FC Zbrojovka Brno is a professional

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 c ...

club based in the city of

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 ...

, South Moravia, Czech Republic and named after

Zbrojovka Brno Pre-war Československá zbrojovka, akc.spol. (or a.s.) (Czechoslovak Armory)and post-war Zbrojovka Brno, n.p.(Brno Armory) was a maker of small arms, light artillery, and motor vehicles in Brno, Czechoslovakia. It also made other products and ...

, a firearms manufacturer. Founded in 1913 as SK Židenice, the club later became known as Zbrojovka Brno. Brno won the

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 formed ...

in the 1977–78 season and finished as runners-up in 1979–80.

History

The club, initially known as SK Židenice, played in the top tier of Czechoslovak football from 1933 until suffering relegation in the

1946–47 Czechoslovak First League Statistics of Czechoslovak First League in the 1946–47 season. Overview It was contested by 14 teams, and Slavia Prague won the championship. Josef Bican was the league's top scorer with 43 goals. AC Sparta toured Great Britain opening with a ...

. During this period, the club entered 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-Hungar ...

three times, reaching the quarter finals in 1935 as well as taking part in the competition in 1936 and 1938. Between 1950 and 1962 the club played outside the top tier, returning in the

1962–63 Czechoslovak First League Statistics of Czechoslovak First League in the 1962–63 season. Overview It was contested by 14 teams, and Dukla Prague won the championship. Karel Petroš was the league's top scorer with 19 goals. Stadia and locations League standings Res ...

. Five seasons elapsed before the club was again relegated, in 1967. They then spent four years in the second tier of Czechoslovak football before returning to the top flight. In the 1970s the club was a strong force in the country, winning the

in 1978, finishing third the following season and being runners up in 1980. The 1980s were less spectacular for Brno, as the club was relegated in 1983, playing until 1989 in the second tier. After just two seasons in the top tier, the club finished last in 1991 and was again relegated. Between 1992 and 2011, Brno played in the top tier of the Czech Republic for 19 consecutive seasons, the longest such spell in the club's history. In 2011, the club was relegated to the second division. In the

2011–12 Czech 2. Liga The 2011–12 Czech 2. Liga is the 19th season of the Czech Second Division, the second tier of the Czech football league. The season began on 5 August 2011 and concluded on 26 May 2012. The winter break commenced after 19 November 2011 and the ...

, the club only managed to finish fourth, missing out on the promotion places. However, due to the stadium requirements of the Czech First League, champions

FK Ústí nad Labem FK Ústí nad Labem is a Czech football club based in the city of Ústí nad Labem. Currently the club plays in the Bohemian Football League. The club has played at the top level of national football on three occasions, most recently in the 2010� ...

as well as third-placed

FK Baník Sokolov FK Baník Sokolov is a Czech football club based in Sokolov. The club plays in the Bohemian Football League, which is the third tier of Czech football. Historical names * 1948 – ''SK HDB Falknov nad Ohří'' * 1948 – ''ZTS Sokol H ...

were ineligible for promotion. As a result, Brno won promotion immediately back to the top tier. In 2018, the club was relegated to the second division. In the 2018–19 Czech Second League, the club managed to finish third but lost the promotion play-off to

Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and more ...

Historical names

* ''SK Židenice'' (1913–47) * ''Zbrojovka Židenice Brno'' (1947–51) * ''Zbrojovka Brno'' (1951–56) * ''Spartak ZJŠ Brno'' (1956–68) * ''Zbrojovka Brno'' (1968–92) * ''Boby Brno'' (1992–2000) * ''Stavo Artikel Brno'' (2000–02) * ''1. FC Brno'' (2002–10) * ''Zbrojovka Brno'' (2010–) In 1962, there was an amalgamation between

Rudá Hvězda Brno Rudá Hvezda Brno, also known as Red Star Brno and RH Brno was a Czechoslovak football club from the city of Brno. The club existed from 1956 until 1962, playing four seasons in the Czechoslovak First League, the country's top flight. After the 1 ...

