Sparta Praha

Sparta Praha is a football (soccer) club from Czech Republic.

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AC Sparta Prague is a top Czech Republic association football club.

It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic. Sparta was long the main source for the Czech Republic national football team, however lately this has ceased to be the case, as the best Czech players almost all now play in higher-paying foreign leagues. There are a number of outstanding players who have played for the Sparta over the years. Sparta play at Prague's AXA Arena (called Letná Stadium).

They are one of the most successful teams of Central Europe having reached the semifinals of the European Cup in 1992.

Brief history

Early years

At the close of 1893, a small group of young people based around three brothers, Václav, Bohumil and Rudolf Rudl, had the idea of setting up a sports club. On the 16th November, the founders' meeting approved Sparta Praha's articles of association and one month later, on the 17th December, the first annual general meeting took place. Soon after that, the Athletic Club Sparta came up with its tricolour, in which blue symbolises Europe, red is the symbol of the royal city, and the reasons for the yellow are not known any more.

At the very beginning of Sparta Praha's football history, the players used to wear black jerseys with a big "S" on the front. They then played for two years in black-and-white striped jerseys, which they returned to, wearing them as a reserve strip, for two years in 1996. In 1906 Sparta Praha president Dr. Petřík was in England where he saw the famous Arsenal play with their red jerseys and decided to bring one set to Praha. At that time he did not realise he was setting up one of Sparta Praha's greatest traditions. Together with the red jerseys, Sparta players wear white shorts and black socks.

Shortly after World War I, a team was put together that triggered off the famous period of the twenties and thirties referred to as "Iron Sparta". A football league in Czechoslovakia was established in the mid-twenties and Sparta Praha collected title after title. To this day the fans still recall the names of the players of that period with admiration: Peyer, Hojer, Perner, Káďa, Kolenatý, Červený. A few years later, some no less famous names appeared, such as Hochman, Burgr, Hajný, Šíma, Silný, Čtyřoký, Košťálek and in particular Oldřich Nejedlý, the top scorer at the 1934 World Cup. Shortly before this most famous era kicked off, Vlasta Burian, the man who later became the king of Czech comedians, played in goal for the club.

The milestones of the first golden period of Sparta Praha's history are two Central European Cup titles, which in the twenties and the thirties enjoyed the same recognition as that of today's Champions League. Sparta's three titles are definitely important milestones in the cup's history. After two triumphs in 1927 and 1935, the third came in 1964, at a time when the cup's importance was gradually falling in the light of other European cups.

The Golden Years

Golden periods took turns with years when Sparta fans only nostalgically remembered the "good old times". After substantial changes driven by the socialist regime, bringing frequent changes of Sparta Praha's name rather than achievements to be proud of, the title in 1954 was the last one before a long period of misery. Only the great era of Sparta Praha around Andrej Kvašňák in the nineteen-sixties brought back memories of Sparta Praha's golden years.

There are still many people who recollect the era of Kvašňák, Jiří Tichý and Václav Mašek. Those were the days when Sparta hosted the biggest number of fans in its history, with the stadium at that time accommodating almost forty thousand. All three of the above-mentioned heroes were part of the national team that finished second at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile.

Relegation and comeback

For those who still remember it, 1975 still sends shivers down their spines. Up until then, Sparta was the only club that had never been relegated to the second division. In this year however, due to a number of circumstances, Sparta Praha dropped to division two. Sparta Praha passed its one-year test of loyalty with flying colours, with the crucial matches for Sparta Praha's comeback to the elite being sold out and the proverbial joy returned to the grandstands.

Nevertheless, the feeling of breath-taking glory brought by a league title only returned to Letná in the early eighties. Built around Chovanec, Berger, Hašek, Skuhravý, and Griga, Sparta Praha was virtually unbeatable and won one title after another. In 1983/1984, Sparta Praha got as far as the UEFA Cup quarterfinal. In the early nineties, this successful era was continued by the next generation of players, such as Siegl, Horňák, Němeček, Frýdek, Němec, Kouba.

