FK Mladá Boleslav is a Czech professional football club based in the city of Mladá Boleslav. Since 2004, the club has been participating in the Czech First League.

Mladá Boleslav
Full nameFotbalový klub Mladá Boleslav a.s.
Nickname(s)Bolka
Founded1902; 122 years ago (1902)
GroundLokotrans Aréna,
Mladá Boleslav
Capacity5,000
ChairmanDavid Trunda
ManagerAndreas Brännström
LeagueCzech First League
2023–245th of 16
Websitewww.fkmb.cz
Current season

In the Czech First League, Mladá Boleslav were runners up in 2005–06 and on third place in 2006–07 and 2013–14. The club won the Czech Cup in 2010–11 and 2015–16. In 2024–25, the club participated in the European Cups for the tenth time and qualified for the group stage for the third time.

History

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1902–1947: Development of football in the city

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The first registered football club in Mladá Boleslav and the official predecessor of FK Mladá Boleslav was Studentská XI. The club then transformed itno S.K. Mladá Boleslav and then to Mladoboleslavský SK, officially founded in 1910.[1]

In 1905, a team called SK Aston Villa Mladá Boleslav, referring to the English club Aston Villa F.C., was founded in Mladá Boleslav. In 1919, SK Aston Villa Mladá Boleslav has registered for league competitions, playing home games at the Astonka pitch near Havlíčkova Street. In the same year, the third club in the city – Slavoj Mladá Boleslav was founded. In 1934, new Astonka pitch was opened in Čechova Street.[1][2]

In 1942 and 1944 respectively, Mladoboleslavský SK and Aston Villa did not take their chances to make it to the top Czechoslovak competition from the final stage of the qualification. The derby between the clubs in 1942 was watched by 8,000 spectators, which remains a record to this day.[1][2]

1948–1992: Merger of clubs and second tier

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In 1948–1949, as a result of the advent of the communist regime in 1948, all three Mladá Boleslav clubs were gradually merged under the club "Závodní sokolská jednota Automobilové závody národní podnik Mladá Boleslav" (ZSJ AZNP Mladá Boleslav), referring by its name to the patronage of the Sokol movement and Škoda Auto factory, which was then called Automobilové závody národní podnik ("Automobile Works national enterprise"). Mladá Boleslav played in the second tier in 1952–1992 with the exception in 1959, when the club played in the third tier. In that era, the name was changed two times (TJ Spartak Mladá Boleslav from 1950, TJ Auto Škoda Mladá Boleslav from 1966). In 1983, 1984 and 1986, the club finished on third place.[1]

In 1965, the new stadium was opened.[3] However, the old pitch, which is still called Astonka, still exists today and the youth teams of FK Mladá Boleslav play matches there.[2]

1993–2000: Economic crisis

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As a result of Škoda Auto's difficult economic situation after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, the company's support for sports clubs was reduced, leading to relegation of FK Mladá Boleslav to the third tier in 1992–93 and to the fourth tier in 1994–95. During these years, the club was a farm for SK Slavia Prague and Bohemians 1905. In the following two seasons, FK Mladá Boleslav again made it to the second league.[1][3]

2001–present: Modern era

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In 2001, the club's most successful era began when the club was bought by the local construction company Gema and the company's co-owner Josef Dufek became the club's president. The new owners subsequently transformed the club into a joint-stock company, renewed cooperation with Škoda Auto as the club's main sponsor, started to cooperate with the city of Mladá Boleslav, acquired other business partners from the region, and renovated the stadium.[1] In the summer of 2002, Josef Dufek publicly announced a five-year plan during which the second-league club was to become a participant in European cups.[4]

The club was promoted to the Czech First League for the first time in its history in the 2003–04 season. In their first top-flight season fought, the club against relegation, eventually finishing in the 14th place.[5] The club's greatest success was achieved in the 2005–06 season, as they finished runners-up in the Czech First League, earning a place in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League. The club thus fulfilled its ambitious plan in just four years.[4] They came through their first tie, defeating Vålerenga (3–1 and 2–2), then lost against Galatasaray (2–5 away, 1–1 home), dropping into the UEFA Cup first round. The club went on to achieve a surprising 4–3 aggregate victory over Marseille (1st leg: 0–1, 2nd leg 4–2). The home match against Marseille is considered one of the greatest wins in the club's history.[6] However, the club was eliminated after reaching the group stage, taking just 3 points from 4 matches (Panathinaikos 0–1, Hapoel Tel Aviv 1–1, Paris Saint-Germain 0–0, Rapid București 1–1).

