CSA Steaua Bucuresti
Encyclopedia
CSA Steaua Bucureşti (Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua – English
: Army Sports Club Steaua) is a Romanian sports society from Bucharest
, Romania
run by the Ministry of National Defence of Romania
. It is the most successful club in Romania in terms of international and overall trophies. Founded on 7 June 1947 as ASA Bucureşti (Asociaţia Sportivă a Armatei – English
Army Sports Association), the club changed its name several times before settling on Steaua (The Star) in 1961.
The club is historically known as the Romanian Army sports club. The only department to have separated from the sports society is that of football
in 1998, taking the name FC Steaua Bucureşti and whose only links to the Army remain the historical tradition and their home ground, Stadionul Ghencea
, which still belongs to the Ministry of National Defence but has been leased on a 49 year-long period to the football club.
Sections belonging to CSA Steaua Bucureşti right now are Rugby
, ice hockey
(autonomous – Hochei Club Steaua Suki Bucureşti), Handball, Water Polo
, Basketball
(only a youth section at present), Volleyball
, Athletics
, Swimming
, Gymnastics
, Boxing
, Rowing
, Canoe
, Shooting
, Weightlifting
, Fencing, Tennis
, Cycling
and Judo
.
Also in existence is Clubul Sportiv Steaua Wu-Shu (Martial arts
), run by current FC Steaua owner George Becali, with no link to CSA Steaua.
, High Commander of the Romanian Royal Army. The club was to be called ASA Bucureşti (Asociaţia Sportivă a Armatei Bucureşti – English
: Army Sports Association), with seven different sections (football
, fencing
, volleyball
, boxing
, shooting
, athletics
, tennis
), and its leadership was entrusted to General-Major Oreste Alexandrescu. The decision had been adopted on the ground that several officers were already competing for different clubs, premise to a good nucleus for forming future competitive teams. This was also the year of the club's first national title, achieved by Gheorghe Viziru in tennis
.
As the Romanian Royal Army turned into the People's Army following the coup d'état at the end of 1947, which saw Romania
transformed from a monarchy to a Communist inspired people's republic, several name changes carried on. On June 5, 1948, by Order 289 of the Ministry of National Defence, ASA became CSCA (Clubul Sportiv Central al Armatei – English
: Central Sports Club of the Army), together with the society's first crest (an A-labeled red star, symbol of the Red Army
, on a blue disc). In March 1950, CSCA changed its name to CCA (Casa Centrală a Armatei, English
: "Central House of the Army"). In 1961, CCA changed its names for the final time to CSA Steaua Bucureşti (Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua – English
: Army Sports Club Steaua). The name Steaua is Romanian for The Star and was adopted because of the presence, just like in any other Eastern-European Army
team, of a red star
(turned yellow now, to symbolize Romania
's tri-colour red, yellow and blue flag) on their badge.
9 April 1974 witnessed the inauguration of the country's most modern sports complex at that time, Complexul Sportiv Steaua (Steaua Sports Complex), comprising a central football-use arena (30,000 capacity Stadionul Ghencea
), six other training pitches also used by the rugby team and mini-hotel for the athletes. Today, Complexul Sportiv Steaua has been leased on a 49 year period to the football club, planning for renovation.
Over the years, the club's most successful sections on an international scale have been those of Handball
(European champions twice), Football
(European champions once), Volleyball
, Gymnastics
, Tennis
, Athletics
, Shooting
, Fencing
, Rowing
and Canoe
.
. Ever since, they became the most successful football team in the country, with an impressive roll of 23 National Championships
, 21 Romanian Cup
s, 5 Romanian Super Cups, 1 European Champions Cup
and 1 European Supercup.