(1956–62) and ''Spartak ZJŠ Brno''.

European competitions

Brno have competed a number of times in European competitions, reaching the second round of the

1978–79 European Cup The 1978–79 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by English champions Nottingham Forest in the final against Swedish side Malmö FF. Forest, enjoying a great run of success under Brian Clough, had defeated defending two-ti ...

in their only appearance to date in the competition. The club played in the

1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup The 1993–94 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by English club Arsenal, who beat defending champions Parma in the final. The tournament would be renamed to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the following season. Teams Lithuania, Latvia, Es ...

but lost in the first round. Brno took part in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

three times, reaching the quarter finals in 1979–80 and also playing in 1980–81 and 1997–98. Because

was a major fairs city of Czechoslovakia, teams from Brno played in the

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European Association football, football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It is often considered the predecess ...

in the 1960s. It was

Spartak KPS Brno FC LeRK Brno was a Czech football club from the city of Brno. The club existed from 1910 until 1995, playing a single season in the Czechoslovak First League in 1961/62 under the name of Spartak Brno KPS. In the same season, the club took part in ...

who participated first, then

Spartak ZJŠ Brno FC Zbrojovka Brno is a professional football club based in the city of Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic and named after Zbrojovka Brno, a firearms manufacturer. Founded in 1913 as SK Židenice, the club later became known as Zbrojovka Brno. ...

(Zbrojovka) played five times in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in a row, reaching the quarter finals in 1963–64. Brno (then SK Židenice) competed in the

three times before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, reaching the quarter finals in 1935.

played in the

1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup The 1960–61 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup club football tournament was won by Italian club Fiorentina in two-legged final victory against Rangers of Scotland. Organised by the Mitropa Cup committee, this tournament's edition was recog ...

, reaching the quarter finals, after winning Czechoslovak Cup in 1960.

Stadium

Brno have played at

Městský fotbalový stadion Srbská Městský fotbalový stadion Srbská is a multi-purpose stadium in Brno, Czech Republic. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FC Zbrojovka Brno. The stadium holds 12,550 people and was built in 1926. The club ...

since 2001, when they moved from previous home

Stadion Za Lužánkami The Stadion Za Lužánkami is a closed stadium in Brno, Czech Republic. It was primarily used for football, and was the home ground of FC Zbrojovka Brno. It held up to 50,000 people. The stadium was constructed between 1949 and 1953 and was the b ...

. In the 1990s, Brno attracted record crowds to their football matches, with Za Lužánkami as the venue for all of the top ten most-attended Czech First League matches. The highest attendance for a Brno match is 44,120, set in a league match against Slavia Prague.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Reserve squad

''To see Zbrojovka Brno's reserve squad, go to

FC Zbrojovka Brno B FC Zbrojovka Brno is a professional football club based in the city of Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic and named after Zbrojovka Brno, a firearms manufacturer. Founded in 1913 as SK Židenice, the club later became known as Zbrojovka Brno. Br ...

Notable former players

Oldřich Rulc Oldřich Rulc (28 March 1911 – 4 April 1969) was a Czechoslovakian international football player. Career Rulc played club football for Sparta Prague and SK Židenice (currently FC Zbrojovka Brno). He also made 17 appearances and scored two g ...

Vlastimil Bubník Vlastimil Bubník (; 18 March 1931 – 6 January 2015) was a Czech ice hockey player and footballer. Bubník was born in Kelč, Czechoslovakia, and played in the Czechoslovak Extraliga. He played for HC Brno and Královo Pole. He also w ...

Karel Lichtnégl Karel Lichtnégl (30 August 1936 – 15 January 2015

Ján Popluhár Ján Popluhár (12 September 1935 – 6 March 2011) was a Slovak footballer who primarily played as a sweeper for Slovak club ŠK Slovan Bratislava. At international level, he was also a member of the Czechoslovakia national team, playing in t ...