The following season, the club finished 3rd in the league. The club's Luboš Pecka was the top goalscorer in the league that season. After the season, the coach Dušan Uhrin, Jr. decided to leave the club after leading it since October 2004.[7] The club qualified directly for the first round of the UEFA Cup. Qualification for the group stage was only narrowly secured by beating Palermo 4–2 on penalties after a nail biting 1–1 aggregate scoreline. On the verge of being eliminated with the score reading 1–0 Palermo, (with their goal in the first leg still standing) in the 2nd leg, Tomáš Sedláček scored the winner in the 2nd leg with only seconds to spare. In their group Mladá Boleslav defeated IF Elfsborg 3–1, but again failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition after losing matches against Villarreal 1–2, AEK Athens 0–1 and Fiorentina 1–2. The club subsequently achieved a 7th place league finish in the 2007–08 season, missing out on European cups.[1]

2010s–2020s

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The club's greatest successes in the following years included winning the Czech Cup in the 2010–11 and 2015–16 seasons. In the league, the club was among the wider top teams from 2010 to 2017, finishing on the third place once and on the fourth place several times. These results guaranteed FK Mladá Boleslav a place in the qualifying rounds of European cups, but the club never managed to advance to the group stage during this era.[1]

In 2018–19, the new format of the Czech First League with division into three groups after the regular season was introduced. In that season FK Mladá Boleslav finished 7th, but won the play-offs for participation in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. The top goalscorer of the 2018–19 season was Mladá Boleslav's Nikolay Komlichenko with 29 goals, which became the league record for goals scored in a single season. In January 2020, Komlichenko transferred to FC Dinamo Moscow for a fee of around 3.5 million EUR, a record in the club's history.[8][9]

In 2018–2023, the club finished in the middle of the league table each time. In the 2023–24 season, the club finished in fifth place and, after a five-year break, made it to the European cups. After the season, David Trunda bought a majority stake (51 %) in the club and became its president, ending the 21-year era of Josef Dufek. The city of Mladá Boleslav owns 34 % of the shares.[10] In 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, FK Mladá Boleslav advanced through three qualifying rounds to the league phase of the competition.[1]

Historical names

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Until 1949, there were three clubs in Mladá Boleslav: Mladoboleslavský SK, Aston Villa Mladá Boleslav and Slavoj Mladá Boleslav. The current club follows the tradition of all three predecessors.[1][11]

    • 1902 – Studentská XI Mladá Boleslav
      • 1907 – S.K. Mladá Boleslav (Sportovní klub Bohemians Mladá Boleslav)
      • 1910 – Mladoboleslavský SK (Mladoboleslavský sportovní klub)
    • 1919 – SK Aston Villa Mladá Boleslav
    • 1919 – TJ Slavoj Mladá Boleslav
  • 1949 – ZSJ AZNP Mladá Boleslav (Závodní sokolská jednota Automobilové závody národní podnik Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1950 – TJ Spartak Mladá Boleslav (Tělovýchovná jednota Spartak Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1966 – TJ Auto Škoda Mladá Boleslav (Tělovýchovná jednota Auto Škoda Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1990 – FK Mladá Boleslav (Fotbalový klub Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1992 – FK Slavia Mladá Boleslav (Fotbalový klub Slavia Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1994 – FK Bohemians Mladá Boleslav (Fotbalový klub Bohemians Mladá Boleslav)
  • 1995 – FK Mladá Boleslav (Fotbalový klub Mladá Boleslav)