Currently the football section is the only one to have separated from CSA Steaua (in 1998), taking the name of Fotbal Club Steaua Bucureşti
. They are usually called Oile (the Sheeps), Măscăricii (the Laughing Stocks / the Clowns) or Muflonii (the Mufloons).
team Steaua MFA Bucureşti won the European Cup
in 1967–68 (13–11 vs Dukla Praha) and 1976–77 (21–20 vs CSKA Moskva) as well as the Challenge Cup in 2005–06 (21–26 and 34–27 vs SC Horta). They were also runners-up three times in the European Cup in 1970–71 (16–17 vs VfL Gummersbach), 1973–74 (16–17 vs VfL Gummersbach) and 1988–89 (30–24 and 23–37 vs SKA Minsk). As of 2006, the club's full name is CSA Steaua MFA Bucureşti, after their sponsor. 12
The team has also won the Romanian Handball Championship (in seven players) 27 times (1962–63, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2000–01), the Romanian Handball Championship (in eleven players) 7 times (1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961) and the Romanian Cup 7 times (1980–81, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2006–07).
They play their home matches at Lucian Grigorescu Sports Hall. The current coach is Radu Voina. The handball and ice-hockey teams are the fans' second favourite teams after the football one, and derby matches against HCM Constanţa and especially Dinamo are highly attended.
Former players include such big names in the history of handball, as Ştefan Birtalan, Vasile Stângă, Cornel Oţelea and Cristian Gaţu.
founded an Ice Hockey section in 1951. Hochei Club Steaua Suki Bucureşti has been an autonomous club since 2004, but still belongs to CSA Steaua. It is the most successful club in Romania, having won the domestic league 41 times, a standing world record for ice hockey
national championships. They compete inside a national competition of only 6 teams and in which, besides them, only SC Miercurea Ciuc are especially relevant. Steaua plays SC Miercurea Ciuc in the final every year over a "best of 7" encounter. The derby match between Steaua and SC Miercurea Ciuc is the biggest ice hockey match in the country and one of an immense rivalry, as Steaua fans are mainly of Romanian nationality while Miercurea Ciuc's are mainly Hungarian.
The ice-hockey team, along with the handball one, are the fans' second favourite teams after the football one. They play their home matches at the Mihail Flamaropol Ice Rink. The current coach is Cam Severson
.
rugby
team has won the domestic league 24 times since 1947. Romanian rugby club teams do not participate in major European competitions because of the obvious value difference between them and the ones from the leading continental countries. Instead, a Romanian national rugby union team, consisting mainly of Steaua players, participates every year in the European Challenge Cup
as Bucureşti Rugby
.
The team plays its home matches at Ghencea II Field, inside the Steaua Sports Complex, right next to the football
Ghencea Stadium
. The current coach is Costică Florea.
21 times in 1955–56, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91.
After the Romanian Revolution
, Baschet Club Steaua Bucureşti was the first basketball
club in Romania
to turn private. However, after only few years it went bankrupt, and CSA Steaua operated only a youth club for basketball, under the name of Clubul Sportiv Şcolar Steaua Bucureşti (School Sports Club Steaua). However, this summer, BC Steaua Bucureşti
merged with BC Târgovişte and will play again in the first division
, under the name BC Steaua Turabo Bucureşti.
runners-up twice in 1969 (against CSKA Sofia) and 1979 (against Cervena Hvezda Bratislava) and Cup Winners' Cup runners-up four times in 1977 (against Elektrotechnika Riga), 1981 (against Cervena Hvezda Bratislava), 1982 (against Avtomobilist Leningrad) and 1986 (against Panini Modena)
Nationally, Steaua has been performing rather poorly lately being a mid-table team in the national first league. It had even been on the verge of extinction a few years ago when it moved to the town of Slatina
.
website FC Steaua at the official UEFA
website SteauaHochei.ro HC Steaua Suki Website (in development) steauamfa.ro Steaua MFA – Official website
Fan Websites FCSteaua.ro Official Fans' Website AISS.ro AISS (Steaua Supporters' Independent Association) Steaua.com English-language fan website for FC Steaua SteauaOnline.com FC Steaua Ultras.ro Ultras brigade RomanianUltras.ro Romanian Ultras Stelisti.ro Sport tabloid Gazeta Sporturilor's maintained website. FanSteaua.net FC Steaua
Statistics Websites FC Steaua all-time statistics http://www.liga1.ro/teaminfo.php/1/FC Steaua statistics from Liga I
]
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Army Sports Club Steaua) is a Romanian sports society from Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
run by the Ministry of National Defence of Romania
Ministry of National Defence of Romania
The Ministry of National Defense is one of the fifteen ministries of the Government of Romania. the Minister of Defense is Gabriel Oprea.-Ministry:...
