A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
PrvaLiga champions of 2024 and ten-time cup finalists NK Celje have enjoyed unbroken run in Slovenia’s top league since its creation in 1991, and a near constant presence in the domestic game since their original formation in 1919.
This relatively unbroken history has involved the odd change of name and stadium, and precious little silverware until the modern age, but the Rumeno-modri (‘Yellow and Blues’) are sewn into the urban fabric of Celje, Slovenia’s third-biggest town.
Predecessors SK Celje were formed on Christmas Day 1919, based at Glazija, occasionally switching to Skalna klet when their own pitch was unplayable. Renamed Kladivar (‘Hammersmith’) Celje when Communism transformed Slovenian sport after World War II, the club merged with railway club Železničar in 1967, moving into their ground of Skalna klet until a new, modern alternative was built in 2003.
The Arena Petrol, later renamed the current Stadion Z’dežele after local meat producers, also became the de facto national stadium during this time, which was when Celje first began to assert itself a provincial football power.
Operating as NK Publikum, the town’s flagship club welcomed a little-known coach by the name of Marijan Pušnik, bringing with him from modest Dravograd a young attacking midfielder, Robert Koren. Earning caps at U-21 level for Slovenia, the later WBA and Hull favourite responded well to rejoining his mentor Pušnik as Celje became the surprise package of the 2002-03 season, sneaking past Olimpija Ljubljana to claim runners-up spot behind a dominant Maribor.
Koren earned the first of his 61 caps for Slovenia before heading to Norway, then England, but not before scoring early in the second leg of the 2003 Slovenian Cup Final against Olimpija. The last major game at Skalna klet before the Arena Petrol opened that September, the game turned on a goal from Croatian legend Robert Prosinečki, the chain-smoking 34 year old winning the last trophy of his career to prevent yellow-and-blue ribbons being tied on the Slovenian Cup.
In all, Celje would lose nine finals up to 2021, the hoodoo broken by a solitary own goal against Gorica at the Arena Petrol in 2005. Their unlucky streak in Europe – a solitary win over little Belasica of Macedonia and seven defeats in 27 years – ended in the watershed year of 2020. Playing in the midfield alongside Prosinečki when Olimpija Ljubljana beat Celje back in 2003, savvy tactician turned coach Dusan Kosič came to Celje from Slovenia’s national set-up in 2017.
Despite missing out on Europe two seasons running, management kept faith with the former Slovenia international, the board’s trust eventually rewarded with a surprise first title in 2019-20. Getting the best out of Player of the Year, attacking midfielder Mitja Lotrič, Kosič transformed young talent such as Croatian striker Dario Vizinger, U23 Player of the Year, and Slovenia U-21 centre-back Žan Zaletel. With veteran keeper Matjaž Rozman gaining a new lease of life between the sticks, Celje conceded a goal a game and lost only five times all league season.
Although Kosič was surprisingly tempted by a move to the lesser lights of Sežana, the Celje team he left behind notched up their first win in Europe in 17 years, a 3-0 win over Dundalk in Budapest, the game moved to Újpest due to the pandemic. Narrow defeats to Molde and Ararat-Armenia then saw Celje tumble out of two competitions – but better was to follow in 2023-24.
Facing old hands Vitória Guimarães in the Conference League, Celje seemed doomed when the Portuguese side took a 4-2 lead at the Stadion Z’dežele – only to be revived by a very late stoppage-time goal from Brazilian striker, Edmilson.
Sensing the glass half-full, incoming coach Albert Riera, the former Liverpool and Spain left-back, galvanised his new charges to hold firm in the away leg. This Celje duly did, hitting a solitary goal in normal time to level the aggregate and take the game to 120 minutes. Rattled, the hosts failed to score with their first two penalties in the shoot-out, leaving Slovenia U-21 centre-back David Zec to convert the decider and stun the 18,000 crowd.
It was the biggest European achievement in Celje’s history, and the Yellow and Blues followed it up with a comprehensive victory over Neman Grodno of Belarus in the Hungarian city of Győr. Riera’s team was then overrun by the extraordinarily prolific Eran Zahavi of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, whose hat-trick settled the tie wtih the group stage beckoning.
Shortly afterwards, Riera was lured by his former club Bordeaux, leaving Celje in a promising position in the PrvaLiga but in need of a steady pair of hands at the tiller. They found them in former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, Damir Krznar.
