Jerseys reminiscent of the colors of Dukla Prague. Sparta presented the outdoor kit for the new season! Do you like it?
Clubs, especially the powerful ones, didn’t really push for him. For years he was not recognized by the official authorities. Today, it proudly bears the mark of the first Czech team championship in history, which was crowned by the award of the championship title. The team is forever proud of Sparta Prague. 110 years have passed since the strange tournament.
Football has been played on Czech territory for several decades, the Czech Football Association was founded in 1901. But to create for a club competition, to capture the previous element of friendly matches, often the initial goal was profit from the entrance fee, did not succeed for a long time.
In 1912, the highest authority stepped in – it declared a mandatory championship for Czech clubs, avoiding it turned out to be impossible. The two most powerful Czech clubs, Slavia Praha and Sparta Praha, also took part, which otherwise managed their sports activities according to their own discretion and benefit.
The organization was very strange. AC Sparta, SK Slavia, Viktoria Žižkov, SK Kladno, SSC Olymp, ČAFC, Meteor VIII and SK Pardubice were included in the I. A class based on their performance. That is, a group of powerful people.
At that time, the Slavic hegemony was slowly melting away, the eternal rival was overpowered by Sparta, which after the world war conflict acquired the epithet iron. The year before that, after several years of hardships, they beat Slavia 3:1, transforming themselves into the favorite for the first official championship.
Deciding who is better was to be decided on December 8 at the Slavie stadium in front of eight thousand spectators. For the first time, the championship body derby was played! However, it ended in disruption again, due to a fight between the players, referee Květ ended it at 1:1. Slavia’s subsequent request that the repeated duel be held without spectators did not go through, Sparta won without a fight and became the group winner with a four-point victory.
The Moravian challenger Moravská Slavia Brno was waiting for her, which ousted the other participants Hana Kroměříž, SK Přerov and SK Olomouc with an impressive score of 20:0! However, the Brno team was not enough for the ruler of Prague in the battle of regional prize-winners, losing 3:6.
However, Sparta still had to overcome one obstacle to win the championship. AFK Kolín won the Czech I. B class with twelve participants, in the play-off they eliminated SK Plzeň, who dominated the independent championship of the West Bohemian city.
Kolín faced Sparta bravely and sensationally drew 1:1 at Letná. However, he did not manage to retaliate at home, the 0:4 defeat put Sparta Prague on the first championship throne.
For a long time, this triumph (Slavia Prague won the following year) was not recognized by the football authorities of the federal state as a championship, the title was not awarded to the winners. It was only after the breakup of Czechoslovakia that the expert commission determined that it was a championship with full value.
“It was a pretty immature venture, a little weird, but it was another step forward,” challenge historian Miloslav Jenšík. “He rightfully has his place in the annals,” commemorates the competition, since 110 years have passed.