. It is the most successful club in Romania in terms of international and overall trophies. Founded on 7 June 1947 as ASA Bucureşti (Asociaţia Sportivă a Armatei – English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Army Sports Association), the club changed its name several times before settling on Steaua (The Star) in 1961.
The club is historically known as the Romanian Army sports club. The only department to have separated from the sports society is that of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in 1998, taking the name FC Steaua Bucureşti and whose only links to the Army remain the historical tradition and their home ground, Stadionul Ghencea
Stadionul Ghencea
Ghencea Stadium , is a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, home of Ministry of National Defence of Romania. It was inaugurated on 9 April 1974. It was the home of Steaua Bucureşti until 2011.Tătaru was the first player to score on the new stadium...
, which still belongs to the Ministry of National Defence but has been leased on a 49 year-long period to the football club.
Sections belonging to CSA Steaua Bucureşti right now are Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
(autonomous – Hochei Club Steaua Suki Bucureşti), Handball, Water Polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
, Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(only a youth section at present), Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, Swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, Rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
, Shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, Weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
, Fencing, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
.
Also in existence is Clubul Sportiv Steaua Wu-Shu (Martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
), run by current FC Steaua owner George Becali, with no link to CSA Steaua.
History
On 7 June 1947, at the initiative of several officers of the Romanian Red Army House, the first Romanian sports club of the Army was born through a decree signed by General Mihail LascărMihail Lascar
Mihail Lascăr was a Romanian General during World War II, and Minister of Defense from 1946 to 1947.After graduating from the Infantry Officer School in 1910 with the rank of 2nd lieutenant, he fought in the Second Balkan War and in World War I, being promoted to major...
, High Commander of the Romanian Royal Army. The club was to be called ASA Bucureşti (Asociaţia Sportivă a Armatei Bucureşti – English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Army Sports Association), with seven different sections (football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
), and its leadership was entrusted to General-Major Oreste Alexandrescu. The decision had been adopted on the ground that several officers were already competing for different clubs, premise to a good nucleus for forming future competitive teams. This was also the year of the club's first national title, achieved by Gheorghe Viziru in tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
transformed from a monarchy to a Communist inspired people's republic, several name changes carried on. On June 5, 1948, by Order 289 of the Ministry of National Defence, ASA became CSCA (Clubul Sportiv Central al Armatei – English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Central Sports Club of the Army), together with the society's first crest (an A-labeled red star, symbol of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
, on a blue disc). In March 1950, CSCA changed its name to CCA (Casa Centrală a Armatei, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Central House of the Army"). In 1961, CCA changed its names for the final time to CSA Steaua Bucureşti (Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua – English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Army Sports Club Steaua). The name Steaua is Romanian for The Star and was adopted because of the presence, just like in any other Eastern-European Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
team, of a red star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
(turned yellow now, to symbolize Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's tri-colour red, yellow and blue flag) on their badge.
9 April 1974 witnessed the inauguration of the country's most modern sports complex at that time, Complexul Sportiv Steaua (Steaua Sports Complex), comprising a central football-use arena (30,000 capacity Stadionul Ghencea
Stadionul Ghencea
Ghencea Stadium , is a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, home of Ministry of National Defence of Romania. It was inaugurated on 9 April 1974. It was the home of Steaua Bucureşti until 2011.Tătaru was the first player to score on the new stadium...
), six other training pitches also used by the rugby team and mini-hotel for the athletes. Today, Complexul Sportiv Steaua has been leased on a 49 year period to the football club, planning for renovation.
Over the years, the club's most successful sections on an international scale have been those of Handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
(European champions twice), Football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
(European champions once), Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, Gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, Athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, Shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
, Fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, Rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and Canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
.
Football
The football section was one of the seven sections formed at CSA Steaua's foundation, on 7 June 1947. The team's big breakthrough came in 1986, when they managed to become the first ever European champions coming from an Eastern country by winning the European Champions CupUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Ever since, they became the most successful football team in the country, with an impressive roll of 23 National Championships
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
, 21 Romanian Cup
Romanian Cup
The Cupa României is a football competition which was held annually since 1933-34, except during the World War II. It is the country's main cup competition, and it is open to all clubs affiliated with FRF and the county football associations regardless of the league they belong to...
s, 5 Romanian Super Cups, 1 European Champions Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and 1 European Supercup.
