) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds/The Maroons).
''
Letenští''
, ground =
Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena
, capacity = 19,416
, clubname = Sparta Prague
, image = Sparta Praha logo.png
, image_size = 160px
, fullname = Athletic Club Sparta Praha Fotbal
a.s.
, founded =
, owner =
J&T Credit Investments (60%)
Daniel Křetínský
Daniel Křetínský (, born 9 July 1975) is a Czech billionaire businessman and lawyer, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and 94% owner of Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH), the largest energy group in Central Europe, co-owner and ...
(40%)
, chairman =
Daniel Křetínský
Daniel Křetínský (, born 9 July 1975) is a Czech billionaire businessman and lawyer, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) and 94% owner of Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH), the largest energy group in Central Europe, co-owner and ...
, chrtitle = President
, manager =
Brian Priske
Brian Priske Pedersen (born 14 May 1977) is a Danish professional football manager and former player, who is the current head coach of Czech First League club Sparta Prague. Priske played as a defender during his playing career.
He played 24 ma ...
, mgrtitle = Head coach
, league =
Czech First League
The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically r ...
, season =
2021–22
, position = 3rd of 16
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, website = https://sparta.cz/
, current = 2021–22 AC Sparta Prague season
Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague, is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
club based in
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
.
It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning the central European Cup (also known as the
Mitropa Cup
The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale or Central European Cup, was one of the first international major European football cups for club sides. It was conducted among the successor states of the former Austria-Hunga ...
) three times as well as having reached the semi-finals of the European Cup (now the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
) in 1992 and the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
in 1973.
Sparta have won a record 36 domestic league titles, the
Czech Cup (formerly Czechoslovak Cup) 27 times, also a record, and the
Czech Supercup
The Czech Supercup () was an annual football match between the winners of the Czech First League and the Czech Cup, organised by the Czech Football Association. It was last sponsored by Synot Tip and was therefore officially known as the Synot Tip ...
twice.
[ Sparta was long the main source for the ]Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team ( cs, Česká fotbalová reprezentace), recognised by FIFA as Czechia, represents the Czech Republic in international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republ ...
, however lately this has ceased to be the case, as the best Czech players almost exclusively play in foreign leagues.
Sparta play at Prague's Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena, also known as ''Letná Stadium''.
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 16 November, the founders' meeting approved the club's articles of association and one month later, on 17 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 and yellow being the symbols of the (then) Royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
City of Prague.
At the very beginning of the club'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, club president Dr. Petřík was in England where he saw the famous Woolwich Arsenal play with their red jerseys and decided to bring one set to Prague. At that time, he did not realise he was setting up one of the club's greatest traditions. Together with the red jerseys, Sparta players wear white shorts and black socks.
Shortly after World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, a team was put together that triggered off the famous period of the 1920s and '30s referred to as "Iron Sparta". A football league in Czechoslovakia was established in the mid-twenties and the club 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 Hochmann, Burgr, Hajný, Šíma, Silný, Čtyřoký, Košťálek and in particular Oldřich Nejedlý
Oldřich Nejedlý (26 December 1909 – 11 June 1990) was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire professional career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is considered to be one of Czechoslovakia's greatest players of all time. He was th ...
, the top scorer at the 1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.
The 1934 World Cup was the first in w ...
. 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 the club's history are two Central European Cup titles, which in the '20 and the '30s enjoyed the same recognition as that of today's Champions League. Sparta's three titles are 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 behind that of other European cups.
In 1946, AC Sparta toured Great Britain opening with a 2–2 draw against Arsenal on 2 October.
Golden years
Golden periods alternated with years when Sparta fans only nostalgically remembered the "good old times". After substantial changes driven by the socialist regime, bringing frequent changes of the club'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 the team around Andrej Kvašňák in the 1960s brought back memories of the club's golden years.
There are still many people who recollect the era of Andrej Kvašňák, Jiří Tichý and Václav Mašek
Václav Mašek (born 21 March 1941) is a Czech football player who played as a striker. He was a member of the Czechoslovakia national football team, for which he played 16 matches and scored 5 goals.