1990s to present

Sparta has accomplished a number of considerable achievements internationally. Historians still say the most glorious were the two Central European Cup titles in the period of "Iron Sparta". From a contemporary fan's point of view, the biggest achievement is probably Sparta's performance in "year zero" of the Champions League in 1991-92. Sparta defeated Rangers F.C., then Olympique de Marseille and got to the semi-final group. Playing FC Barcelona, Dynamo Kyiv and S.L. Benfica, Sparta finished second. As opposed to today's system, only the group winner got to the final. Being second in the group, Sparta was unofficially Europe's third to fourth best team.

Sparta has been a regular participant in the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious European competition, since 1997. The only exception was in 1998-99 when Sparta Praha didn't get past the qualification stage, losing to Dynamo Kyiv on penalties. Sparta did qualify during the next three years, however, and in the 1999/2000 and 2001/2002 it won through to the quarter-final stages. In 1999/2000 it actually won its initial group under the management of Ivan Hašek, and was then third in the quarter-final group. In that group Sparta came up against Barcelona which went on to reach the semi-finals. In the 2001/2002 season Sparta was drawn against the eventual winners of both the European competitions during the course of its run. Feyenoord lost twice to Sparta in the champions league group stage and managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup which it went on to win. Sparta went on to meet Real Madrid C.F. in the quarter final that year. Sparta did not qualify for the group stage in 2002-03, when it was beaten by the Belgian club K.R.C. Genk in the third round of qualifying. 2003-04 saw Sparta take on two Italian giants. Initially, Sparta Praha beat S.S. Lazio in the group stage, but after an initial draw Sparta failed to get into the quarter finals past A.C. Milan. The group stage in 2004-05 did not work out at all well for Sparta. After drawing with Manchester United at the sold-out Toyota Arena in an even contest, the other matches were lost and Sparta Praha finished last in the group.

- 1997/1998 — 3rd place in the group stage (Borussia Dortmund, Parma F.C., Galatasaray)
- 1998/1999 — knocked-out in the qualification round by Dynamo Kyiv
- 1999/2000 — 1st place in the group stage (FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Willem II (football club), Spartak Moscow), 3rd place in the second round group (FC Barcelona, F.C. Porto, Hertha BSC)
- 2000/2001 — 4th place in the group stage (Arsenal F.C., S.S. Lazio, Shakhtar Donetsk)
- 2001/2002 — 2nd place in the group stage (FC Bayern Munich, Feyenoord, Spartak Moscow), 3rd place in the second round group (Real Madrid C.F., Panathinaikos FC, F.C. Porto)
- 2002/2003 — knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by K.R.C. Genk
- 2003/2004 — 2nd place in the group stage (Chelsea F.C., S.S. Lazio, Beşiktaş J.K.), knocked-out in the eight-finals by A.C. Milan
- 2004/2005 — 4th place in the group stage (Manchester United F.C., Olympique Lyonnais, Fenerbahçe)
- 2005/2006 — 4th place in the group stage (Arsenal F.C., AFC Ajax, FC Thun)

Sparta, usually along with Slavia, has always been a base for the national team; Sparta players contributed to the biggest achievements of the Czechoslovak and Czech national teams. It all started in 1934, when Oldřich Nejedlý was the top scorer at the World Cup in Rome; four years later, seven Sparta players were part of the national team at the World Cup in France. In 1962, Kvašňák and Tichý played for the "silver" team in Chile. In 1990 in Italy, where the national team got as far as the quarterfinal, the team's play was mainly created by Chovanec, Bílek, Hašek and other Sparta players, such as Skuhravý, who went on to became a star of the Italian league. Sparta players also contributed to the last big achievement of the already independent Czech Republic team in 1996. Kouba, Frýdek and Horňák returned to Letná from England with silver medals. On top of that, Sparta Praha was coached by Dušan Uhrin, who had spent his best years at Sparta, and Pavel Novotný came to Sparta two years later. Sparta players also featured in more recent qualification and tournament games of the Czech national team. Miroslav Baranek, Tomáš Votava, Vratislav Lokvenc, Milan Fukal, Martin Hašek, Libor Sionko, Jiří Novotný (footballer), Jaromír Blažek and the outstanding talent of Tomáš Rosický helped Sparta Praha in its UEFA Euro 2000 campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands. The next era culminating in the bronze medal in the UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal saw Sparta players leaving their unmistakable mark in the national team successes. Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Hübschman, Jaromír Blažek, Karel Poborský and academy products Petr Čech and Tomáš Rosický helped Czech football to become recognised as being amongst the elite in Europe and most have played for elite European clubs. Currently Sparta is one of only two teams in the domestic league which supplies players to the national side. It goes without saying that Sparta Praha also supplies players to the country's various youth teams.

