Spartak Trnava

The club was founded on 30 May 1923 by the merger of Šk Čechie and ČšŠk into TSS Trnava. After a communist takeover it became affiliated with the metal industry and was renamed to TJ Kovosmalt ("Metal-enamel").

Previous names

• ŠK Rapid Trnava (1923–39)
• TSS Trnava (1939–48)
• Sokol NV Trnava (1948–49)
• TJ Sokol Kovosmalt Trnava (1949–53)
• DŠO Spartak Trnava (1953–62)
• TJ Spartak Trnava (1962–67)
• TJ Spartak TAZ Trnava (1967–88)
• TJ Spartak ZŤS Trnava (1988–93)
• FC Spartak Trnava (1993–present)

Golden era

In 1952, the club gained its current name, but the performance in those years was very unstable, Spartak played the 2nd league and after advancing to the highest competition, they occupied mostly the lower parts of the table. A better position came only in the 1959/60 season, when Spartak took 4th place. The Golden era of Spartak began in the 1966–67 season. The team of legendary coach Anton Malatinský was top of the league by the autumn, but by the end of the season had finished only in third place. Great success was achieved in the Mitropa Cup. Spartak beat teams like Budapest Honvéd, Lazio and Fiorentina and in the final they defeated Újpest of Hungary. In the following season Spartak gained their most memorable European results. They reached the semi-final of the European Cup to face Ajax. It is their greatest success to date.

Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.

Under the management of Ján Hucko, the team also won a second championship. In 1970–71 and 1971–72, Trnava won their third and fourth championship titles under coaches Valér Švec and Anton Malatinský. The team also reached the quarter-final of the European Cup in 1973 and 1974. The fifth and the last league title in 1972–73 beckoned the end of Spartak's golden era. In 1976, Karol Dobiaš was in the squad that won the UEFA Euro 1976.

1990s

Although Spartak finished 16th (and last) in the last unified Czechoslovak league season in 1992–93, the latter half of the 1990s can be considered the renaissance of football in Trnava. During the 1995–96 season, Spartak finished third and its popularity grew. The 1996–97 season was a memorable one for the fans of Spartak, Karol Pecze almost led the team to its first Slovakian league title but got beaten to it by Košice in the final week of competition. The following season, under new coach Dušan Galis the team again achieved second place and then third place during the 1998–99 season which saw the end of this recovery of footballing prowess in Trnava.

2018–19

In Fortuna liga season 2017–18 Spartak won the league title for the first time in 45 years. Under the leadership of coach Nestor El Maestro, Trnava won the title three games before the end of the 2017–18 season after a 2–0 victory over Dunajská Streda. The title celebrations took place after the last season match against AS Trenčín (17,113 spectators). They included an autograph session, a ride on the city on an open bus, fireworks and a solemn Holy Mass in the Cathedral sv. Jána Krstiteľa. These were the biggest title celebrations in the history of Slovakia. During the 2018–19 season Spartak reached the UEFA Europa League group stage for the first time. They played against GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Fenerbahçe and R.S.C. Anderlecht. They finished 3rd with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses.

Despite an abysmal league campaign, Spartak managed to win the 2018–19 Slovak Cup.