NK Rijeka

Football club infobox
clubname = HNK Rijeka


fullname = Hrvatski Nogometni Klub Rijeka
nickname = Riječki bijeli
"(The Rijeka's White)"
founded = 1925 ("as U.S. Fiumana") 1946 ("as Kvarner") 1954 ("as HNK Rijeka")
ground = Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia
capacity = 12,000
chairman = flagicon|Croatia Ivan Vanja Frančišković | manager = flagicon|Croatia Mladen Ivančić
league = Prva HNL
season = 2008-09
position = Prva HNL, 2nd
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_blackshoulders|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=101C35|body2=54A3EC|rightarm2=101C35|shorts2=101C35|socks2=101C35

HNK Rijeka is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.

History

The club was founded in 1925 as Unione Sportiva Fiumana. Fiumana played in the First Division ("Prima divisione"), which was the second level of the Italian Football Championship, and reached the National Division ("Divisione Nazionale"), the first level of Italian football in 1928. After 1929, it competed in Serie B in the 1929-1930 and 1941-1942 seasons. The club was renamed Kvarner in 1946, due to Rijeka ("Fiume" at the time) passing from Italy to Yugoslavia. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav and local club championships. It changed its name to "Rijeka" on June 3, 1954, and advanced to the Yugoslav First League in the 1957/58 season. It remained in the top tier until the 1969/70 season, when it was demoted to the Second League. It topped that league many times but it was until 1973/74 when it would return to the First League, where it would remain until the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Rijeka won the Yugoslav Cup in 1978 and 1979, was a runner-up in 1987, won the Croatian Cup in 2005 and in 2006, and participated several times in various UEFA championships. Although it has never advanced to the final stages of the competition, Rijeka has topped and shocked some of the biggest clubs in the history of soccer on its home field during the 1980s, including Real Madrid and Juventus.

Rijeka has been playing in the Prva HNL since the independence of Croatia in 1991, generally finishing near the top. Notably it finished second in 1999 and 2006 and third in 2004. Due to many format changes of the league, Rijeka has played more games in the competition than any other team. In the 2004/2005 season, its player Tomislav Erceg was the top scorer of the Prva HNL with 17 goals.

Colours and badge

NK Rijeka colours are white and sky-blue.

tadium

NK Rijeka plays their home matches on Kantrida Stadium, or just simply Kantrida, it can hold 11,000 spectators.

upporters

The fans are known as Armada Rijeka.

Current squad

"As of August 31, 2008"

Noted players

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*Flagicon|Italy|old Rodolfo Volk

Noted Managers

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Honours

*sport honours|Yugoslav Cup|2| 1978, 1979

*sport honours|Croatian Cup|2| 2005, 2006

*sport honours|Balkans Cup|1| 1978

*3 times best club from Croatia in Yugoslav First Division (1965, 1984, 1987)
*7 times second best club from Croatia in Yugoslav First Division

Records

External links

* [http://www.nk-rijeka.hr/ NK Rijeka official website]
* [http://www.armada-rijeka.hr/ Armada Rijeka official website]
* [http://www.forza-fiume.com/ HNK Rijeka fansite]