Players

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Current squad

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As of 5 September 2024.[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   CZE Matouš Trmal
3 DF   SVK Martin Králik
5 MF   ZAM Benson Sakala
6 MF   CZE Daniel Langhamer
7 MF   CZE Patrik Žitný
8 MF   CZE Marek Matějovský
9 FW   CZE Matyáš Vojta
10 FW   CZE Tomáš Ladra
11 MF   CZE Jakub Fulnek
12 MF   CZE Vojtěch Stránský
13 DF   CZE Denis Donát
14 DF   CZE Tomáš Král
15 MF   CZE Nicolas Penner
17 DF   CZE Marek Suchý
18 FW   CZE Matěj Pulkrab
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF   CZE David Kozel
20 MF   NGA John Solomon
21 MF   CZE Lukáš Fila
23 FW   CZE Vasil Kušej
26 DF   SVK Andrej Kadlec
28 MF   CZE Lukáš Mašek
30 MF   CZE Daniel Mareček
31 DF   CZE Dominik Kostka
32 FW   GAM Lamin Jawo
33 GK   CZE Jan Šeda
59 GK   CZE Jiří Floder
66 DF   CZE Patrik Vydra (on loan from Sparta Prague)
70 FW   CZE Jan Buryán
99 GK   CZE Petr Mikulec

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   CZE Kryštof Lichtenberg (at Varnsdorf)
DF   CZE Matěj Vlk (at Varnsdorf)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   CZE Ladislav Dufek (at Varnsdorf)
MF   CZE Antonín Vaníček (at Viktoria Žižkov)

Notable former players

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Player records in the Czech First League

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As of 2 December 2024.[13]

Highlighted players are in the current squad.

Most clean sheets

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# Name Clean sheets
1   Miroslav Miller 64
2   Jan Šeda 51
3   Jakub Diviš 14

Current technical staff

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Managers

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Karel Jarolím coached the most matches for Mladá Boleslav (122), followed by Dušan Uhrin, Jr. (117) and Jozef Weber (92). Swedish coach Andreas Brännström became in 2024 the first foreign coach in the history of FK Mladá Boleslav.[14]

History in domestic competitions

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  • Seasons spent at Level 1 of the football league system: 20
  • Seasons spent at Level 2 of the football league system: 6
  • Seasons spent at Level 3 of the football league system: 3
  • Seasons spent at Level 4 of the football league system: 2

Czech Republic

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Season League Placed Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Cup
1993–94 3. liga 9th 34 7 17 10 38 46 –8 31 Round of 32
1994–95 3. liga 15th 34 7 12 15 34 53 –19 33 Round of 64
1995–96 4. liga 9th 30 11 7 12 41 38 +3 40 First round
1996–97 4. liga 1st 30 23 6 1 67 16 +51 75 First round
1997–98 3. liga 1st 34 19 7 8 41 26 +15 64 Round of 32
1998–99 2. liga 10th 30 9 7 14 23 30 –7 34 Round of 16
1999–00 2. liga 13th 30 7 12 11 31 40 –9 33 Round of 64
2000–01 2. liga 11th 30 9 9 12 34 42 –8 36 First round
2001–02 2. liga 3rd 30 15 7 8 40 29 +11 52 Quarter-finals
2002–03 2. liga 3rd 30 13 11 6 37 22 +15 50 First round
2003–04 2. liga 1st 30 16 7 7 50 24 +26 55 Round of 64
2004–05 1. liga 14th 30 6 13 11 26 35 –9 31 Round of 16
2005–06 1. liga 2nd 30 16 6 8 50 36 +14 54 Round of 64
2006–07 1. liga 3rd 30 17 7 6 48 27 +21 58 Quarter-finals
2007–08 1. liga 7th 30 11 9 10 37 36 +1 42 Round of 16
2008–09 1. liga 6th 30 12 10 8 39 38 +1 46 Round of 64
2009–10 1. liga 8th 30 11 6 13 47 41 +6 39 Round of 64
2010–11 1. liga 5th 30 13 7 10 49 40 +9 46 Winners
2011–12 1. liga 4th 30 15 5 10 49 34 +15 50 Quarter-finals
2012–13 1. liga 8th 30 10 8 12 34 43 –9 38 Runners-up
2013–14 1. liga 3rd 30 14 8 8 54 38 +16 50 Quarter-finals
2014–15 1. liga 4th 30 13 7 10 43 34 +9 46 Semi-finals
2015–16 1. liga 4th 30 16 9 5 63 37 +26 57 Winners
2016–17 1. liga 4th 30 13 10 7 47 37 +10 49 Semi-finals
2017–18 1. liga 9th 30 9 7 14 31 43 –12 34 Semi-finals
2018–19 1. liga 7th 35 14 10 11 66 48 +18 52 Round of 32
2019–20 1. liga 7th 35 14 7 14 56 57 –1 49 Quarter-finals
2020–21 1. liga 11th 34 10 9 15 49 54 –5 39 Quarter-finals
2021–22 1. liga 7th 34 14 6 14 53 53 0 48 Quarter-finals
2022–23 1. liga 9th 32 9 11 12 39 44 –5 38 Round of 16
2023–24 1. liga 5th 36 14 8 14 54 60 –6 50 Round of 16