In Czechoslovakia, he played 313 league mat ...
. Those were the days when Sparta hosted the biggest number of fans in its history, with the stadium at that time accommodating almost 40,000. All three of the above-mentioned heroes were part of the national team that finished second at the 1962 World Cup in Chile. Other important players in these "golden years" were Josef Vojta
Josef Vojta (born 19 April 1935) is a former Czechoslovak football player.
His youth football career started in Usti nad Labem. During his professional club career he played most of the time (1960–1968) for Sparta Prague in Czechoslovak Fir ...
, Vladimír Táborský and Ivan Mráz.
Relegation and comeback
Up until 1975, Sparta was the only Czech club that had never been relegated to the second division. In this year, however, due to a number of circumstances, the team dropped to division two. The club only spent one year in this division, with the crucial matches for the club's comeback to the elite being sold out.
Nevertheless, the club did not win another league title until the early 1980s. Built around Chovanec, Berger, Hašek, Skuhravý and Griga, the team regained its former status and won five league titles in a row between 1986 and 1991. In 1983–84, the team got as far as the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, falling to Hajduk Split
Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 197 ...
. In the early 1990s, this successful era was continued by the next generation of players, such as Siegl, Horňák, Němeček, Frýdek, Němec and Kouba.
1990s to present
Sparta has achieved a number of international successes, including two Central European Cup titles in the period of "Iron Sparta". More recent high points include Sparta's performance in the first year of the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
, in 1991–92. Sparta defeated Rangers, then Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
and reached the semi-final group. Playing Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Dynamo Kyiv and Benfica, Sparta finished second. Unlike today's system, only the group winner reached the final. Being second in the group, Sparta was unofficially Europe's third or fourth best team.
Sparta participated in the group stage of Champions League between 1997 and 2006. The club enjoyed their best Champions League performances in the 1999–2000 and 2001–02 seasons, reaching the now-defunct second group stage on both occasions. In 1999–2000, it won its initial group under the management of Ivan Hašek
Ivan Hašek (born 6 September 1963) is a Czech professional football coach and former player.
Hašek played as a central midfielder, and spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, a ...
, and was then third in the quarter-final group. In that group, Sparta came up against a Barcelona squad which went on to reach the semi-finals.
In the 2001–02 season, Sparta was drawn against the eventual winners of both the European competitions during the course of its run. Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after i ...
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
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
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 Genk
Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
in the third round of qualifying. 2003–04 saw Sparta take on two Italian giants; initially, the club beat Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
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in the group stage, but after an initial draw Sparta failed to get into the quarter-finals past Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
. The group stage in 2004–05 did not work out at all well for Sparta. After drawing with Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
at the sold-out Toyota Arena
Toyota Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Ontario, California, United States. The arena hosts local sporting events and concerts and is suitable for indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, ice shows, boxing, graduation ceremonies and co ...
, the other matches were lost and the club finished last in the group with the club achieving their worst-ever return of just one point from the six matches.[
* 1997–98 – 3rd place in the group stage (]Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
, Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...
, Galatasaray)
* 1998–99 – knocked-out in the qualification round by Dynamo Kyiv
* 1999–00 – 1st place in the group stage (Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
, Willem II, Spartak Moscow), 3rd place in the second round group (Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
, Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charlo ...
)
* 2000–01 – 4th place in the group stage (Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
, Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
, Shakhtar Donetsk)
* 2001–02 – 2nd place in the group stage (Bayern Munich
Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...
, Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after i ...
, Spartak Moscow), 3rd place in the second round group (Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
, Panathinaikos, Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropo ...
)
* 2002–03 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Genk
Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
* 2003–04 – 2nd place in the group stage ( Chelsea, Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
, Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, ...
), knocked-out in the eight-finals by Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
* 2004–05 – 4th place in the group stage (Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
, Fenerbahçe)
* 2005–06 – 4th place in the group stage (Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
, Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
, Thun
, neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg
, twintown =
, website = www.thun.ch
Thun (french: Thou ...
