The club was founded in 1945 and was named after Jovan Mikić Spartak, the leader of the Partisans in Subotica, who was a national hero and was killed in 1944.
Founded in 1945, FK Spartak Subotica is, after Vojvodina, the most successful club in northern Serbia. They participated in the first after-war club championship, in the 1946–47 Yugoslav First League and from then on, they played always in between the first and second national leagues. The biggest success of the club was achieved when the club played in the 1993–94 FR Yugoslavia Cup final against Partizan (1–6 loss).
However, football in Subotica has long tradition. During the pre-WWII period, the city was the seat of the Subotica Football Subassociation, one of the subassociations which existed within the Yugoslav Football Association, and which organised league competitions whose winners qualified for the Yugoslav championship where the national champion was decided. Subotica was home to three major clubs that made it to the Yugoslav championship before 1941: Bačka, SAND and ŽAK Subotica. Bačka has furthermore the record of being the oldest football club in the entire territory of former Yugoslavia.
When Second World War started in 1941 in Yugoslavia, Subotica was invaded by the Axis forces and incorporated into Hungary with its clubs being included in the Hungarian league system. At the end of the war Yugoslavia took control again of Subotica. Some clubs such as SAND were dissolved, others like Bačka kept existing although played a much lesser role from then on, and, some new ones were formed, like Radnički or Građanski. ŽAK Subotica kept being active for a while, however, their main sponsor, the Yugoslav Railways, decided to dissolve it and form a new club in its place which would be named "Spartak" which was the nickname of a legendary athlete from Subotica and World War II Yugoslav Partisans commander Jovan Mikić – Spartak. Besides the players, the stadium, the colors and the fans, Spartak also inherited from ŽAK the tradition of being backed by the Yugoslav Railways.[1]
1946 to 2006
During the period of socialist Yugoslavia, Spartak was a regular participant either in Yugoslav First or Second leagues. Although they never won the national championship, they were a feared adversary known for both, producing good homeground players that achieved quality careers domestically and abroad, and also bringing talented players from regions all around Yugoslavia. Spartak also contributed a number of players for the national team. During this period, the highlight was their presence as losing finalist of the 1961–62 Yugoslav Cup.
During the first decade of the new millennium the club went downhills all way until 2008 when they merged with FK Zlatibor Voda from neighbouring town of Horgoš. Playing under the name FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda, the club started recovering finally reaching its come-back to top tier when they were promoted to the 2009–10 Serbian SuperLiga.
2006 till nowadays
Spartak's biggest success since Serbia restored its name as country in 2006, came in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. They first defeated Northern Irish club Coleraine F.C. in Round 1, then went on to achieve what is considered their brightest moment in club history defeating Czech powerhouse AC Sparta Prague over two legs. They were eventually eliminated from the UEFA Europa League in the 3rd qualifying round, losing to Danish club Brøndby IF over two games.[2]
Subotica City Stadium (Gradski stadion[3]) is a multi-use stadium in Subotica, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the club's home ground since 1945. The stadium holds 13,000 people. There is a football pitch and a registered track for athletics suitable for competitions. One part of the Stadium is covered. There are also two subsidiary football pitches.
Spartak in Europe
Mitropa Cup
The Mitropa Cup, officially called the La Coupe de l'Europe Centrale, was one of the first really international major European football cups that the club participated in. After World War II, in 1951, a replacement tournament named Zentropa Cup was held to resume the rich tradition of this competition.