History in European competitions

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Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
2006–07 UEFA Champions League 2Q   Vålerenga 3–1 2–2 5–3
3Q   Galatasaray 1–1 2–5 3–6
2006–07 UEFA Cup 1R   Marseille 4–2 0–1 4–3
Group G   Panathinaikos 0–1 5th
  Rapid București 1–1
  Paris Saint-Germain 0–0
  Hapoel Tel Aviv 1–1
2007–08 UEFA Cup 1R   Palermo 0–1 1–0 (a.e.t.) 1–1 (4–2 p)
Group C   Villarreal 1–2 4th
  Elfsborg 3–1
  AEK Athens 0–1
  Fiorentina 1–2
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 3Q   AEK Larnaca 2–2 0–3 2–5
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Þór Akureyri 3–0 1–0 4–0
3Q   Twente 0–2 0–2 0–4
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Široki Brijeg 2–1 4–0 6–1
3Q   Lyon 1–4 1–2 2–6
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Strømsgodset 1–2 1–0 2–2 (a.g.)
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 3Q   Shkëndija 1–0 0–2 1–2
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Shamrock Rovers 2–0 3–2 5–2
3Q   Skënderbeu 2–1 1–2 (a.e.t.) 3–3 (2–4 p)
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 2Q   Ordabasy 1–1 3–2 4–3
3Q   FCSB 0–1 0–0 0–1
2024–25 UEFA Conference League 2Q   TransINVEST 2–0 1–0 3–0
3Q   Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1–1 4–2 5–3
PO   Paks 2–2 3–0 5–2
LP   Noah 0–2
  Lugano 0–1
  Vitória de Guimarães 1–2
  Real Betis 2–1
  Jagiellonia Białystok
  Molde
Notes
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round
  • LP: League phase

Honours

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Club records

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Czech First League records

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In the 2023–24 season, the highest number of goals in one game in the history of the Czech First League was seen in the match Zlín–Mladá Boleslav, which ended 5–9.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Historie" (in Czech). FK Mladá Boleslav. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Jilemnický, Miroslav S. (28 May 2022). "120 let fotbalu v Mladé Boleslavi. Historie odkazuje na klub z Premier League". Deník.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b "V Boleslavi mají moderní fotbalový stadion, který má jen dvě vady na kráse. Místo jedné tribuny stojí panelák a na fotbal chodí málo fanoušků" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Pětiletý plán může Boleslav splnit dřív". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 19 July 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  5. ^ Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů (in Czech). Prague: Grada Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-80-247-1656-5.
  6. ^ "Tohle prostě neomrzí" (in Czech). FK Mladá Boleslav. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Hlavním trenérem FK Mladá Boleslav je Jozef Weber" (in Czech). City of Mladá Boleslav. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Fotbalisté Mladé Boleslavi přišli o nejlepšího střelce. Komličenko přestoupil do Dynama Moskva" (in Czech). Czech Radio. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  9. ^ Janeczek, David (5 February 2020). "O fotbalisty z české ligy je opět zájem. Není to ale její kvalitou, mírní nadšení agenti" (in Czech). Deník N. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Mladá Boleslav změnila majitele, Trunda převzal majoritní podíl po Dufkovi" (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Club history". FK Mladá Boleslav. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Soupiska". FK Mladá Boleslav.
  13. ^ "Detailed stats". Chance Liga.
  14. ^ "Podrobné statistiky: Trenéři". Chance Liga.
  15. ^ "Čtrnáct tref ve Zlíně! Liga zažila nejgólovější duel, Liberec zaskočil Plzeň". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
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