Nogometno društvo Gorica, commonly referred to as ND Gorica or simply Gorica, is a Slovenian
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 town of
Nova Gorica
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
. They are one of the most successful Slovenian clubs with four
Slovenian PrvaLiga
The Slovenian PrvaLiga ( sl, Prva slovenska nogometna liga, ), currently named Prva liga Telemach due to sponsorship reasons, also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the top level of the Football in Slovenia, Slovenian football league system. ...
and three
Slovenian Cup
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia
* Sl ...
titles. The club plays its matches at the
Nova Gorica Sports Park
Nova Gorica Sports Park ( sl, Športni park Nova Gorica) is a multi-purpose sports venue in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of ND Gorica. The stadium was built in 1964 and has a capac ...
stadium with the capacity of 3,100 seats. As of the 2022–23 season, Gorica competes in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of
Slovenian football.
History
Yugoslav period (1947–1991)
The history of Slovenian association football in the
Goriška
Goriška is a historical region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. It comprises the northern part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral (''Primorska''). The name ''Goriška'' is an adjective referring to the city of ...
region goes back to 1907, when the first football club Jugoslavija was formed by the
Slovenes of Gorizia.
October 1947 marks the beginning of the club with the foundation of FD Gorica in
Šempeter pri Gorici
Šempeter pri Gorici ( or ; it, San Pietro di Gorizia) is a town and the administrative centre of the Municipality of Šempeter-Vrtojba in the Slovene Littoral region of Slovenia. There is a border crossing into the Italian town of Gorizia. The c ...
, where it operated until 1963.
They started in the second-level but quickly promoted to the
Slovenian Republic League
The Slovenian Republic Football League ( sl, Slovenska republiška nogometna liga) was the highest football league in Slovenia within the Yugoslav football system.
During the time of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia it was known as the Ljubljana Suba ...
in 1950 under the new name Železničar Nova Gorica. Five years later they became republic champions and qualified for the
Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to:
* Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name:
** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...
, which was club's biggest achievement during the time of Yugoslavia. In 1963 the club merged with
Branik Solkan and the club's activity was transferred to
Nova Gorica
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
, where it remains ever since.
They stabilised as a mid-table club in the 1960s, renamed as NK Vozila in 1971 and achieved better results only in the last years before Slovenia's independence. Managed by
Pavel Pinni
Pavel Pinni (born 5 December 1950) is a Slovenian former football manager.
Career
Pinni started his managerial career with Slovenian side Gorica (Slovenia), helping them win 3 consecutive league titles and the 2001–02 Slovenian Football Cup ...
, Vozila finished third in the
1988–89 season of the Slovenian Republic League.
Slovenian independence (1991 to present)
Following Slovenia's independence in 1991, the club played in the
1. SNL under the name HIT Gorica and during the
1995–96 season, Gorica won the Slovenian championship for the first time. In the next season, the club played its first
Slovenian Supercup
The Slovenian Supercup ( sl, Superpokal Slovenije) was a Association football, football match played between the Slovenian PrvaLiga champions and the Slovenian Football Cup, Slovenian Cup winners. Prior 2007, the match was held only twice, in 1995 ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
and won their second trophy with a 3–1 victory over
Olimpija. During the league domination of
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
, the club managed to win two
Slovenian cup
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia
* Sl ...
titles in a row (
2000–01 and
2001–02).
On the last day of the
2003–04 season on 30 May 2004, Gorica won its second title after one of the most dramatic rounds in the Slovenian league history. Before the last round, Maribor was leading the table with 54 points, one point ahead of Gorica. In the final round, Maribor played an away match against their rivals
Mura and Gorica played at home against
Koper
Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...
. Maribor lost the game 2–1 after a second-half comeback by Mura, meaning that Gorica, who eventually won against Koper 2–0, had secured their second title.
The second title started an impressive run for Gorica as the team won another two league titles in a row (
2004–05 and
2005–06). After the last title, Gorica was a runner-up in the
2006–07 and
2008–09 seasons, while finishing third in
2007–08 and
2009–10.
In 2013, Gorica started cooperating with the Italian club
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
.
On 21 May 2014 they won their first trophy after eight years as they defeated Maribor 2–0 in the
cup final.
After 28 seasons in the top division, Gorica was relegated for the first time in the
2018–19 season after losing the relegation play-offs against
Tabor Sežana.
Current squad
Honours
League
*
Slovenian First League
The Slovenian PrvaLiga ( sl, Prva slovenska nogometna liga, ), currently named Prva liga Telemach due to sponsorship reasons, also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the top level of the Slovenian football league system. Contested by ten club ...
**Winners (4):
1995–96,
2003–04,
2004–05,
2005–06
**Runners-up (5):
1998–99,
1999–2000,
2006–07,
2008–09,
2016–17
*
Slovenian Second League
The Slovenian Second Football League ( sl, Druga slovenska nogometna liga or commonly 2. SNL) is the second highest Association football, football league in Slovenia. The league was formed in 1991 and is operated by the Football Association of Slo ...
**Winners:
2021–22
Cup
*
Slovenian Cup
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia
* Sl ...
**Winners (3):
2000–01,
2001–02,
2013–14
**Runners-up:
2004–05
*
Slovenian Supercup
The Slovenian Supercup ( sl, Superpokal Slovenije) was a Association football, football match played between the Slovenian PrvaLiga champions and the Slovenian Football Cup, Slovenian Cup winners. Prior 2007, the match was held only twice, in 1995 ...
**Winners:
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
**Runners-up:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Domestic league and cup results
:
*Best results are highlighted.
European record
''All results (home and away) list Gorica's goal tally first.''
;Notes
* PR: Preliminary round
* Q: Qualifying round
* 1Q: First qualifying round
* 2Q: Second qualifying round
* 3Q: Third qualifying round
* 1R: First round
* 2R: Second round
Notable managers
The following managers have won at least one trophy when in charge of Gorica since Slovenia's independence in 1991:
References
External links
Official websitePrvaLiga profileOfficial UEFA profileSoccerway profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorica, ND
Association football clubs established in 1947
Football clubs in Slovenia
Football clubs in Yugoslavia
1947 establishments in Slovenia