Full name | Klubi Futbollistik Skënderbeu Korçë |
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Nickname(s) | Ujqërit e Dëborës (The Snow Wolves), Bardhekuqtë (The White and Reds), Juglindorët (The Southeasterners) |
Founded | 15 April 1909 |
Ground | Skënderbeu Stadium |
Capacity | 6,000 |
Owner | Municipality of Korçë |
President | Ardian Takaj |
Head Coach | Ilir Daja |
League | Albanian Superliga |
2015–16 | Albanian Superliga, 1st |
Website | www |
Active branches of KF Skënderbeu Korçë | ||
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Football (Men's) | Football (Reserves) | Football (Women's) |
Basketball (Men's) | Basketball (Women's) |
Klubi Futbollistik Skënderbeu Korçë (Albanian pronunciation: [skəndɛɾbɛu kɔɾtʃə]) is a professional football club based in Korçë, a city in southeastern Albania. The club play in the Albanian Superliga, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club was founded as Vllazëria Korçë in 1909. In 1925, it took on its current form following the merger of several local clubs, and the club's name was changed to Skënderbeu Korçë, after Albania's national hero Skanderbeg. The club's home ground has been the Skënderbeu Stadium since it was built in 1957, and it now has a capacity of 12,000, of which 5,724 are seated.
Skënderbeu Korçë have won seven league titles, with the first coming in 1933 before going on 78-year run without winning the league. The club won its first league title since 1933 in 2011, and they have won the league every year since. The club have won six consecutive league titles since 2011, breaking the Albanian record which had been held by Dinamo Tirana who had won four consecutive titles in the 1950s.
In 2015 the club became the first Albanian side to reach the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League but they lost to Dinamo Zagreb and dropped into the UEFA Europa League, and became the first Albanian side to qualify for the group stage of European competition.
The first football club in the city of Korçë was formed on 15 April 1909 under the name Vllazëria by politician and poet Hilë Mosi. The rise in the popularity of the sport resulted in a number of clubs being formed between 1920 and 1922, including clubs such as Përparimi and Sport Klub Korça. In 1923, the Albanian National Lyceum formed the Shpresa sports society. Skënderbeu was formed in 1925 when a large number of the young men and young men of the city were playing football regularly in local fields. The rise in popularity of the sport led to most neighbourhoods forming their own football teams, such as Zhgaba in 1926 and Leka i Madh, Pirro, Brekverdhit, Zjarri, Tigri and Diamanti in 1927, which competed in the city's first organised football competition held in 1928. These teams were local, however, and would only compete with one another, as the main football club to represent the city was Skënderbeu who managed to overcome several problems at the start, some of which were even political. Skënderbeu was named after 15th century Albanian nobleman and national hero Skanderbeg.