The coach who had salvaged Maribor in 2022-23 reignited the flagging career of Slovenia U-21 international forward Aljoša Matko, who would top the league scoring charts by May, and nurtuered promising Russian midfielder Yegor Prutsev, voted Young Player of the Year by the time Krznar’s men were celebrating Celje’s second title.
Integral to the triumph was solid defender Žan Karniček, who had returned to Slovenia from an unhappy spell in Bulgaria and would be an ever-present in his country’s four-game campaign at Euro 2024.
With Bordeaux imploding to near collapse, Riera reclaimed the hot seat at Celje, his second day back on the job a 5-0 defeat at Slovan Bratislava to end any hopes of progress in the Champions League.
Stadium Guide
The field of dreams – and the story behind it
Its 13,059 capacity never challenged despite the 17 full internationals played here, Stadion Z’dežele was built in the early 2000s to fill a gap. Not only did the city of Celje require a modern stadium, modest Skalna klet in use for nearly a century, but Slovenia, too.
Over in Ljubljana, the crumbling Bežigrad would soon close and the Stožice was yet to open. Here in Celje, up in hilly Hudinje, a stadium was created within the natural bowl left by the Opekarniška Cave. This provided a cauldron of noise as Slovenia bid to repeat their successes of 2000 and 2002 in qualifying for major finals.
As momentum grew, new stands were added. With the east Main Stand, Glavna Tribuna, in place from 2003, the open West Stand, Zahodna Tribuna, was unveiled for a vital game with Italy in 2004, a full house of 9,250 witnessing the victory.
The south Južna Tribuna opened for Slovenia supporters when a record attendance of 10,055 was set for the visit of Norway in 2005. With its glassed-off corporate areas, the North Stand, Severna Tribuna, was unveiled in 2008.
Away fans are usually allocated three sectors, D-F, of the East Stand (Tribuna Vzhod) for European games – only Maribor and Olimpija bring support in any numbers for domestic fixtures.
Even though Celje has grown considerably in the two decades or so since the stadium opened, old locals still tend their allotments close by, the hilly outskirts of green suburbia just beyond.
getting there
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
Turn left out of the train station for peron 1, the stop for Celebus blue line 3 that runs every hour (Mon-Sat) to Spodnja Hudinja, the nearest stop to the stadium, where Mariborska cesta meets Podjavorskova ulica.
Cross Mariborska and head along Podjavorskova for 5-7mins. Coming back, the bus calls at the Mercator center closer to the stadium, though it’s downhill all the way if you’re walking.
Services finish around 7.30pm-8pm. The walk there is a steep 15mins from town, 30mins from the station.
getting in
Buying tickets – when, where, how and how much
Advance tickets are distributed by the club online (Slovenian-only), at outlets of Trafika, such as central Prešernova ulica 3, plus Petrol and OMV garages.
The match-day kiosk behind the main East Stand sells tickets at €10, €12 for the visits of Maribor, Olimpija and Mura. Children under 16 and accompanying adults are charged €5 in the family (Družinski) sector in the main East Stand.
what to buy
Shirts, kits, merchandise and gifts
Yellow-and blue merchandise can be found at the club shop (Tue & Fri 4pm-6pm, match days) by Gate 2 of the stadium.
The current iteration of the home shirt is a slight variation on the regular dark blue by offsetting it with light blue sleeves and collar. Away is white with grey sleeves.
Celebration of the club’s title win of 2024 comes in T-shirt, pennant and baseball-cap form, the word Prvaki (‘Champions’) emblazoned across them.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Terrace bars and restaurants line the pedestrianised walkway behind the main East Stand, one side attached to the stadium, the other to the Mercator shopping centre. The Champion Pub is decorated with souvenirs from visiting supporters, most prominently the followers of Veszprém’s handball team. Sport beams from the TV.
Alongside, the Taverna Carraro serves Balkan grilled dishes and Laško beer. Opposite, the Platana is a smart if standard café also offering Laško, while the sun-catching terrace at the rustic Verona is usually busy, the restaurant known for its pizzas.
If you’re walking up from town, a slight detour up Jamova ulica brings you to Stara Brajda, a relaxed café-restaurant with a leafy courtyard, open weekday daytimes only.