Currently the football section is the only one to have separated from CSA Steaua (in 1998), taking the name of Fotbal Club Steaua Bucureşti
Steaua
The name Steaua may refer to*FC Steaua Bucureşti - the Romanian football club.*CSA Steaua Bucureşti - the Romanian sport club and its sections:*Ice hockey*Basketball*Handball*Rugby union...
. They are usually called Oile (the Sheeps), Măscăricii (the Laughing Stocks / the Clowns) or Muflonii (the Mufloons).
Handball (Men)
The handballTeam handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
team Steaua MFA Bucureşti won the European Cup
EHF Champions League
The EHF Champions League is the most important professional club handball competition in Europe . The competition was started in the 1956–57 season, and is administered by the European Handball Federation.The most successful teams are from Germany and Spain...
in 1967–68 (13–11 vs Dukla Praha) and 1976–77 (21–20 vs CSKA Moskva) as well as the Challenge Cup in 2005–06 (21–26 and 34–27 vs SC Horta). They were also runners-up three times in the European Cup in 1970–71 (16–17 vs VfL Gummersbach), 1973–74 (16–17 vs VfL Gummersbach) and 1988–89 (30–24 and 23–37 vs SKA Minsk). As of 2006, the club's full name is CSA Steaua MFA Bucureşti, after their sponsor. 12
The team has also won the Romanian Handball Championship (in seven players) 27 times (1962–63, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1999–00, 2000–01), the Romanian Handball Championship (in eleven players) 7 times (1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961) and the Romanian Cup 7 times (1980–81, 1984–85, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2006–07).
They play their home matches at Lucian Grigorescu Sports Hall. The current coach is Radu Voina. The handball and ice-hockey teams are the fans' second favourite teams after the football one, and derby matches against HCM Constanţa and especially Dinamo are highly attended.
Former players include such big names in the history of handball, as Ştefan Birtalan, Vasile Stângă, Cornel Oţelea and Cristian Gaţu.
Ice Hockey
Steaua Bucureşti HockeySteaua Bucuresti Hockey
Steaua Rangers is a Romanian ice hockey team that currently plays in the Romanian Hockey League. They play their home games at Mihai Flamaropol.-History:...
founded an Ice Hockey section in 1951. Hochei Club Steaua Suki Bucureşti has been an autonomous club since 2004, but still belongs to CSA Steaua. It is the most successful club in Romania, having won the domestic league 41 times, a standing world record for ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
national championships. They compete inside a national competition of only 6 teams and in which, besides them, only SC Miercurea Ciuc are especially relevant. Steaua plays SC Miercurea Ciuc in the final every year over a "best of 7" encounter. The derby match between Steaua and SC Miercurea Ciuc is the biggest ice hockey match in the country and one of an immense rivalry, as Steaua fans are mainly of Romanian nationality while Miercurea Ciuc's are mainly Hungarian.
The ice-hockey team, along with the handball one, are the fans' second favourite teams after the football one. They play their home matches at the Mihail Flamaropol Ice Rink. The current coach is Cam Severson
Cam Severson
Cam Severson is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre.- Draft :He was drafted in the eighth round, 192nd overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.- Career :...
.
Rugby
The Steaua BucureştiSteaua Bucuresti Rugby
Rugby Club Steaua Bucureşti is a Romanian semi-professional rugby union club from Ghencea, south-west Bucharest, which will play the 2007-08 season in Romanian Rugby Championship, the first division of Romanian rugby...
rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team has won the domestic league 24 times since 1947. Romanian rugby club teams do not participate in major European competitions because of the obvious value difference between them and the ones from the leading continental countries. Instead, a Romanian national rugby union team, consisting mainly of Steaua players, participates every year in the European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
as Bucureşti Rugby
Bucuresti Rugby
Bucureşti are a rugby union team from Bucharest, Romania, that competes in the European Challenge Cup. The side is a team that is formed every season to play in the Challenge Cup, consisting of footballers playing in the domestic Romanian leagues...
