History in Brief

Original name of the club, which was later winning the biggest laurels as Baník Ostrava, was SK Slezská Ostrava.

It was founded in 1922 and in the initial period it even didn’t have its own pitch. That is why it played all its matches in opponents’ grounds. SK Slezská Ostrava players played their first match in their own pitch in Kamenec in 1925. The team kept on going up into higher competitions.

The team was getting from the 3rd class of Moravian-Silesian regional competition across the 2nd and the 1st class of the competition above mentioned and the division to the 1st league gradually between 1923 and 1937. Its first season in the 1st league was 1937/1938. Meanwhile the team’s fans were waiting to see a new stadium. The Stará střelnice stadium finally opened its gates in 1934. Present stadium of Baník Ostrava in Bazaly was finished only in 1959.

The team relegated only twice to the 2nd league in post-war period. Thus Baník Ostrava is the second team from the 1st league after SK Slavia Prague that has remained in the highest competition longest without interruption.

The biggest successes of the club are connected with Evžen Hadamczik, a coach who took over the office in 1978. During a five-year period of his work in this position Baník Ostrava won the title twice plus it was placed second three times and it also won Czech F. A. Cup twice and Czechoslovak F. A. Cup once. What is imposing about Mr. Hadamczik’s work apart from other things is a fact that under his leadership Baník Ostrava achieved to play incredible 74 home matches without a defeat in an uninterrupted series.

Another very successful period was the 2003/2004 season when Baník won the title again after 23 years and was qualified for the finals of Czech F. A. Cup. The club won this second most valued Czech trophy, Czech F. A. Cup a year later and in the 2005/2006 season it went through to the finals of the Cup the third time.

The club has achieved big successes in European competitions as well. It went through to the semifinals of Cup Winners‘ Cup in the 1978/1979 season and to the quarterfinal of European Champion Clubs‘ Cup in 1980/1981. The club also played in preliminary round of UEFA Champions League in the 2004/2005 season.

September 8, 1995 is a date when memorandum of foundation of Baník Ostrava joint stock company was signed. Its legal entities were Civil Association FC Baník Ostrava, OKD, jsc., MCHZ and Radegast Brewery.

Daniel Vacek, a former excellent tennis player, became a new owner of the club in January 2003. He bought 75% of the shares from previous owners, Alois Hadamczik and Petr Lamich and has become a controlling shareholder. In year 2009 bought 75% of the shares buissinesman Tomas Petera.