2013-14 season, afterwhich former Artillerie striker and Ligue Yonderre topscorer Joanus Charpentier became manager. Under Charpentier, Artillerie has won the Ligue Yonderre in seasons 2016-17, 2020-21 and 2024-25.

Crest and colours
Unveiled in 1915, Artillerie's first crest featured a westward-facing cannon below the club's name and above the coat of arms of Nouvelle-Estia and a scroll inscribed with the club's newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit – "victory comes from harmony" – coined by the club's programme editor. A simplified design was introduced on the club's jersies from the 1962-63 season, but was done away with again for the 1987-88 season.

Since 1934, the home colours of Artillerie FC are red, white and black, the colours of the Shield of Joanus. The previous design of a wholly maroon jersey without the white sleeves was retained as third colours and remain unchaged to this day. The traditional away colours are yellow and blue, the colours of the 2nd battalion, 16th Arillery Regiment, although some seasons have been played in white jerseys and red shorts, partcicularly during the 1940s and 50s.