Historical names:
- 1893 — Athletic Club Královské Vinohrady
- 1894 — Athletic Club Sparta
- 1948 — Athletic Club Sparta Bubeneč
- 1949 — Sokol Bratrství Sparta
- 1951 — Sparta ČKD Sokolovo
- 1953 — TJ Spartak Praha Sokolovo
- 1965 — TJ Sparta ČKD Praha
- 1990 — TJ Sparta Praha
- 1991 — AC Sparta Praha
- 1993 — AC Sparta Praha fotbal, a.s.

Club symbols

The name Sparta was inspired by the fighting spirit and courage of the people from the ancient city of Sparta. From the very beginning, the colours of Sparta were blue (symbolizing Europe), red (symbolizing the royal city), and yellow (together with red, the official colours of Prague). In 1906, one of the members of the committee brought (from his trip to England) jerseys of the London clubArsenal F.C.. From that time, Sparta has typically played in their red (or, to be more precise, dark red or Maroon (color)) colours. Another symbol of Sparta is the big "S" (Sparta); thus, Sparta and Slavia Prague are usually collectively called the Prague "S".

Major trophies

- Mitropa Cup Winner (3 times): 1964, 1935, 1927
- Gambrinus Liga (10 times): 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1994
- Czechoslovak First League (24 times): 1993, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984, 1967, 1965, 1954, 1952, 1948, 1946, 1944, 1939, 1938, 1936, 1932, 1927, 1926, 1922, 1919 and 1912.
- Czech Football Cup Winner (5 times): 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 1996
- Czechoslovak Football Cup Winner (12 times): 1992, 1989, 1988, 1984, 1980, 1976, 1972, 1964, 1946, 1944, 1943, 1909

Former notable players

Significant former Sparta players include:
- Pavel Nedvěd
- Petr Čech
- Tomáš Rosický
- Jan Koller
- Karel Poborský
- Patrik Berger
- Ivan Hašek
- Jan Berger (footballer born 1955)
- Tomáš Řepka
- Oldřich Nejedlý
- Andrej Kvašňák
- Jozef Chovanec
- Tomáš Skuhravý
- Petr Gabriel
- Jiří Novotný (footballer)
- Vratislav Lokvenc
- Milan Fukal
- Radoslav Kováč
- Raymond Braine
- Tomáš Sivok
- Miroslav Baranek

Summer 2009 transfers

In

First Coach
- Martin Hašek

Second Coach
- Jan Kmoch

Goalkeepers Trainer
- Jan Stejskal

Conditional Coach
- Aleš Kaplan

Team Manager
- David Simon (football manager)

Doctor
- MUDr. Václav Čermák
- MUDr. Jiří Váchal
- MUDr. Petr Novák (doctor)

Masseur
- Tomáš Stránský

Physiotherapist
- Vít Zelenka

kitman
- Jiří Novák (football)
- David Matěka

Training camp

Except AXA Arena in Letná district - Sparta use a new football center in Strahov Stadium (the second largest stadium in the world) whose space was rebuilt to 8 football fields (6 fields of standard sizes and 2 futsal).

Popular culture

The Czech film Horem pádem (Up and Down) takes the culture of Sparta fandom as one of its subjects.

1.FC Brno, Baník Ostrava, BohemiansStrizkov, FC Tescoma Zlín, FK Teplice, Jablonec, Marila Pribram, Mladá Boleslav, Sigma Olomouc, SK Ceské Budejovice, SK Kladno, Slavia Praha, Slovan Liberec, Sparta Praha, Viktoria Plzen, Viktoria Zizkov