History of the club
A Brief History of Army Ústí nad Labem – ‘Mr František Plička’s Retrospective’
Last year, Ústí nad Labem Football Club celebrated its ninetieth anniversary. It began under the name Slávia. Its members included footballers, alongside those from other sports. No detailed records from this period have survived.
It is only from after 1945 that full records of league and cup matches, including goal scorers, are available, along with league tables for each season and team squads. There is also a complete overview of all international matches (by 2017, Ústí had played 150; the first ever took place on 24 June 1947, with SK Ústí beating WAC Wien 4–1!). The archive also contains photographic documentation.
The newly formed Czech Sports Club (ČSK) Ústí nad Labem was officially founded on 6 August 1945 at a general meeting held at the National House (J. Šrámek was elected chairman). The club was placed in Division 1B within the Raděj District, based in Most (alongside Chabařovice, Krásné Březno, Trmice, etc.) and initially played its matches in Předlice, before moving to the Municipal Stadium roughly a year later.
The 1945/1946 season brought a surprise: Chabařovice were promoted at the expense of Ústí nad Labem! In the following season, the teams swapped positions and ČSK Ústí n.L. logically became the district’s top club for several decades…
The ‘Golden Fifties’, when Arma played amongst the elite of Czechoslovak football in the First League, twice – in 1952 and during the 1958/1959 season! This period was wonderfully and aptly chronicled by Mr Stanislav Ehnert in his book *Arma do toho* (published in 2006).
In 1951, a marathon of matches awaited Ústí fans, who travelled to cheer on their lads even at away fixtures. In the newly established Czechoslovak Cup, the semi-finalists qualified for the national championship (First League) – among them Armaturka Ústí. For the first time in history! (Regional competitions played with no chance of promotion?!)
Their debut in the top flight did not go to plan. The newcomers’ enthusiasm could not make up for their lack of experience. Playing under purely amateur conditions on an unsuitable clay-surface pitch, the team did achieve a few impressive results (a 1–0 win against ATK at Strahov, a 4–2 home win over Sparta!), but it wasn’t enough to avoid relegation…
The following season saw a reorganisation, and the league – or, more precisely, the national championship – was completely overhauled. Voluntary sports organisations were established by decree. ‘Armaturka’ was renamed Spartak (heavy and general engineering). It is a curious fact that some clubs, such as Baník, Slovan, Sparta and Slavoj, have retained their designated names to this day.
Time marched on. In 1956, Karel Kosař took over as manager and, as it later turned out, went on to become one of the most successful and popular managers. In the 1957/1958 season, Spartak Ústí nad Labem finished in second place, securing promotion! The long-awaited First League returned to Ústí nad Labem for the second time! 26 June 1957 was a memorable day for the people of Ústí, when the grass pitch was opened at the 1st May Stadium. Spartak went into the 1958/1959 league season with a fair amount of optimism. Unfortunately, the loss of two points meant relegation. Arma – or Spartak, if you prefer – with arguably the best team in its entire history, ‘danced for just one summer’ once again.
And this was a period of football euphoria across the whole of Czechoslovakia, and indeed in Ústí nad Labem. The national team fought their way to the final of the 1962 World Cup in Chile, where they lost to Brazil (1–3).
Ústí nad Labem had two representatives in the Second Division during the 1961/1962 and 1962/1963 seasons – Spartak and Chemička.
Another successful spell for Spartak in the Second League. Between 1968 and 1972, they even played against Slovakian sides! Worth noting is Spartak’s tour of the Arab countries of Syria and Lebanon. In December 1969, Arma played five matches there in front of television cameras. “Time has moved on…”
Following the abolition of the Second League from the 1977–1978 season, Spartak played alternately in the Czech National League and, following further reorganisations, in the First or Second Czechoslovak National League.
Whilst Czech society rejoiced and believed in a better future following the Velvet Revolution in November 1989, the years 1989 and 1990 are etched in black in Army’s history. The knockout blow for Ústí football came with its expulsion from the Second National Football League. In the 1989/1990 season, the disciplinary committee suspended Spartak to the regional league “for accepting bribes and subsequently influencing the result”. The 1 May Stadium was draped in black cloth.
Following the division of Czechoslovakia into two separate states (from 1 January 1993), the football competitions were, understandably, also split.
From the regional league to the very gates of the First League?!