Rostislav Václavíček Rostislav Václavíček (7 December 1946 – 7 August 2022) was a Czech footballer played as a defender. He was a participant in the 1980 Olympic Games, where Czechoslovakia won the gold medal. In his country he played for Zbrojovka Brno ...

Karel Kroupa Karel Kroupa (born 15 April 1950) is a former Czech football player, considered as legendary player of Zbrojovka Brno. Kroupa played his whole professional career for Zbrojovka Brno. He appeared in 277 league matches and scored 118 goals, becom ...

Karel Jarůšek Karel Jarůšek (born 2 December 1952) is a Czech Republic, Czech football (soccer), football manager and former player. As a player, Jarůšek played mostly for FC Zbrojovka Brno. In 1978, he won the Czechoslovak First League with Zbrojovka. Fr ...

Petr Janečka Petr Janečka (born 25 November 1957 in Gottwaldov) is a former Czechoslovak footballer. He played 39 matches for the Czechoslovakia national team and participated in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. In 1978, he won the Czechoslovak First League with ...

Roman Kukleta Roman Kukleta (22 December 1964 – 26 October 2011) was a Czech footballer who played as a forward. He won three Czechoslovak First League titles with Sparta Prague between 1988 and 1991, during which time he also finished as top scorer of the ...

René Wagner René Wagner (born 31 October 1972) is a Czech football manager and former player. Born in Brno, Wagner played in his career mostly for FC Zbrojovka Brno and SK Rapid Wien in Austria. In April 2011 he was named the manager of FC Zbrojovka Brno ...

Richard Dostálek Richard Dostálek (born 26 April 1974) is a Czech professional association football, football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of FC Zbrojovka Brno, Zbrojovka Brno. He spent most of his Czech First League c ...

* Jan Maroši * Milan Pacanda Some of the biggest Czech football legends played for Brno briefly: *

Karel Pešek Karel "Káďa" Pešek (20 September 1895 in Olomouc, Austria-Hungary – 30 September 1970 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) was a Czechoslovak ice hockey and football player. He played as midfielder for Sparta Prague and the Czechoslovak footba ...

(at the end of career) *

Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican (25 September 1913 – 12 December 2001) was an Austrian-Czech professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the second-most prolific goalscorer in official matches in recorded history according to Rec.Sport.Soccer ...

(at the end of career, as playing manager) *

Ivo Viktor Ivo Viktor (born 21 May 1942 in Křelov) is a Czech former football goalkeeper. He played for Czechoslovakia, representing his country on 63 occasions between 1966 and 1977, taking part in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and winning the 1976 Europea ...

(at the beginning of career)

Player records in the Czech First League

Most appearances

Most goals

Most clean sheets

Current technical staff

Managers

* Václav Vohralík (1926–34) * Jenö Konrád (1934–35) *

Antonín Carvan Antonín Carvan (15 May 1901 – 1 November 1959) was a former Czechoslovak football midfielder. He played 14 games for the Czechoslovakia national football team The Czechoslovakia national football team ( cs, Československá fotbalová r ...

(1935–38) *

Josef Kuchynka Josef Kuchynka (4 August 1894 – 9 January 1979) was a Czechoslovak football manager and former player. He was also part of Czechoslovakia's squad at the 1924 Olympics, but he did not play in any matches. A locksmith by profession, Kuchynka p ...

(1938–41) * Vlastimil Borecký (1941–42) * Josef Smolka (1942–43) * Josef Eremiáš (1943–46) * Matthias Kaburek (1947) * Josef Eremiáš (1947–48) *

Jan Smolka Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

(1948–1949) * Josef Košťálek (1950) * Josef Eremiáš (1951–1952) *

Eduard Farda Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Following the succ ...

