Maritsa () is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, currently playing in the Third League, the third level of

Bulgarian football league system The Bulgarian football league system or the Bulgarian football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Bulgaria. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and ...

. It was established in 1921, after the merger of the teams Vampir and Trite Konski Sili. The club plays its home games at Maritsa Stadium, located in the city's northern district. The team's biggest success is playing in Bulgaria's top division four times, in 1967–68, 1969–70, 1970–71 and 1996–97. They have also reached the semifinals of the

Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup () is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament's format is ''single-elimination'', with all matche ...

once, in 1996–97. The club is particularly famous for its renowned youth program that has produced many Bulgarian talents over the years –

Hristo Stoichkov Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (; born 8 February 1966) is a Bulgarian former professional Association football, footballer and current football commentator for TUDN. A prolific Forward (association football), forward, he is widely regarded as the g ...

Dinko Dermendzhiev Dinko Tsvetkov Dermendzhiev (; 2 June 1941 – 1 May 2019), nicknamed Chico was a Bulgarian footballer and coach. Club career Dinko Dermendzhiev began his youth career in Maritsa Plovdiv. Initially, he played as a goalkeeper, although later he ...

, Aleksandar Aleksandrov. Bulgarian national first-team players Georgi Georgiev,

Kostadin Vidolov Kostadin Todorov Vidolov (; born 2 May 1970) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. In his career, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Botev Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, Levski Sofia, Spartak Plovdiv, Beroe Stara Zagora, ...

, Krassimir Chomakov, Valeri Domovchiyski, Yordan Todorov,

Asen Nikolov Asen Nikolov may refer to: * Asen Nikolov (footballer) * Asen Nikolov (boxer) * Asen Nikolov (officer) {{hndis, Nikolov, Asen ...

had also came through the ranks at Maritsa. The team is named ''Maritsa'' after the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

of the same name, which flows past

History

Early years

FC Maritsa was founded on 20 September 1921, after the Union of three smaller teams. The team, up until 1967, competed in either the second or third divisions of Bulgarian football, usually in the shadows of the much more popular and successful other teams from Plovdiv, namely Botev, Lokomotiv, and Spartak.

First Tastes of Top Football

1967 is arguably one of the most important years in the club's history, because that is when Maritsa managed to promote to the A Group for the first time ever. Maritsa's first season in the elite was largely unsuccessful. The team finished last (16th), with only 6 wins, 5 draws, and 19 losses. This earned them only 17 points, which was eight points below the safety zone, thus resulting in relegation after a single season. Maritsa, however, did not have to wait long for their second season in the top level. This came just two seasons after their relegation, for season 1969–70. This time Maritsa managed to win 10 games and draw 3 times, earning them 23 points. This was enough for the team to ensure safety from relegation, as

Minyor Pernik FC Minyor () is a football club in Pernik, Bulgaria, currently competing in the Second League, the second tier of Bulgarian football. Founded in 1919 as SC Krakra, the club's home ground since 1954 has been Stadion Minyor. The club's name comes ...

and Beroe were relegated instead. Maritsa's third season in the elite was less successful, however. The team finished last, with only 4 wins and a total of 17 losses, only earning them 17 points, ending in relegation once more. This ended Maritsa's two-year spell in the elite category.

Lower Leagues and Return Among the Best

Between 1971 and 1996, Maritsa bounced between the second and third tiers of Bulgarian football. This changed in 1996, when Maritsa promoted back to the A PFG after a 25-year absence from the top level of football. Their return proved to be difficult. Maritsa fought bravely against relegation, however that was not enough, as the team placed 14th, three points behind

Etar The Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex (, usually referred to as Етъра, Etara) is an open-air museum near Gabrovo in northern Bulgaria. It is on the northern edge of the Bulgarka Nature Park, between the park and the city of Gabrovo. ...

, thus was relegated again. To date, this is the last appearance in the top level for Maritsa.

2017–present: Return to professional football

In 2016–17 Third League season Maritsa Plovdiv finished second in their regional division, but gained promotion, because the first ranked team – FC Zagorets declined the offer to participate in the Second Professional League. On 16 June 2017 the club signed a contract with

Botev Plovdiv Profesionalen Futbolen Klub Botev AD, commonly referred to as Botev Plovdiv (, ), or simply Botev (within its associated city), is a Bulgarian professional Association football, football club based in Plovdiv. It competes in the First Professiona ...

for collaboration. Botev sent 5 players on loan and allowed Maritsa to play their home games on their training base, the

Botev 1912 Football Complex Nikola Shterev - Starika Sports Complex () or simply Starika is a football complex in Komatevo, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It serves as the training grounds of Botev Plovdiv and as a home to its reserve team and youth academy. For nearly ten years, ...

, until Maritsa Stadium is altered for professional matches. Maritsa was, however, relegated back to the third tier after only one season in the second league. In 2021, Maritsa again achieved promotion to the Second League, winning the 2020–21 Southeast Third League. Maritsa managed to secure a ninth-place finish in the 2021–22 season in the second tier.

