Football Club Rozova Dolina Kazanlak (Bulgarian: Футболен клуб Розова долина Казанлък) or simply known as Rozova Dolina (Bulgarian: Розова Долина) is a Bulgarian association football club based in the town of Kazanlak, Stara Zagora Province, which currently competes in the South-East Third League, the third division of Bulgarian football. Their home ground since 1968 has been the Sevtopolis Stadium. The club's name is translated as Rose Valley and is named after the homonymous Rose Valley region of central Bulgaria, which also encompasses the town of Kazanlak.
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| Full name | Football Club Rozova Dolina | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Rozite (The Roses) | ||
| Founded | 1948 | ||
| Ground | Sevtopolis Stadium, Kazanlak | ||
| Capacity | 15,000 | ||
| Chairman | Georgi Mermekliev | ||
| Manager | Atanas Apostolov | ||
| League | South-East Third League | ||
| 2023-24 | South-East Third League, 9th | ||
| Website | https://rozovadolinakz.com/ | ||
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History
editThe club was formed in 1948 as DNA Kazanlak, a football club characterized by its trademark red and white jerseys. In 1982-83, the team played at the top of the Bulgarian football league system, the A Group, but was subsequently relegated after only one season in the top flight, finishing in 15th place. The team did have some memorable moments from its only season in the top level, as Rozova Dolina managed to defeat eventual champions CSKA Sofia at home 2-0 and draw against the runner up Levski Sofia 1-1 also at home.
Mermekliev Era: 2016–present
editOn January 15, 2016, following the team's return from the winter break, the club announced that they have reached an agreement with the local Bulgarian businessman Georgi Mermekliev, who would take over at the helm of the club. He subsequently announced his intentions to bring Rozova Dolina's previous glory over the years and that the team will be battling for promotion for the A Group in the very next seasons. He also stated that the club stadium would be renovated and upgraded to 12,000 seats and a new academy would be established. Subsequently, Rozova Dolona announced a sponsorship with a new kit manufacturer, Legea for the upcoming season.[1] Following a great number of investments, on September 14, 2016, Rozova Dolina qualified for the Bulgarian Cup competition after 15 years absence from professional football.[2]
Honours
edit- Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League:
- Winners (1): 2020–21
Shirt and sponsors
editRozova Dolina main colors are red, with white away colors.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 1948–2015 | Unknown | none |
| 2015–2018 |  Legea
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Arsenal |
| 2018–2022 |  Jako
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| 2022– | efbet |
Current squad
editAs of 13 March 2024[update]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
editThe following players included were either playing for their respective national teams or left good impression among the fans.
Managers
edit| Dates | Name | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 1948–2007 | Unknown | |
| 2007–2008 |  Radko Kalajdzijski
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| 2008–2010 | Daniel Hristov
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| 2010–2014 | Kralyu Orozov
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| 2014–2015 | Angel Stankov
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| 2015–2017 | Aleksandar Georgiev[3]
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| 2017–2018 | Ivan Petrov[4]
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| 2018– | Atanas Apostolov[5]
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Past seasons
edit| Season | League | Place | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Bulgarian Cup | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | V AFG (III) | 13 | 12 | 4 | 20 | 54 | 76 | 40 | not qualified | ||
| 2010–11 | V AFG | 14 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 49 | 58 | 45 | not qualified | ||
| 2011–12 | V AFG | 15 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 38 | 60 | 32 | not qualified | ||
| 2012–13 | V AFG | 13 | 13 | 3 | 18 | 34 | 51 | 42 | not qualified | ||
| 2013–14 | V AFG | 12 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 42 | 51 | 32 | not qualified | ||
| 2014–15 | V AFG | 4 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 47 | 30 | 51 | not qualified | ||
| 2015–16 | V AFG | 2 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 81 | 30 | 76 | not qualified | ||
| 2016–17 | Third League | 4 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 69 | 38 | 64 | First round | ||
| 2017–18 | Third League | 4 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 64 | 41 | 57 | not qualified | ||
| 2018-19 | Third League | 8 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 58 | 50 | 48 | not qualified | ||
| 2019-20 | Third League | 7 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 30 | 30 | not qualified | ||
| Green marks a season followed by promotion, red a season followed by relegation. | |||||||||||
League positions
edit
References
edit- ^ ФК „Розова долина“ започна подготовка с нов президент
- ^ „Розова долина“ победи „Гигант“ и вече очаква „Черно море“
- ^ ""Розова долина" се раздели с Александър Георгиев" (in Bulgarian). zakazanlak.bg. 12 July 2017.
- ^ "Чекиста пое "Розова долина" (Казанлък)" (in Bulgarian). plovdivderby.com. 18 July 2017.
- ^ "Розова долина ще бъде воден от Атанас Апостолов през новия сезон" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 11 July 2018.