FK Napredak Kruševac facts for kids
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| Full name | Fudbalski klub Napredak Kruševac | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Čarapani (The socks man) | ||
| Founded | 8 December 1946 | ||
| Ground | Mladost Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 10,331 | ||
| President | Miloš Nenezić | ||
| Head coach | Goran Stevanović | ||
| League | Serbian SuperLiga | ||
| 2022–23 | Serbian SuperLiga, 9th | ||
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Fudbalski klub Napredak Kruševac, often called Napredak Kruševac, is a professional football club from Kruševac, Serbia. The name Napredak means "progress" in the Serbian language.
The club's fun nickname is the Čarapani, which means "sock-men" in English. This nickname comes from a cool story during the First Serbian Uprising. Local fighters took off their slippers and quietly went to defend their homeland against the Ottoman army, wearing only socks. Another idea is that men in this area used to wear long, beautifully embroidered socks a long time ago.
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Club History
Napredak was created on December 8, 1946. Three local clubs, Zakić, Badža, and 14. Oktobar, joined together to form it. In January 1947, they played their first official game against Vardar, and it was a 1–1 draw. The very first goal for Napredak was scored by Marko Valok, who later became a famous player for Partizan Belgrade.
In 1949, Napredak won their first big title, becoming champions of Serbia. They joined the top league in Yugoslavia for the first time in 1951. However, they were immediately "relegated" (moved down to a lower league). This meant they had to play in the IV Zona, which was part of the Yugoslav Second League.
In 1976, the club won the second league again and moved back up to the top league. But just like before, they were "relegated" again in the same season. In the 1978–79 season, they returned to the Yugoslav First League. In an exciting game that season, they famously beat the strong team Partizan 3–0 away from home!
The 1979–80 season was a big one. Napredak finished 4th in the league, which was a great achievement. This allowed them to play in a European competition for the first time, the 1980–81 UEFA Cup. However, they were knocked out in the first round by Dynamo Dresden from East Germany. Sadly, in the same season, they also finished last in their league and were "relegated" again. They stayed in the second league until 1988.
In the 1987–88 season, Napredak won their division in the second league and were promoted to the top league once more. But again, they couldn't stay there and were "relegated" for the third time right after being promoted. They remained in the second league until the 1991–92 season. After that, they became part of the new First League of FR Yugoslavia. In 1993, they did well, finishing in sixth place. But in the next season, 1993–94, they were "relegated" to the second league again.
New Millennium (2000–2010)
In the 1999–2000 season, Napredak won their group in the Yugoslav Second League and returned to the top division. In the same year, they had their biggest success in a national cup, reaching the Yugoslav Cup final in 2000. They lost to the famous Serbian team Red Star Belgrade. Because they reached the cup final, they got to play in the 2000–01 UEFA Cup again. This time, they did a little better, beating Viljandi Tulevik from Estonia in the first round. But they were then knocked out by OFI Crete from Greece in the second round.
Their return to the top league in the 2000–01 season was not successful, and they were "relegated" right away. Because they kept getting promoted and then "relegated" so often, the club started to be known as an "elevator team."
In 2003, the country changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro. Napredak won their group in the Second League and were promoted to the 2003–04 First League of Serbia and Montenegro season. But once more, they were "relegated" immediately. This was the fifth time they had gone straight back down after being promoted!
After Montenegro became independent in 2006, only clubs from Serbia played in the league. In the 2006–07 season, Napredak finished third in the Serbian First League, which is the second level of Serbian football. The top two teams usually get promoted. However, in July 2007, the Football Association of Serbia decided that Napredak would be promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga (the top league). This happened because another club, Mladost Apatin, couldn't afford to play in the top division.
In 2008, Napredak almost qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup again. But two years later, in 2010, Napredak was "relegated" and went back to playing in the Serbian First League.
New Management (2011–present)
Napredak started to change a lot in early 2012 with new people in charge and new players joining. One important player was Nenad Mirosavljević, a well-known Serbian striker. Soon after, a new director, Goran Karić, joined with the goal of bringing the club back to the top league.
At first, Napredak was near the bottom of the league. But the new team started winning many games. They finished the 2011–12 Serbian First League season in 6th place, just missing out on promotion. In September 2012, Vladimir Arsić became the new director. One of the first things he did was redesign the club's logo.
The club's home stadium, the Mladost Stadium, was also renovated and finished in April 2012. This meant the club could play at home again. On December 9, 2012, Napredak celebrated its 66th birthday. At that time, they were in first place in the 2012–13 Serbian First League, which was a huge success for the club. Napredak finally won the First League championship and was promoted to the Serbian SuperLiga!
In the 2013–14 season, they finished 9th in the SuperLiga. However, in the 2014–15 season, they finished 14th. This meant they had to play "play-out" games against Metalac to stay in the league. After losing one game and drawing another, Napredak was "relegated" back to the second division.
Club Colors and Crest
Throughout its history, Napredak has usually worn red uniforms. This is a way to honor the Labour movement. They also use an all-white uniform for away games.
The club's crest (logo) has red and white colors. It also shows the year 1946, which is when the club was started. In the middle, there's a football, and at the top, you can see a symbol of the wall of the Kruševac Fortress. People believe this fortress was built by the famous Serbian medieval ruler, Tsar Lazar.
Stadium
Napredak's home field is the Mladost Stadium. It's a football stadium with seats for 10,331 people. The stadium was built very quickly in 1976, in just 60 days! It originally held 25,000 people.
It's special because it's one of the few stadiums in Serbia made only for football. It doesn't have a running track around the field like many other stadiums. This means the fans are closer to the action, making the atmosphere louder and more exciting for both home and visiting teams. In 2012, Napredak updated the stadium. They installed seats everywhere and put up four tall lights for night games. That year, the stadium also hosted the 2012 Serbian Cup Final and is sometimes used by the Serbian national under-21 football team.
Supporters
Napredak has an organized group of fans called Jakuza, which started in 1988. They have a special friendship with another fan group called Šaneri, who support Mačva Šabac.
People from Kruševac and the surrounding area support Napredak, and they are all known as Čarapani. They have a song called "Svake noći tebe sanjam" (Every night I dream of you) and a chant, "Samo napred Čarapani!", which means "Long live socks wearing man!"
Honours
Domestic
League
- Yugoslav Second League
- Winners (4): 1957–58 (zone IV), 1975−76 (east), 1977−78 (east), 1987–88 (east)
- Second League of Serbia and Montenegro
- Winners (2): 1999–2000, 2002–03
- Serbian First League
- Winners (2): 2012–13, 2015–16
Cups
- Serbia and Montenegro Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1999–2000
European Record
Napredak has played in European competitions a couple of times.
- In the 1980–81 season, they played against Dynamo Dresden and lost 0–2 overall.
- In the 2000–01 season, they first beat JK Viljandi Tulevik 6–2 overall. Then, they played against OFI Crete and lost 0–6 overall.
Players
Current squad
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Out on loan
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Notable Former Players
Here are some well-known players who used to play for Napredak and also played for their national teams:
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From Serbia/Yugoslavia:
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From other countries:
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For a full list of players with Wikipedia articles, check out Category:FK Napredak Kruševac players.
Managerial History
Images for kids
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The official logo of FK Napredak Kruševac.
See also
In Spanish: FK Napredak Kruševac para niños