)
* 2007–08 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
* 2008–09 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Panathinaikos
* 2009–10 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Panathinaikos
* 2010–11 – knocked-out in the play-off round by Žilina
Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of S ...
* 2014–15 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, commonly known as Malmö FF, Malmö, or MFF, is a professional football club and the most successful football club in Sweden in terms of trophies won. Formed in 1910 and affiliated with the Scania Football Associatio ...
* 2015–16 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...
* 2016–17 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Steaua București
* 2017–18 – knocked-out in the 3rd qualification round by Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Be ...
* 2018–19 – knocked-out in the 2nd qualification round by Spartak Subotica
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
Oldřich Nejedlý (26 December 1909 – 11 June 1990) was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire professional career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is considered to be one of Czechoslovakia's greatest players of all time. He was th ...
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 become 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, the team 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
Vratislav Lokvenc (, born 27 September 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a striker. After playing youth football for Náchod and Hradec Králové, he began his senior club career with the latter team. After moving to ...
, Milan Fukal, Martin Hašek
Martin Hašek (born 11 October 1969 in Pardubice) is a former Czech football midfielder and current football coach.
Football career
During his extensive playing career, Hašek played professionally for SKP Union Cheb, FC Slovan Liberec, Sparta ...
, Libor Sionko, Jiří Novotný, Jaromír Blažek
Jaromír Blažek (; born 29 December 1972) is a Czech former professional football goalkeeper.
Club career
Born in Brno, Blažek started his career in Slavia Prague, where he got to play his first league games. After two years during which he w ...
and the outstanding talent of Tomáš Rosický helped the team in its UEFA Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe.
The finals tournament wa ...
campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The next era culminating in the bronze medal in the Euro 2004 in Portugal saw Sparta players leaving their unmistakable mark in the national team successes. Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Hübschman, Jaromír Blažek, Karel Poborský
Karel Poborský (; born 30 March 1972) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He was most noted for his technical ability and pace.
He began and finished his club career at Dynamo České Budějovice, where his ...
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 the club 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
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...
. From the very beginning, the colours of Sparta were blue (symbolizing speed, athletics and sport in general), red and yellow (the official colours of Royal City of Prague). In 1906, one of the members of the committee brought (from his trip to England) jerseys of the London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
club Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
. From that time, Sparta has typically played in their red (or, to be more precise, dark red or maroon) colours.
Another symbol of Sparta is the big "S"; thus, Sparta and Slavia Prague are usually collectively called the ''Prague "S"'' and contest the Prague derby
The Prague derby ( cs, Pražské derby) or Derby of the Prague S ( cs, Derby pražských S) is a football match between local Prague rivals SK Slavia Prague and AC Sparta Prague. The two clubs are considered to be the most successful in the Czec ...
. Sparta Prague has three stars above its crest to signify winning 30–39 national league championships, adding a new star for every ten league titles.
The Czech films '' Why?'', '' Up and Down'' and ''Non Plus Ultras'' take the culture of Sparta fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
as one of their subjects.
Supporters
The supporters of Sparta Prague are called ''Letenští'', meaning "From Letná". They sit in the sectors D33-D36, which is behind the goal in the southern stand. The fans have good relations with those of FC Nitra and the now defunct FC VSS Košice in Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
.
Stadium
Sparta play their home matches at Generali Česká pojišťovna Arena in the Letná
Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7
Prague 7 is a municipal d ...
district of Prague. For training Sparta use a football centre at Strahov Stadium
The Great Strahov Stadium ( cs, Velký strahovský stadion) is a stadium in the Strahov district of Prague, Czech Republic. It was built for displays of synchronized gymnastics on a massive scale, with a field three times as long as and three ...
(formerly the second largest stadium in the world) whose space was rebuilt to eight football pitches (six fields of standard sizes and two futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football.
Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
-sized). These are currently used as a training facility by both youth academy and reserve squad.
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Other players under contract
Reserve squad
Women's section
Notable former players
Player records in the Czech First League
.