Youth academy

The club is particularly famous for its renowned youth program that has produced many Bulgarian talents over the years –

, Aleksandar Aleksandrov. Bulgarian national first-team players Georgi Georgiev,

, Krassimir Chomakov, Valeri Domovchiyski, Yordan Todorov,

Asen Nikolov Asen Nikolov may refer to: * Asen Nikolov (footballer) * Asen Nikolov (boxer) * Asen Nikolov (officer) {{hndis, Nikolov, Asen ...

had also came through the ranks at Maritsa.

Honours

Domestic

* First League: ** Fourtheenth (2): 1969–70, 1996–97 *

: ** Semifinals (1): 1996–97 * Second League: ** Winners (1): 1995–96 * Third League: ** Winners (1):

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Past seasons

League positions

ImageSize = width:1350 height:60 PlotArea = left:10 right:10 bottom:30 top:10 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/2025 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1984 Colors = id:bl1 value:rgb(0.5,0.8,0.5) id:bl2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.3) id:rs value:rgb(0.8,0.6,0.6) id:rn value:rgb(0.9,0.1,0.1) PlotData= bar:Position width:16 color:white align:center from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 shift:(0,-4) text:16 from:01/07/1983 till:01/07/1984 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B Group" from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1985 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1986 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1986 till:01/07/1987 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1987 till:01/07/1988 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/1989 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1989 till:01/07/1990 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1990 till:01/07/1991 shift:(0,-4) text:3 from:01/07/1991 till:01/07/1992 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1992 till:01/07/1993 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1984 till:01/07/1993 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V Group" from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1994 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/1994 till:01/07/1995 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/1995 till:01/07/1996 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/1993 till:01/07/1996 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B Group" from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 shift:(0,-4) text:14 from:01/07/1996 till:01/07/1997 color:green shift:(0,14) text: " A Group" from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/1998 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/1998 till:01/07/1999 shift:(0,-4) text:4 from:01/07/1999 till:01/07/2000 shift:(0,-4) text:15 from:01/07/1997 till:01/07/2000 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B Group" from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2001 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2002 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2002 till:01/07/2003 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2003 till:01/07/2004 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2004 till:01/07/2005 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2000 till:01/07/2005 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V Group" from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2006 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2006 till:01/07/2007 shift:(0,-4) text:10 from:01/07/2007 till:01/07/2008 shift:(0,-4) text:6 from:01/07/2008 till:01/07/2009 shift:(0,-4) text:15 from:01/07/2005 till:01/07/2009 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " B Group" from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2010 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2010 till:01/07/2011 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2009 till:01/07/2011 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V Group" from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2011 till:01/07/2012 color:blue shift:(0,14) text: B Regional from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2013 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2013 till:01/07/2014 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2012 till:01/07/2014 color:yellow shift:(0,14) text: " A Regional" from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2015 shift:(0,-4) text:11 from:01/07/2015 till:01/07/2016 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2014 till:01/07/2016 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " V Group" from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2016 till:01/07/2017 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " 3rd" from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 shift:(0,-4) text:14 from:01/07/2017 till:01/07/2018 color:white shift:(0,14) text: "

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

" from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2019 shift:(0,-4) text:5 from:01/07/2019 till:01/07/2020 shift:(0,-4) text:2 from:01/07/2020 till:01/07/2021 shift:(0,-4) text:1 from:01/07/2018 till:01/07/2021 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " 3rd League" from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2022 shift:(0,-4) text:9 from:01/07/2022 till:01/07/2023 shift:(0,-4) text:7 from:01/07/2023 till:01/07/2024 shift:(0,-4) text:17 from:01/07/2021 till:01/07/2024 color:white shift:(0,14) text: " 2nd League" from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025 shift:(0,-4) text: from:01/07/2024 till:01/07/2025 color:red shift:(0,14) text: " 3rd"

Current squad

''For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2023 and Transfers winter 2023–24.''

Personnel

Current technical body

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or have more than 100 league appearance. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries. ;Bulgaria * Aleksandar Aleksandrov * Marin Bakalov * Krasimir Chomakov *

* Valeri Domovchiyski * Georgi Georgiev * Georgi Hristov * Yordan Hristov * Nikolay Kirov * Petar Kurdov * Stanislav Malamov * Dimitar Marashliev * Veselin Marchev * Ivan Mekikov *

Dimitar Mladenov Dimitar Mladenov (; born 12 March 1962) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, A ...

Asen Nikolov Asen Nikolov may refer to: * Asen Nikolov (footballer) * Asen Nikolov (boxer) * Asen Nikolov (officer) {{hndis, Nikolov, Asen ...

Iliya Nikolov Iliya Nikolov (; born 14 July 1986) is a Bulgarian footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Maritsa Plovdiv. He is also acting as goalkeeping coach. Career Nikolov started his career in his home town Haskovo in the local team FC Haskovo, bef ...

* Dimitar Popov * Zapryan Rakov *

* Yordan Todorov *

;Europe * Armen Ambartsumyan ;Asia * Aleksey Dionisiev

References

External links

Club Profile at bgclubs.eu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maritsa Plovdiv Association football clubs established in 1921 Football clubs in Bulgaria 1921 establishments in Bulgaria