.
The team plays its home matches at Ghencea II Field, inside the Steaua Sports Complex, right next to the football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Ghencea Stadium
Ghencea Stadium
Steaua Stadium , informally also known as Ghencea, is a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, home of Ministry of National Defence of Romania. Also called Ghencea Stadium, it was inaugurated on 9 April 1974 when Steaua played a friendly game against OFK Belgrade, 2–2.Tătaru was the first player...
. The current coach is Costică Florea.
Basketball (Men)
CSA Steaua founded the basketball team in 1952. The club won the Romanian Basketball ChampionshipRomanian Basketball Division A
The Divizia A is the top-tier professional basketball league of Romania. There are 16 teams in Men's Division A.The regular season begins in October and is played over a normal round-robin home-and-away basis. The first 8 clubs qualify for the play-offs. The play-offs are played using the knock-out...
21 times in 1955–56, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91.
After the Romanian Revolution
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, Baschet Club Steaua Bucureşti was the first basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
club in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
to turn private. However, after only few years it went bankrupt, and CSA Steaua operated only a youth club for basketball, under the name of Clubul Sportiv Şcolar Steaua Bucureşti (School Sports Club Steaua). However, this summer, BC Steaua Bucureşti
BC Steaua Bucureşti
BC Steaua Turabo Bucureşti is the basketball section of CSA Steaua Bucureşti sport club, based in Bucureşti, Romania. The club competes in the Divizia A. Being part of one of Romania's biggest sports clubs, famous especially for its football team, Steaua's basketball club enjoyed plenty of success...
merged with BC Târgovişte and will play again in the first division
Romanian Basketball Division A
The Divizia A is the top-tier professional basketball league of Romania. There are 16 teams in Men's Division A.The regular season begins in October and is played over a normal round-robin home-and-away basis. The first 8 clubs qualify for the play-offs. The play-offs are played using the knock-out...
, under the name BC Steaua Turabo Bucureşti.
Volleyball (Men)
Steaua were European CupCEV Champions League
The CEV Champions League, or Indesit European Champions League is the top official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year.-Formula:In the first round take part 24 teams shared in 6 group stage....
runners-up twice in 1969 (against CSKA Sofia) and 1979 (against Cervena Hvezda Bratislava) and Cup Winners' Cup runners-up four times in 1977 (against Elektrotechnika Riga), 1981 (against Cervena Hvezda Bratislava), 1982 (against Avtomobilist Leningrad) and 1986 (against Panini Modena)
Nationally, Steaua has been performing rather poorly lately being a mid-table team in the national first league. It had even been on the verge of extinction a few years ago when it moved to the town of Slatina
Slatina
Slatina refers to a number of geographical objects in Europe:In Albania:* another name for Slatine and for SllatinaIn Antarctica* Slatina Peak...
.
Water Polo
Even though the Romanian national team has had some outstanding performances lately, club water polo has only a minor word to say in international competitions. Steaua are one of the leading teams inside a national league with only four professional clubs, the rest being amateur. The team's official name is CSA Steaua Stirom Bucureşti (after their sponsors).External links
Official Websites SteauaFC.ro FC Steaua Official Website BCSteaua.ro BC Steaua Turabo Official Website SteauaHC.ro HC Steaua Suki Official Website FC Steaua at the official Liga ILiga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
website FC Steaua at the official UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
website SteauaHochei.ro HC Steaua Suki Website (in development) steauamfa.ro Steaua MFA – Official website
Fan Websites FCSteaua.ro Official Fans' Website AISS.ro AISS (Steaua Supporters' Independent Association) Steaua.com English-language fan website for FC Steaua SteauaOnline.com FC Steaua Ultras.ro Ultras brigade RomanianUltras.ro Romanian Ultras Stelisti.ro Sport tabloid Gazeta Sporturilor's maintained website. FanSteaua.net FC Steaua
Statistics Websites FC Steaua all-time statistics http://www.liga1.ro/teaminfo.php/1/FC Steaua statistics from Liga I
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
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