Rilski Sportist
- Leagues Played
- Bulgaria Third League 52 Bulgaria Amateur Cup 4 Bulgaria Cup 1
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Wikipedia - FC Rilski Sportist Samokov
FC Rilski Sportist (ФК Рилски спортист Самоков) is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Samokov founded in 1947 and currently playing in the South-West Third League. Their home stadium is Iskar Stadium.
Throughout the majority of its history, Rilski Sportist has competed in the lower levels of Bulgarian football, usually the second, or third tiers. In 2002, however, the team managed to promote to the A Group for the very first time. Their inexperience led to an immediate relegation. Three years later, Rilski Sportist returned to the A Group, only to be relegated again. Since then, the club has been competing mostly in the amateur levels of Bulgarian football.
The club's nickname is the ‘Skiers’, which originates from the fact that the town of Samokov and nearby Borovets are major resorts for winter sports in Bulgaria.
History
PFC Rilski Sportist was founded in 1947 after the union of a few smaller teams from Samokov. Throughout much of its history, the team competed in the second or third tiers of Bulgarian football.
In 2002, Sportist achieved its first ever promotion to the Bulgarian elite, then known as A Group, for the 2002–03 season. As expected from a newcomer, Rilski Sportist found it difficult to survive. The team managed to win only one game and finished last, thus being relegated, after just one year among the best.
Three seasons later, the team managed to win the 2005–06 B Group, which enabled them to play in the A PFG for a second time. In their second top-flight season, they won 10 games and earned 30 points. They were the only team which managed to win against Levski in the league in that season. However, they were still 3 points behind 13th placed Spartak Varna, meaning that they were relegated again. The two top flight seasons remain their most important achievement overall. Since then, the team has shifted between the second and third tiers of Bulgarian football.
In the second division "The Skiers" have 23 participations – 664 matches in total, with 269 wins, 139 draws and 253 losses. Their best result in the Bulgarian Cup has been reaching the quarter-finals in 1950/51 and 2001/02.
"Rilski Sportist" means "Rila sportsman" in Bulgarian.
Crest history
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1947–1960
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1978–1990
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1990–present
League positions
The team's colors are blue and white, and they play their home matches at the Rilski Sportist Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 5,000 spectators. Rilski Sportist has a passionate fan base that supports the team both at home and away matches.
Over the years, Rilski Sportist has produced talented players who have gone on to represent the Bulgarian national team. The team has a reputation for playing attractive, attacking football and has a strong emphasis on developing young talent through its youth academy.
Rilski Sportist has a fierce rivalry with other Bulgarian teams, particularly those from nearby towns and cities. Matches between Rilski Sportist and their rivals are always highly anticipated and fiercely contested.
Overall, Rilski Sportist is a respected and competitive team in Bulgarian football, with a proud history and a bright future ahead.