Highlighted players are in the current squad.
Most appearances
Most goals
Most clean sheets
Coaches
* Karel Maleček (1907–11)
* František Malý (1911–18)
* Johny Dick (1919–23)
* Václav Špindler (1924–27)
* Johny Dick (1928–33)
* František Sedlaczek (1933–38)
* Josef Kuchynka (1939–44)
* František Sedlaczek (1945–47)
* Erich Srbek (1948–53, 1957–58)
* Vlastimil Preis
* Karel Senecký
* Jiří Šimonek
* Karel Kolský (1959–63)
* Jaroslav Štumpf
* Václav Ježek (1964–69)
*Milan Navara
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
* Karel Kolský (1970–71)
* Tadeusz Kraus (1971–74)
* Ivan Mráz
* Zdeněk Roček
* Štefan Čambal (1975–76)
* Zdeněk Roček (1976)
* Dušan Uhrin (1976)
* Arnošt Hložek (1977–78)
* Antonín Rýgr (1978)
* Jiří Rubáš (1978–81)
* Dušan Uhrin (1981–82)
* Václav Ježek (1982–84)
* Vladimír Táborský (1984–85)
* Ján Zachar (1985–86)
* Václav Ježek (1986–88)
*Jozef Jarabinský
Jozef Jarabinský (born 12 March 1944) is a former Czechoslovak football player and later a football manager of Carpatho-Rusyn origin.
He played for Slovan Bratislava, Bohemians, Dukla Prague and Sparta Prague.
As a football manager he coached ...
(1988–90)
* Václav Ježek (1990–91)
* Dušan Uhrin (1991–93)
* Karol Dobiáš (1993–94)
*Jozef Chovanec
Jozef Chovanec (born 7 March 1960) is a Czech former professional football player and manager.
Playing career
As a player, Chovanec spent almost his whole career at Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to the Netherlands, to play briefly for PSV ...
(1994)
* Vladimír Borovička (1994)
* Jürgen Sundermann (October 1994 – March 1995)
*Jozef Jarabinský
Jozef Jarabinský (born 12 March 1944) is a former Czechoslovak football player and later a football manager of Carpatho-Rusyn origin.
He played for Slovan Bratislava, Bohemians, Dukla Prague and Sparta Prague.
As a football manager he coached ...
(March 1995 – December 1995)
*Vlastimil Petržela
Vlastimil Petržela (born 20 July 1953 in Prostějov) is a Czech football coach and former player. He worked with Zenit Saint Petersburg from 2003 to 2006, winning the silver medals of Russian Premier League in 2003 and reaching the quarterfin ...
(1996)
*Jozef Chovanec
Jozef Chovanec (born 7 March 1960) is a Czech former professional football player and manager.
Playing career
As a player, Chovanec spent almost his whole career at Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to the Netherlands, to play briefly for PSV ...
(August 1996 – June 1998)
*Zdeněk Ščasný
Zdeněk Ščasný (born 9 August 1957) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Ščasný has won the Czech league championship five timesthree times as a player and twice as a coachand the Czech Cup three timestwice as a player and once ...
(July 1998 – June 1999)
*Ivan Hašek
Ivan Hašek (born 6 September 1963) is a Czech professional football coach and former player.
Hašek played as a central midfielder, and spent 11 years of his career with Sparta Prague, appearing in more than 300 official games with the club, a ...
(July 1999 – June 2001)
* Jaroslav Hřebík (2001–02)
*Vítězslav Lavička
Vítězslav Lavička (; born 30 April 1963) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a player, Lavička played for several Czech clubs, including Škoda Plzeň, RH Cheb and Sparta Prague. He played one season towards t ...
(April–June 2002)
*Jozef Jarabinský
Jozef Jarabinský (born 12 March 1944) is a former Czechoslovak football player and later a football manager of Carpatho-Rusyn origin.
He played for Slovan Bratislava, Bohemians, Dukla Prague and Sparta Prague.
As a football manager he coached ...