In 1991, businessman Oldřich Suchánek made a bold entry into Ústí football with his company GGS (GamesGastronomic Sport) and sponsored the Ústí football club. Opinions differ on his involvement in Ústí football, yet he left a significant mark on the game. Attendances in the tens of thousands were the norm (at least during successful periods; for example, the fourth round of the ČMFS Cup – Ústí v Sparta – attracted 8,000 spectators!).
In the 1992/1993 season, both Ústí region division sides – FK GGS Ústí n.L. and Český Lev Tonaso Neštěmice – were promoted to the Czech Football League (the third-highest division)! The following 1993/1994 season saw GGS, after five years of effort, secure another promotion from the ČFL to the Second League (Neštěmice, by contrast, were unable to avoid relegation).
The most promising, most dramatic and most controversial season was the 1994/1995 season, in which three points were awarded for a win for the first time. After the autumn half of the season, Arma were full of hope and held a sensational second place, on the verge of promotion to the First League. The spring season ruined everything! An apparently dire financial situation led to a crisis within the club. A 3–2 win over Blšany – the first ever televised match from Ústí nad Labem – offered little consolation. Finishing in eighth place was a bitter disappointment. That was the beginning of the end. Arma played another two seasons in the Second League, but by then Suchánek’s ‘Titanic’ was already beginning to sink.
The 1997/1998 season was a dismal affair. The catastrophic scenario became a reality. Last place after the autumn. Ústí was expelled by the Second League clubs’ committee for failing to field a team for three matches in the spring season and was fined 3 million…
The 1998/1999 season was played without any teams representing the regional capital! The honour of the region was saved by Český Lev Neštěmice, who were successfully playing their sixth season in the division. A sporting gesture was the signing of a contract between FK N.R.C. Všebořice (First Division A) and the newly established Ústí nad Labem Football Club (8 October 1998).
From the 1999/2000 season onwards, therefore, it was back to square one. The newcomer to the regional championship started with vigour, but gradually ran out of steam and finished in fourth place. Whilst the well-established ČL Neštěmice team entered the fray for points in competitions organised by the ČMFS for the ninth year running, its rival, Městský fotbalový klub Ústí nad Labem – building on the traditions of SK, Armaturky, Spartak and GGS, finds itself in its second year of revival, a period full of turmoil and unexpected changes! MFK Ústí nad Labem is following in the footsteps of the Neštěmice players from the summer of 1992 and, having finished fourth in the regional league, thanks to a fortunate turn of events and a grant from the city treasury (for the first time since the Velvet Revolution), unexpectedly found itself back where it undeniably belongs by tradition – in the national league (albeit through diplomacy and administrative channels).
In the 2000/2001 division season – 4th Neštěmice, 10th FK Ústí n.L.
The 2002/2003 and 2003/2004 seasons. Those were marvellous years, which brought two consecutive promotions! Sporting director V. Musílek, having learnt from Suchánek’s previous (failure), appointed Václav Rys as manager – arguably the greatest expert on Ústí football – and it was he who forged a team that pulled together as one!
The 2004/2005 season. Hola, hola – the league is calling! Albeit ‘only’ the second division. But thank goodness for it! The successful manager Václav Rys is replaced by Michal Zach. There are also (in the opinion of laymen) insensitive changes to the squad. The partnership with Teplice regarding player loans continues. The playing surface at the Municipal Stadium was being renovated (new turf, tartan track), so matches were played at the dignified Stínadel ground in Teplice. The poor attendance figures did not reflect the importance of the competition. The result was accordingly – 12th place, not great!
The following 2005/2006 season was another hectic one for football in Ústí. After 17 years of essentially ignoring the most popular sport, the local city councillors finally decided to give football a helping hand! It was impossible to find a sponsor in Ústí nad Labem. Privatised industry had, in many cases, fallen into the hands of foreign investors, unfortunately… Where there’s nothing to be had, not even the devil (sport, football) will take it… Grants from the association go towards the running and operation of the youth teams.
Jiří Plíšek was appointed manager (among other things, the man who discovered the most expensive player ever to play for Ústí – Edin Džeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)). Once again, there was a significant overhaul of the squad. Crucially, the club was granted an exemption by the Czech Football Association (ČMFS) and so, after a seventeen-month hiatus, returned from exile. Portable units containing changing rooms and toilet facilities were installed at the Municipal Stadium (a rarity for a regional capital), whilst blue laminate seats were fitted to the ageing stands. To round things off, the most important point: finishing third behind Kladno and České Budějovice was more than just a consolation!
