Full name | Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani |
---|---|
Founded | 1923 |
Ground |
Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania |
Capacity | 12,800 |
Chairman | Stuart Coleman |
Manager | Jurgen Bahiti |
League | Kategoria e parë |
2014–15 | Albanian Superliga, 10th(relegated) |
Klubi i Futbollit Elbasani is an Albanian football club based in the city of Elbasan, who currently compete in the Albanian First Division.
The club was formed in 1923 as Klubi Futbollit Urani Elbasan, the result of the fusion between two clubs, Afërdita Elbasan and Përparimi Elbasan. Urani translates to uranium in Albanian, and the club was named this due to the city's association with the metal. The club changed its name to KS Skampa Elbasan briefly before 1930. They first participated in a nationally recognised competition in the first top flight football league in Albania, the 1930 Kategoria e Parë, where the club finished in 5th place, second from bottom, with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses. The following season they again finished in penultimate place, this time in 7 team league format. In the 1932 champion they finished bottom of the league, gaining no points after 8 straight losses, which meant that Elbasani were relegated for the first time.
The club changed its name to Bashkimi Elbasanas in 1933, when they were playing in the second division, which they won and earned promotion back to the top flight, winning their first trophy in the process. In their first season back in the Kategoria e Parë they once again finished second form bottom with 2 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses. No competition was held during 1935 and when the league restarted in 1936 Bashkimi finished once again second from bottom, with 3 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses, but the team below them Ismail Qemali Vlorë played 2 fewer games and finished on the same points tally. The 1937 championship proved to be more successful as the club finished in 5th place out of 10 teams, with a record of 7 wins, 3 draws and 8 losses.
The league officially restarted following World War II in 1945, where Bashkimi finished 3rd in Group B of the new league format, out of 6 teams. The following season they finished 2nd in Group B, just one point behind runners-up Flamurtari Vlorë. For the 1947 season, the league changed to a single 9 team competition, where Bashkimi finished in 8th place. The following season the league returned to the 2 group format, where the club again finished second by one point to Flamurtari Vlorë
KS Elbasani in 1949 and KF Puna Elbasan in 1950. Between 1958 and 1991 the club was called KS Labinoti Elbasan, before once again changing its name to KF Elbasani, which they have not changed ever since.