(1953–1957) *

(1957) * Josef Machata (1958) * František Čejka (1958–59) * Svatoslav Vrbka (1960) * František Zapletal (1960–62) *

Rudolf Krčil Rudolf Krčil (5 March 1906 – 3 April 1981) was a Czech football player and later manager. He played as a midfielder for several clubs, including Teplitzer FK and Slavia Prague. He made 20 appearances for the Czechoslovakia national team and ...

(1962) * Alfréd Sezemský (1963) * František Zapletal (1964) * Karel Kolský (1964–66) * Karel Nepala (1966–67) * František Čejka (1967) * Josef Jaroš (1967) * Karel Kohlík (1967) * Vratislav Dittrich (1967–68) * Theodor Reimann (1968–69) * Zdeněk Hajský (1969–71) * Alfréd Sezemský (1972) *

František Havránek František Havránek (11 July 1923 – 26 March 2011) was a Czech football manager and former player. He had a daughter, Dagmar Havránková (Karakolevová). As a player, Havránek played for several lower-division Czechoslovak clubs, but neve ...

(1972–76) *

Josef Masopust Josef Masopust (9 February 1931 – 29 June 2015) was a Czech football player and coach. He played as midfielder and was a key player for Czechoslovakia, helping them reach the 1962 FIFA World Cup Final. He was capped 63 times, scoring ten g ...

(1976–80) *

Valér Švec Valér Švec (born 20 July 1935) was a Slovak football player and coach. He played for FC Spartak Trnava. He coached Spartak Trnava, Inter Bratislava, Zbrojovka Brno, Tatran Prešov, Slovan Bratislava, FC Nitra and AEL Limassol Athlitiki E ...

(1980–81) *

Karel Brückner Karel Brückner (; born 13 November 1939, Olomouc) is a Czech retired football coach. Playing career Brückner played as a forward in the lower leagues for MŽ Olomouc, at levels between the Regional Championship and the Second League. He ma ...

(1981–83) *

Josef Bouška Jozef Bouška (born 25 August 1945) is a Czech former footballer. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX ...

(1983) * Viliam Padúch (1984) *

Ján Zachar Ján Zachar (born 1 December 1936) is a Slovak football coach and former player. He coached among others ŠK Slovan Bratislava and MFK Košice. He coached VP Frýdek-Místek, Tatran Prešov, 1. FC Brno, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava and B ...

(1984–85) * Ivan Hrdlička (1985–87) * Rudolf Skarka (1987) *

Petr Pálka Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...

(1987–88) * František Harašta (1988) *

František Cipro František Cipro (born 13 April 1947 in Jihlava) is a retired Czech football manager, known mostly for his work in SK Slavia Prague and SK Dynamo České Budějovice. He was an active player in the past. Playing career Cipro played for Slavia P ...

(1989–90) * Viliam Padúch (1990) *

Karol Dobiaš Karol Dobiaš (born 18 December 1947) is a former Slovak football player and coach. During his career, he was a versatile player, mostly playing as defender or midfielder. Player career He was born in Handlová. His career started in Baník ...

(1990–93) *

(1993) *

Vladimír Táborský Vladimír Táborský (born 28 April 1944) is a retired Czech football player. He played for Czechoslovakia, for which he played 19 matches. In his country he played for Sparta Prague ) but refer to Spartans as "''Rudí''" ( en, The Dark Reds ...

(1993–94) *

Karel Večeřa Karel Večeřa (born 9 October 1955 in Ivančice) is a Czech football manager and former player. In the 2006–09 season he led FC Baník Ostrava. He was very popular and known for his bet with fans of FC Baník Ostrava. Fans said that if Baní ...

(1994) *

Petr Uličný Petr Uličný (born 11 February 1950 in Uničov) is a former Czech football player and manager. Having previously managed Sigma Olomouc until 2006, guiding the club to finishes of third, fourth and ninth, Uličný returned in December 2011. ...

