AJ Auxerre has had an intense year. One of those which mark the history of a club and the memory of its supporters. Relegated the previous season following an express move to Ligue 1, the Auxerre club not only returned to the elite of French football, but it also enriched its record with a French Ligue 2 champion title.
Seven months after this performance, the fervor has not subsided around the AJA. The Abbé-Deschamps stadium is always full. The dynamics of last season are still operating for a promoted team which, after fifteen days of the championship, rose to eighth place in Ligue 1. Baptiste Malherbe, executive president and general director of the AJA, relishes the progress made since then. 2022, but remains focused on the mission entrusted by James Zhou, the Chinese owner of the club: laying the foundations of a new economic model giving the AJA the means to remain sustainably in Ligue 1.
What do you remember about this year 2024?
The title of champion, because in the life of a club, it is quite rare. It is also the culmination of several very accomplished months. I also remember the enthusiasm around the club for three years. This marks us and rewards a great collective dynamic. It carried us in the first part of the season in Ligue 2 and now in Ligue 1. The young people at the training center are following the same trajectory. So many signs of collective success.
The club exudes serenity on all floors, how do you explain it?
We all share the project set by the shareholder. We all have the same desire to make the AJA a solid club, with a strong, authentic identity. Anchored in its territory and its history, while looking towards the future. There is both ambition and humility.
As a leader, does you take the time to savor this dynamic?
Not enough. In football, this is rare, because we always look towards the future. We constantly have this fear of not staying with our feet on the ground, of letting ourselves be carried away by the results. On the contrary, we must move forward. Working again and again, all this remains fragile. Let's not forget that it is quite difficult to bring a sports club to this level, in 2025, in a medium-sized city like Auxerre.
Paradoxically, the successes of the AJA, on and off the field, take place in a context of crisis in French football…
The AJA has been an exception in the world of football for a long time, but it is even more so today in economic and sporting terms. In this context, it is worth remembering how lucky the club is to have a shareholder like James Zhou who supports it financially. Who is in action.
That's to say ?
