NK Šparta 1913

The football club "Šparta" is one of the oldest football clubs in Zagreb ad Croatia, being founded in 1911 but registered officially two years later. Thus, the year 1913 was the beginning of official activities for NK "Sparta", although the club already played unnofficially before that date.

The founding gentlemen were: Sedmak, Lončar, Robić, Ferić, Štritof, Vragović, Soroš, Egri, Jurečić, Novak and Cinki. In the first months of operation, the members of the club faced various difficulties, but a great love for the club prevailed and with the sacrifice of all members, the club grew stronger day by day. Unfortunately, the First World War interrupted the club's activities, but immediately after the end of the war, members of the Šparta gathered and started rebuilding the team and the club as a whole. As early as May 19, 1918, the "first war championship of Zagreb" began. Although the championship was scheduled to start on March 31, there was a delay due to the registration of only four clubs. A little later, with the registration of six teams, the autumn part of the championship was played, according to the single point system. "Sparta" took the fifth place, with three points won, lagging six points behind the leading HAŠK and "Građanski", three points behind the third placed "Croatia", while the fourth placed "Zagreb" also won three points , but did better due to a more favourable goal difference. Sixth-placed "Slavia" was left without points.

Šparta among the best Zagreb clubs

In 1920, the Zagreb Championship began, in which the Šparta team also took part in it. At the end of the championship, Marko Orešković's club won the fifth place behind the champions of "Građanski", then "Concordia", HAŠK and "Viktorija" and ahead of "Ilirija and Croatia". Šparta achieved great success by drawing against the champion of "Građanski", who beat all other teams on the way to the champion title. This fifth place enabled Šparta to stay in the first grade. At the end of the championship in the 1921/22 season Šparta reached another the success by winning in the Zagreb sub-federation, in the first grade, fourth place behind HASK, "Građanski" and "Concordia", and avoiding "Ilirija", "Croatia", "Victoria" and "Slavija" . The success of "Sparta" continued in the following year, 1922, by winning the fifth place behind HAŠK. "Concordia", "Građanski" and "Ilirija", and in front of "Viktorija", "Croatia" and "Slaven". ", HAŠK" Concordia ", and in front of" Typography ". The same order was achieved in the zone in 1924/25, with the last, fifth place went to" Željezničar ".

In 1932 Šparta won the title of champion in the 1st A class of the ZNS. This success brought to a strong cooperation with the City Power Plant and the club was renamed NK GEC-Šparta. The club's new field was now next to the City Waterworks. In the following years the club played with alternate results in the local Zagreb championship, and in 1935 it won the championship. In 1935, then greatest Croatian football player Ico Hitrec joined the club. This happened because of a two-month prohibition Hitrec received from the Zagreb Football Association for "righteousness". Hitrec was punished with a ban on performing for 540 days, reduced to 60 days, because he supported the emigration to foreign clubs of other 2 prominent players, Aca Živković and Vilmos Sipos.

The difficult communist restructuring

In 1945, the new communist regime introduced many changes in the local football and sport. It first disbanded all sport clubs in the country. In Zagreb it established the extensie Zagreb Sports Association (FOZ) and through the Football section, it divided the newly rebranded and registered many new sides for the Zagreb Championship into two competition groups. The club's players had to play under different names like "Dinamo - branch 2" until end of the 40's. In 1948, at the urging of players and members of the club and with the support of workers and employees of "Elektra" energy company, thanks to the then general manager Ante Lučev, and Krešimir Čanić, things started to get better for the club again.[3]

In 1950 the club appears once again in the loca Zagreb championship, in its IV. class. In the 1952/53 season, the year as in subsequent seasons until the 1956/57 season Sparta played in various forms in the frequently reorganized by the communist regime local ZNP competitions.

The title of 1959 champion in III. class comes with better times, following a 1957/58 championship in II class. In the 1959/60 season the club won the I. class title. These years the club starts playing under the NK Šparta-Elektra brand.

The fateful moment happened in 1986 when "Sparta Elektra" was unfairly left without its playground in Vrapče for the second time in its history. The first time this happened was in 1947, when the then government awarded Sparta's RSD "Metalac" playground. In those eighties, the team of "Sparta Elektra" played in difficult conditions and poverty, which was reflected in the results of the club. The club continued playing the many versions of the local Zagreb championship for the years to come.

The Croatian times

The war of the 1990s for the independence of the Republic of Croatia brought trumoil also in the Sparta, where many players left for the fronts. On the eve of the 85th anniversary of the club, which fell on June the 12th 1998, a solution was reached rfor the new official field of the club, and NK "Podsused" field was given to Šparta-Elektra. The club continued playing in the local championships achieving various successes.

In 2020 Šparta-Elektra was renamed and changed its name to NK Šparta 1913. It now competes in the 1. ZNL.

• Marcel Gigante
• Ivan Goran Kovačić