(1994–96) *

(1996–98) *

(1998–2000) * Pavel Tobiáš (2000–01) *

(2001–03) *

(2004–05) *

Jiří Kotrba Jiří Kotrba (born 28 February 1958) is a Czech football manager and former player. As a manager Kotrba led several Czech clubs, gaining success with some of them. In the 2002/2003 season he won the Czech First League with Sparta Prague. In 1 ...

(2005) * Josef Mazura (2005–07) *

(2007–08) *

Aleš Křeček Aleš Křeček (born 26 December 1971) is a Czech former football player and current manager of the Czech Republic U-20. He was appointed manager of Czech 2. Liga side Slovan Varnsdorf in August 2010. In September 2011, Křeček left his po ...

(2008) *

Miroslav Beránek Miroslav Beránek (born 24 April 1957) is a Czech football coach who was most recently the manager of the Slavia Prague. As a player, he played over 100 matches as a defender for Slavia Prague in the 1980s. Coaching career Beránek took charge ...

(2008–10) *

(July 2010 – June 11) *

(July 2011 – Oct 11) * Róbert Kafka (Oct 2011 – Dec 11) * Petr Čuhel (Jan 2012 – Apr 13) *

Ludevít Grmela Ludevít Grmela (born 16 April 1961) is a Czech football manager and former player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a playe ...

(Apr 2013 – Sept 13) *

Václav Kotal Václav Kotal (born 2 October 1952) is a Czech former football player and current manager, currently in charge of Viktoria Žižkov. As a player, he spent ten seasons at Sparta Prague, playing 168 matches in the Czechoslovak First League and winn ...

(Sept 2013 – June 16) *

Svatopluk Habanec Svatopluk Habanec (born 22 September 1969) is a Czech former football player and manager of Třinec. His playing position was defender. Habanec scored 11 goals in 28 games in the 2000–01 Czech 2. Liga, finishing among the leading scorers of ...

(June 2016 – Aug 17) *

(Aug 2017 – Oct 2017) *

Roman Pivarník Roman Pivarník (born 17 February 1967) is a Slovakian football manager and former player. Pivarník's playing career included a stint at SK Sigma Olomouc, which included matches in the inaugural season of the Czech First League. He played 17 ma ...

(Oct 2017 – Aug 2018) * Pavel Šustr (Aug 2018 – Oct 2019) *

Miloslav Machálek Miloslav Machálek (born 20 July 1961) is a Czech professional football manager who last managed Czech First League club Zbrojovka Brno. Early life and career Machálek grew up in Slovácko region village of Slavkov, where he began his career i ...

(Oct 2019 – Dec 2020) *

(Dec 2020 – )

History in domestic competitions

* Seasons spent at Level 1 of the

football league system 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 c ...

: 39 * Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 9 * Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 0 * Seasons spent at Level 4 of the football league system: 0

Czech Republic

Honours

Czechoslovak First League *Winners (1): 1977–78 *Runners-up (1): 1979–80 *3rd Place (4): 1934–35, 1937–38, 1945–46, 1978–79 Czech First League *3rd Place (1): 1994–95 Czechoslovak Amateur League *Winners (1): 1926 Czechoslovak Cup *Winners (1): 1959–60 (Rudá Hvězda) Czech Cup *Runners-up (1): 1992–93

Club records

Czech First League records

*Best position: 3rd ( 1994–95) *Worst position: 16th ( 2017–18) *Biggest home win: Brno 7–0 Slovácko (

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

) *Biggest away win: Olomouc 0–3 Brno ( 1993–94),

Teplice Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The his ...

1–4 Brno ( 2017–18) *Biggest home defeat: Brno 0–5 Sparta Prague (

) *Biggest away defeat: Slavia Prague 6–0 Brno ( 1993–94), Sparta Prague 6–0 Brno ( 2001–02)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zbrojovka Brno Football clubs in the Czech Republic Association football clubs established in 1913 Czechoslovak First League clubs Czech First League clubs Football clubs in Czechoslovakia 1913 establishments in Austria-Hungary 20th-century establishments in Bohemia