FC Tatran Prešov (Slovak pronunciation:[ˈtatranˈpreʂɔw]) is a Slovakfootball club based in the city of Prešov. Tatran Prešov is the oldest football club in Slovakia, founded on 25 May 1898. The club currently participates in the 2.liga. The "Green and Whites" played 32 seasons in the Czechoslovak top division. Tatran became the dark horse of the Czechoslovak league in the 1960s and 1970s, but never won a title. The greatest league success was the second place in the 1965 and 1973 seasons. The club also came close in the Czechoslovak Cup, losing twice in 1966 and 1992 finals.
History overview
Early history
The first official football match on the territory of present-day Slovakia took place on 25 May 1898 in Eperjes, today's Prešov, that time in Hungary, between two Budapest-based teams, Óbudai TE and Budapesti TC on the initiation of František Pethe, a gymnastic teacher in the local grammar school. On the same day the Eperjesi Torna és Vívó Egyesület (Eperjesi TVE, lit. Gymnastic and Fencing Association of Eperjes) was founded, which is regarded as the first football club of Slovakia.
Eperjesi TVE initially competed in the Hungarian league system, achieving its best result in the 1907–08 season, when it won the Northern District Championship.[2]
In 1920 Prešov became part of the newly founded Czechoslovakia, subsequently the club competed in the Czechoslovak leagues.
The greatest legend of Tatran's Prešov history is Ladislav Pavlovič. From 1948 until 1966, he netted for Tatran Prešov 150 goals in 309 matches. He also represented Czechoslovakia national football team, where he played 14 matches and scored two goals. In 2013, he was stated to Prešov's Hall of Fame.
Previous names
Eperjesi Torna és Vívó Egyesület (Hungarian version), ETVE Prešov (1898)
TVE Prešov (1920)
Slávia Prešov (1931)
PTS Prešov (1945)
DSO Slavia Prešov a DSO Snaha Prešov (split from PTS Prešov) (1947)
Tatran's biggest rivals are FC Košice, and the matches between the two teams are referred to as "Eastern Slovak derby" (Slovak: Východniarske derby).[4] They also have rivalry with MFK Zemplín Michalovce and FC Spartak Trnava. 1. FC Tatran Prešov supporters maintain friendly relations with fans of the Polish side JKS Czarni 1910 Jasło.[5]
Updated 3 August 2024.[7]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.