(July–December 2002)
* Jiří Kotrba (February 2003 – March 2004)
*František Straka
František "Franz" Straka (born 28 May 1958) is a Czech former football player and manager of Fotbal Třinec.
Biography
Playing career
Straka played most notably for Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to Germany and spent the rest of his playi ...
(March 2004 – December 2004)
* Jaroslav Hřebík (December 2004 – December 2005)
*Stanislav Griga
Stanislav Griga (born 4 November 1961) is a Slovak football manager and former player. He played 34 matches for Czechoslovakia and scored eight goals.
Career
Griga was a participant in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and had a headed goal controversia ...
(December 2005 – August 2006)
*Michal Bílek
Michal Bílek (born 13 April 1965) is a football manager and former player. He led the Czech Republic national football team for four years between 2009 and 2013. As a player, he represented Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at internation ...
(September 2006 – June 2008)
*Jozef Chovanec
Jozef Chovanec (born 7 March 1960) is a Czech former professional football player and manager.
Playing career
As a player, Chovanec spent almost his whole career at Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to the Netherlands, to play briefly for PSV ...
(June – July 2008)
*Vítězslav Lavička
Vítězslav Lavička (; born 30 April 1963) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a player, Lavička played for several Czech clubs, including Škoda Plzeň, RH Cheb and Sparta Prague. He played one season towards t ...
(July – October 2008)
*Jozef Chovanec
Jozef Chovanec (born 7 March 1960) is a Czech former professional football player and manager.
Playing career
As a player, Chovanec spent almost his whole career at Sparta Prague. In 1988, he moved to the Netherlands, to play briefly for PSV ...
(October 2008 – December 2011)
*Martin Hašek
Martin Hašek (born 11 October 1969 in Pardubice) is a former Czech football midfielder and current football coach.
Football career
During his extensive playing career, Hašek played professionally for SKP Union Cheb, FC Slovan Liberec, Sparta ...
(December 2011 – May 2012)
*Vítězslav Lavička
Vítězslav Lavička (; born 30 April 1963) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a player, Lavička played for several Czech clubs, including Škoda Plzeň, RH Cheb and Sparta Prague. He played one season towards t ...
(July 2012 – April 2015)
*Zdeněk Ščasný
Zdeněk Ščasný (born 9 August 1957) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Ščasný has won the Czech league championship five timesthree times as a player and twice as a coachand the Czech Cup three timestwice as a player and once ...
(April 2015 – September 2016)
*David Holoubek
David Holoubek (born 8 June 1980) is a Czech football manager who is currently the manager of Czech Republic U19.
Career Early career
In his player career he played in 3rd Czech league.
His manager career started in Humpolec. He moved to Pragu ...
(September 2016 – December 2016)
* Tomáš Požár (December 2016 – March 2017)
*Petr Rada
Petr Rada (born 21 August 1958) is a Czech football coach and former player. He represented Czechoslovakia internationally in the 1980s and managed the Czech Republic national football team between 2008 and 2009. He is well known for his argume ...
(March 2017 – May 2017)
*Andrea Stramaccioni
Andrea Stramaccioni (; born 9 January 1976) is an Italian football manager and former player who last managed Qatari club Al Gharafa.
A football coach with experiences as a youth coach of Roma and Inter Milan, he was put in charge of first tea ...
(May 2017 – March 2018)
* Pavel Hapal (March 2018 – July 2018)
*Zdeněk Ščasný
Zdeněk Ščasný (born 9 August 1957) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Ščasný has won the Czech league championship five timesthree times as a player and twice as a coachand the Czech Cup three timestwice as a player and once ...
(August 2018 – April 2019)
* Michal Horňák (April 2019 – June 2019)
* Václav Jílek (June 2019 – February 2020)
* Václav Kotal (February 2020 – February 2021)
*Pavel Vrba
Pavel Vrba (born 6 December 1963) is a Czech football manager and former player. He is known for applying an offensive football philosophy in the teams he coaches.