The 2006/2007 season and we’re heading into the final stretch. By this point, Svatopluk Habanec had entered the Ústí football scene; he went on to become, as it later turned out, one of the most successful managers in the club’s history!
2007/2008 – the start of Svatopluk’s highly successful era… Following a poor start to the autumn season, Svatopluk Habanec took over the managerial reins from Libor Palu in the 7th round. In the end, Arma finished in 12th place. Perhaps the only positive was the opening of the new, so-called ‘small’ stand, seating 526 spectators (a bit of a local league setup, don’t you think? Oh well…).
2008/2009 – For the fifth year running, FK Ústí nad Labem played in the Second League, equalling the record set between 1959 and 1964! A positive development was the permanent signing of several players who had previously been on loan. The highlight was a 1–0 victory over Bohemians Prague at the Dolíček ground in Vršovice.
2009/2010 – after fifty-one years, Arma is in the First League! The decision was made both on the pitch and behind closed doors. The league assembly approved Ústí nad Labem’s participation in the First League by a majority vote. Fortunately, sporting considerations prevailed over speculation! Thanks to František Hrdlička, Arma will play its matches in Teplice. The stadium in Ústí did not meet league regulations.
2010/2011 – Hello, Czechoslovak Football Association! So we’ve finally made it! Unfortunately, ‘third time lucky’ didn’t quite pan out. Arma, struggling whilst in exile, couldn’t keep up with the rest of the league. On the plus side, there were a few solid results. The derby against Teplice ended 0–2 (watched by over 7,000 spectators), with the return fixture ending 1–2. League table: 1. Plzeň 69, 2. Sparta 68, … 15. Brno 24, 16. Ústí nad Labem 19 points.
2011/2012 – Does a feast always be followed by a fast? Not in this case, as far as Arma is concerned! On the contrary, they delighted their supporters. Instead of falling into crisis, the team pulled together and, despite the negative predictions, is steadily marching towards promotion, “but at the same time, it is slipping further away with every round. The renovation of the substandard stadium has not progressed by even a millimetre over the past year, and the Second League leaders can no longer count on any further exemptions. Instead of a return to the top flight, they may, paradoxically, face relegation to the Third League (quoted from Deník Sport)”. Arma won the league by six points ahead of Jihlava. Due to its substandard facilities – as was, after all, to be expected – it did not receive the necessary approval from the FAČR licensing committee…
2012/2013 – “The season’s over – forget about it.” That’s how František Štván aptly summed up this campaign. After six and a half years, coaching legend Svatopluk Habanec stepped down, replaced by former international Přemysl Bičovský. The final 10th-place finish didn’t go down well with the spoilt Ústí fans – hardly surprising. However, the ice began to crack and, incidentally, there were signs of better times ahead! In April, spectators and supporters bid farewell to the old main stand (dating from 1927!). Demolition work began. Fans started going to the ‘Pod Holoměří’ stand.
2013/2014 – Another change of manager. Lukáš Přerost replaced Přemysl Bičovský. A rather respectable fourth place after the autumn. Promotion ambitions and hopes were dashed in the spring. Arma eventually finished seventh, having lost their motivation. The disappointment was undoubtedly eased by the stadium’s renovation – a project that dragged on and was postponed like one of those endless Czech TV soap operas… A new main stand with modern toilet facilities was completed. Floodlights and a heated pitch were installed. The stadium has a capacity of 4,000 spectators; the work was carried out by the Most-based firm MetallQuatro. Construction began in March 2013. After many years of promises and delays, the people of Ústí no longer need to be ashamed of their football sanctuary, whose stand soars towards the heavens like New York skyscrapers! Ústí fans were admitted to the stands of Ústí’s marvel for the first time on Friday 5 September 2014, during the third-round FAČR Cup match between Ústí and Liberec (0–3). On 19 September, the first match under floodlights took place in the Ústí v Vlašim fixture, paving the way for the official opening the following day. The Mayor, Vít Mandík, together with football legend Antonín Panenka, cut the ribbon and symbolically handed the grounds over to the athletes.
Ústí’s Municipal Stadium experienced its ‘D-Day’ on 22 March 2017, when the Czech Republic faced Lithuania in a pre-season international friendly – 3:0 (0:0), in front of 3,959 spectators.
This is where this nostalgic retrospective – at times chaotic, at times fragmentary – comes to an end. I wish all players, past and present, coaches, officials, supporters and fans of Army Ústí nad Labem every happiness, and joy from their performances and results in the seasons to come!