CZECHIA: SK Liberec (1933-1934) / Slavia Liberec (1934-1938) / Sokol Čechie Liberec XI (1949-±1950) / Slavoj Liberec (±1950-1958) / TJ Slovan Liberec A & B (1958-1978) / TJ Slovan Liberec (1978-1982, 1986-1993) / FC Slovan Liberec (1993-1994, 1995-)

Stadion u Nisy, Liberec = Reichenberg (FC Slovan Liberec, formerly SK Liberec / Slavia Liberec / Sokol Čechie Liberec XI / Slavoj Liberec / TJ Slovan Liberec)

Czechia (Czech Republic), region: Liberec

30 IV 2022 / FC Slovan Liberec - SK Sigma Olomouc 0-2 / Czech First League, mid-table play-off semi-final, second leg (aggegate score: 0-3)

Note 1: Stadion u Nisy ("Stadium on the banks of the Neisse"), originally called Pod Chudobincem ("Stadium under the Poorhouse"), was probably inaugurated in 1933 and first used by SK Liberec, who were renamed Slavia Liberec in the following year. In 1938, Hitler-Germany occupied the Sudetenland and Czech football came to a standstill for the next seven years, as Liberec became Reichenberg and part of the Third Reich; what happened in the stadium in those years, has not been well documented - and the same is true for the first 10-15 post-war years in Czechoslovakia. In Liberec, there were several football grounds, used by clubs rapidly changing names. Apart from Stadion u Nisy, they made use of the Městský Stadion ("Municipal Stadium"), situated on the other end of Liberec. Which club played where and when, is not exactly clear - and it should be noted that the years given in the title of this article are an approximation, based on the comparison of several online sources. In 1958, Slavoj Liberec, who probably played their football mainly at Stadion u Nisy, concluded a merger with Jiskra Liberec, forming TJ Slovan Liberec. The new club mainly played their first team football at the Městský Stadion, but Stadion u Nisy always remained in use - and the club's first team also regularly played at this ground. In 1978, after renovation works at Stadion u Nisy, Slovan moved their first team there for good, although for some spells in the 1980s and 1990s, the club again had to seek refuge in the Městský Stadion when renovation works took place or the state of the pitch did not allow for regular play. In 1993, TJ Slovan Liberec changed its name to become FC Slovan Liberec. Stadion u Nisy was given its current features in the 1990s and early 2000s, heralding a successful spell in the club's history with three national league titles between 2001 and 2012 and regular participations in various European Cup competitions.

Note 2: Anyone who can shed more light on the exact users of the Stadion u Nisy in the years 1938-78 is more than welcome to contact me via this website or my Instagram account.

All photos: (c) W.B. Tukker / www.extremefootballtourism.blogspot.com. Publication of any of these images only after permission of author