ASA Issy - History

History

In 1974, a group of friends decided to create a football club for Armenian community of Ile-de-France. It was essentially a way of sharing their passion for sport with the youth of the community at the same time as transmitting some of the rich cultural heritage of Armenia, one of the oldest civilisations in the world.

The Association Sportive Arménienne (A.S.A) decided to play in Issy-les-Moulineaux after the request of Armand Zarpanelian, former player who built the stadium in 1981. The club had around 60 players and played in the first Division in the District.

At the start of the 1990s, A.S.A Issy had been promoted three years running, and played in the first Division of the District of the D.H (Division d’Honneur). The match to get promoted to the P.H (Promotion d’Honneur) is well remembered. 1200 people watched the 3-0 victory for A.S.A Issy against F.C Montrouge 92, an attendance record for this level of match.

The team has not yet dropped back down to this level, but they have had difficult seasons in their history. It took a 2-0 victory against F.C Massy 91, to stay in the D.H (Division d’Honneur), with two extraordinary goals from Michel Milosevic, both player and general manager.

To begin with, the club only used players of Armenian origin. A.S.A Issy became progressively more open, and tries to conserve and develop a community and familial spirit. Franck Toutoundjian, club president, is quoted as saying: "the community aspect has never been a fixation, but we are the only community club playing in the C.F.A 2". This is why, in 2003, the club changed its name from Association Sportive Arménienne, to Association Sportive d’Origine Arménienne, so that A.S.A Issy became A.S.O.A Issy. The club currently has around 400 members, with thirty coaches and fifteen technicians. The club also has twelve refererees and two controllers represented on the board of the District of Hauts-de-Seine (92).

At the end of the 2005/2006 season, the A.S.O.A Issy team finished in first place with the best attack, the best defence, and the two highest scorers in the league (Eric Akoun and Julien Potier). After 14 seasons in the D.H (Division d'Honneur), the team began the 2006/2007 season in C.F.A 2 and therefore represented the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux as well as the agglomoration of Arc de Seine (five towns with almost 165 000 inhabitants).

A.S.O.A Issy is, in sporting terms, the major football club for the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux since F.C Issy-les-Moulineaux has a smaller number of members. It is fact the biggest sports club in the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux.

At the start of the 2008/2009 season, the club changed its name for a second time, from Association Sportive d’Origine Arménienne, to Association Sportive Ararat, so that A.S.O.A Issy became A.S.A Issy (or A.S Ararat Issy).

This is because, under the ownership of Franck Toutoundjian and Patrick Chêne, A.S.A Issy became associated with Groupe 365 (part of Groupe Sporever) under the control of sporting internet sites such as Football365.fr, to play an important role in the project of MyFootballClub.

Due to the role of strong personalities, the team continues to grow: Armand Zarpanelian, the club's founder, Sarkis Kasparian, former president, Michel Milosevic, Jean-Pierre Ortz, Vincent Yazmadjian, youth coach, Franck Toutoundjian, the current president, and many others.

The club have also been supported by André Santini, Mayor of Issy-les-Moulineaux, who has supported the club since its foundation.