Nogometni Klub Čelik (Football Club Čelik) is a professional football club from Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name Čelik means “Steel” in Bosnian. The name symbolizes the strength and power of the club and the city since Zenica is an industrial city well known in this part of Europe.
NK Čelik is one of the most prominent and successful football teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the time of the former Yugoslavia, Čelik played 17 years in the Yugoslav First League. Čelik won the Mitropa Cup two times, and the Intertoto Cup once. Today, Čelik is in the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is active in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After winning three titles in the Premier League, the situation dramatically changed for NK Čelik. The club fell into great debt after many accusations of corruption within the organization. The only lasting element holding NK Čelik as a member of Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is its devoted fan base that is very active for the club at home and away games. The NK Čelik fans are known as “Robijaši” and have gained the club popularitiy for their passionate support of the club. Also, the stadium which is home to NK Čelik is called “Bilino Polje” and is the third largest stadium capacity wise in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The stadium held and will continue to host matches for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The club placed third in the 2007-08 Premijer Liga, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup, but lost in the first round to FK Grbalj of Montenegro on away goals.
Čelik play their home games at the Bilino Polje stadium which is also the biggest stadium in the city. Over the years the club had changed four different stadiums settling at their current ground in 1972.
During the first few years of the club’s existence, following World War II, Čelik’s stadium was located roughly on the place of the current Bilino polje stadium, close to the Bosna river. The ground was covered in clay, as was the practice of lower-level football grounds at the time. The stadium itself had one wooden stand which was built over time and the club often played in front of full capacity.
NK Čelik Zenica logo
However, due to the increased popularity of the club and the need for a better surface, during the early 1950s the club moved to the nearby Stadion Blatuša which was located in the Blatuša neighborhood of Zenica. It was there that Čelik started its first run of successes when they had reached promotion to the Yugoslav First League in 1966 and won the Mitropa Cup in 1971 (the final was played on neutral ground in Gorizia, Italy).
Shortly after the first Mitropa Cup victory, plans were made for a new, modern stadium, built in place of Čelik’s first stadium. The construction took 8 months to complete and it was officially opened on 4 October 1972 for the second leg of the 1972 Mitropa Cup final against ACF Fiorentina which Čelik won 1-0 to claim their second title in a row. The attendance record of 35.000 still stands today due to the introduction of seats on the stadium over the years. The stadium went through a number of renovations and reconstructions, the most recent being in 2012.
From July to August 2012, the stadium went through another renovation process where the pitch had been changed and under-soil heating installed beneath. During the reconstruction, Čelik played two Bosnian Premier League matches as well as one Bosnian Cup match on the Stadion Kamberovića Polje, winning all of them. In the second part of the same season, the club played one more game there which ended in a draw.
The youth squads of Čelik usually play their games at the Stadion Kamberovića Polje.
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NK Čelik Zenica logo
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NK Čelik Zenica logo
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