HNK RIJEKA & STADIUM KANTRIDA
Croatian Football Club Rijeka, commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka or simply Rijeka, is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast. They play their home matches at Stadion Kantrida. The supporters of the club are known as Armada Rijeka. Rijeka's greatest rivalry is with Hajduk Split, while other rivalries exist with Dinamo Zagreb and, on regional level, with Istra Pula. HISTORY The club was founded as NK Kvarner in 1946, after Rijeka (known by its Italian name Fiume up to 1945) passed from Italy to Yugoslavia following the end of World War II. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav and local club championships. It changed its name to NK Rijeka on 3 June 1954, and advanced to the Yugoslav First League in the 1957–58 season.Rijeka won the Yugoslav Cup in 1978 and 1979, was a runner-up in 1987, won the Croatian Cup in 2005, 2006 and 2014, and was a runner-up in 1994. Rijeka was also the best placed Croatian club in the Yugoslav First League in 1965, 1984, and 1987. Rijeka participated in various UEFA competitions on 14 occasions. Rijeka is one of only four clubs to have participated in each season of Croatia's Prva HNL since 1992. Notably, it finished as runner-up in 1999, 2006, and 2014. Due to many format changes of the league, Rijeka has played more games in the competition than any other team. In the 2004–05 season, its player Tomislav Erceg was the top scorer of Prva HNL with 17 goals. Leon Benko was the league's top scorer during the 2012–13 season of Prva HNL with 18 goals. STADIUM NK Rijeka play their home matches at Stadion Kantrida, which has a seating capacity of 10,261. Kantrida located in the western part of the Rijeka, on the way to Opatija. This stadium is unique in the world because it is squeezed between the rocks and the sea, which is about 50 meters from the stadium. The popular US television network CNN in November 2011 chosen Kantrida as one of the seven most amazing football stadiums in the world, which is definitely a great recognition for fans of Rijeka. Rijeka enters the first Yugoslav football league in 1958 (status election continued playing home games at Kantridi), until then woody terrain got grass cover and mid-1960s. It will soon start construction of a new stadium on the same spot, so it will be increased current capacity stands and the whole stadium will get a streamlined feel.