As a player, Vrba played for several clubs including Baník Ostrava. As a coach, ...
(February 2021 – May 2022)
* Michal Horňák (May 2022)
*Brian Priske
Brian Priske Pedersen (born 14 May 1977) is a Danish professional football manager and former player, who is the current head coach of Czech First League club Sparta Prague. Priske played as a defender during his playing career.
He played 24 ma ...
(June 2022 – present)
Current technical staff
European statistics
The following is a list of the all-time statistics from Sparta's games in the three UEFA tournaments it has participated in, as well as the overall total. The list contains the tournament, the number of games played (Pld), won (W), drawn (D) and lost (L). The statistics include qualification matches.
:''As of 24 February 2022''
UEFA club coefficient ranking
''As of 12 February 2021, Source
'
Honours
Domestic
Czechoslovak First League
The Czechoslovak First League ( cs, 1. fotbalová liga, sk, 1. futbalová liga) was the premier football league in the Czechoslovakia from 1925 to 1993, with the exception of World War II. Czechoslovakia was occupied by German forces who for ...
/ Czech First League
The Czech First League, known as the Fortuna liga for sponsorship reasons, is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Seasons typically r ...
:
*Champions (33): 1925–26, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1952, 1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2013–14
Czechoslovak Cup/ Czech Cup:
*Winners (15): 1963–64, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2019–20
Czech Supercup
The Czech Supercup () was an annual football match between the winners of the Czech First League and the Czech Cup, organised by the Czech Football Association. It was last sponsored by Synot Tip and was therefore officially known as the Synot Tip ...
:
*Winners (2): 2010, 2014
Continental
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
/ European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
:
*''Semi-Final (1):'' 1991–92
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...
:
*''Semi Final (1):'' 1972–73
Mitropa Cup
The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale or Central European Cup, was one of the first international major European football cups for club sides. It was conducted among the successor states of the former Austria-Hunga ...
(Central European Cup):
*Winners (3): 1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
...
, 1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
, 1964
Worldwide
Small Club World Cup
The Small Club World Cup ( es, Pequeña Copa del Mundo) was a football tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1975 (with some journalists considering 1952–57 the period of greatest relevance, and the second period that took place between 1 ...
(Pequeña Copa del Mundo de Clubes):
* Winners (1): 1969
Club records
*Biggest home win: Sparta Prague 12–0 Galatasaray SK
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
( 1921–22)
Czech First League records
*Best position: 1st ''(see Honours
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
)''
*Worst position: 5th ( 2005–06, 2017–18)
*Biggest home win: Sparta 7–0 České Budějovice
České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše.
České Budějovice is t ...
( 1999–2000)
*Biggest away win: Žižkov 1–6 Sparta ( 1998–99), Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...
0–5 Sparta ( 2001–02), Most 0–5 Sparta ( 2007–08), Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
0–5 Sparta ( 2010–11)
*Biggest home defeat: Sparta 0–3 Jablonec ( 2006–07), Sparta 1–4 Slavia ( 2008–09), Sparta 0–3 Liberec
Liberec (; german: Reichenberg ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants and it is the fifth-largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well prese ...
( 2011–12), Sparta 0–3 Mladá Boleslav
Mladá Boleslav (; german: Jungbunzlau) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 42,000 inhabitants.
Mladá Boleslav is the second most populated city in the region and a major centre of the Czech automotive ind ...
( 2011–12), Sparta 0–3 Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabitants.
The city is known worldwid ...
( 2015–16), Sparta 0–3 Slavia ( 2019–20)
*Biggest away defeat: Plzeň 4–0 Sparta ( 2018–19), Slovácko 4–0 Sparta ( 2021–22)
Notes
References
External links
Official website
at UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparta Prague
Football clubs in the Czech Republic
Association football clubs established in 1893
Prague, Sparta
Prague, Sparta
Multi-sport clubs in the Czech Republic
1893 establishments in Austria-Hungary
19th-century establishments in Bohemia
Prague, Sparta
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...
Football clubs in Austria-Hungary