ND Gorica


Nogometno društvo Gorica, commonly referred to as ND Gorica or simply Gorica, is a Slovenian football club based in Nova Gorica that competes in the Slovenian Second League, the second tier of Slovenian football. They are one of the most successful Slovenian clubs with four Slovenian PrvaLiga and three Slovenian Cup titles. The club plays its home matches at the Nova Gorica Sports Park, which has a capacity of 3,100 seats.
WWW nd-gorica.com

History

Yugoslav period (1947–1991)

The history of football in the Goriška region goes back to 1907, when the first football club Jugoslavija was formed by the Slovenes of Gorizia.
October 1947 marks the beginning of the club with the foundation of FD Gorica in Šempeter pri Gorici, where it operated until 1963. They started in the second-level but quickly promoted to the Slovenian Republic League in 1950 under the new name Železničar Nova Gorica. Five years later they became republic champions and qualified for the Yugoslav Second League, which was club's biggest achievement during the time of Yugoslavia. In 1963 the club merged with Branik Solkan and the club's activity was transferred to Nova Gorica, where it remains ever since. They stabilised as a mid-table club in the 1960s, renamed as NK Vozila in 1971 and achieved better results only in the last years before Slovenia's independence. Managed by Pavel Pinni, Vozila finished third in the 1988–89 season of the Slovenian Republic League.

Slovenian independence (1991 to present)

Following Slovenia's independence in 1991, the club played in the 1. SNL under the name HIT Gorica and during the 1995–96 season, Gorica won the Slovenian championship for the first time. In the next season, the club played its first Slovenian Supercup final and won their second trophy with a 3–1 victory over Olimpija. During the league domination of Maribor, the club managed to win two Slovenian cup titles in a row.
On the last day of the 2003–04 season on 30 May 2004, Gorica won its second title after one of the most dramatic rounds in the Slovenian league history. Before the last round, Maribor was leading the table with 54 points, one point ahead of Gorica. In the final round, Maribor played an away match against their rivals Mura and Gorica played at home against Koper. Maribor lost the game 2–1 after a second-half comeback by Mura, meaning that Gorica, who eventually won against Koper 2–0, had secured their second title.
The second title started an impressive run for Gorica as the team won another two league titles in a row. After the last title, Gorica was a runner-up in the 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons, while finishing third in 2007–08 and 2009–10.
In 2013, Gorica started cooperating with the Italian club Parma. On 21 May 2014 they won their first trophy after eight years as they defeated Maribor 2–0 in the cup final. After 28 seasons in the top division, Gorica was relegated for the first time in the 2018–19 season after losing the relegation play-offs against Tabor Sežana.

Honours

League
Cup

Domestic league and cup results

SeasonLeaguePositionPtsPWDLGFGACup
1991–921. SNL44640151696340Round of 16
1992–931. SNL123134119143946First round
1993–941. SNL53530121174038First round
1994–951. SNL3413018576630Quarter-finals
1995–961. SNL16736181354922Quarter-finals
1996–971. SNL36536181175233Round of 16
1997–981. SNL36536205116436Round of 16
1998–991. SNL2623318875531First round
1999–20001. SNL2623319595534Semi-finals
2000–011. SNL74333134165246Winners
2001–021. SNL45133149103840Winners
2002–031. SNL83431713113443Quarter-finals
2003–041. SNL15632151165529Round of 16
2004–051. SNL16532181134923Runners-up
2005–061. SNL17336211057530Semi-finals
2006–071. SNL25836177126663Semi-finals
2007–081. SNL35736169116150Round of 16
2008–091. SNL25636175146055Semi-finals
2009–101. SNL35536167137460Quarter-finals
2010–111. SNL54836139144253Quarter-finals
2011–121. SNL553361411114937Quarter-finals
2012–131. SNL641361011154560Quarter-finals
2013–141. SNL458361610106032Winners
2014–151. SNL93736107194046Quarter-finals
2015–161. SNL45236157144849First round
2016–171. SNL26036161284839Quarter-finals
2017–181. SNL64736145174048Semi-finals
2018–191. SNL9↓3136710194463Quarter-finals
2019–202. SNL2↑412013254022Round of 16
2020–211. SNL10↓293678212458did not qualify
2021–222. SNL1↑723023345520First round
2022–231. SNL9↓2736512193157First round
2023–242. SNL4533015875128Runners-up
2024–252. SNL3593017856034Second round

;Notes
;Key
  • P – Matches played
  • W – Matches won
  • D – Matches drawn
  • L – Matches lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • Pts – Points
WinnersRunners-upPromoted ↑Relegated ↓

European record

All results list Gorica's goal tally first.
SeasonCompetitionRoundOpponentHomeAwayAgg.
1996–97UEFA CupPR

Notable managers

The following managers have won at least one trophy when in charge of Gorica since Slovenia's independence in 1991:
Head coachPeriodHonours