Weekend at Brno's

Despite planning to complete a quadruple of games over the Easter weekend, I could only muster up a pathetic two  - both on Velký Patek (Great or Big Friday if you will). That said, I refuse to let that ruin a perfectly amusing blog title referring to a film I’ve never actually seen. In any case, it gave me the excuse to at least highlight the footballing potential of a city like Brno, which is perhaps more of a hotbed than you may realise.

I’ll briefly talk about the two games I attended (and the two I didn’t) before going any further, as they don’t warrant too much discussion. The first was a first visit to Moravská Slavia Brno in Štýřice, as they hosted Olympia Ráječko. It was an 11am kick-off with a brisk Spring breeze wreaking havoc with my long hair. It was also a pretty drab affair, with Olympia nicking the three points at the death. Frankly the game deserved to remain goalless though.

I had planned to grab some lunch somewhere and then take the 12 tram to Komárov to watch Sparta Brno host bottom side Lednice (Refrigerator, if you will), but the 15.30 KO was cutting it a little fine before the evening game. In hindsight, I probably could have made it, and I’m kind of annoyed I didn’t given the 3-2 scoreline. I also chose the wrong fixture to attend in the morning, given that Kuřim was my other option - a 4-0 win for the hosts.

Still, I had time for a quick green beer before the Zbrojovka game at home to Sparta B in the evening. Entertaining though it was, Zbrojovka Brno were a disgrace in the first half. They trailed 2-1 at the break, with a goal before half-time giving them hope of a second-half fightback. 

Despite their best efforts, a combination of wasted chances and magnificent goalkeeping from Jakub Surovčík (plus Zbrojovka conceding from Sparta B’s only chance in the second-half) meant that the B-Team ran out 3-2 winners. Oh the ignominy of losing to a B-Team, almost a year to the day on from holding their own against Sparta’s A-Team at Letná.

To make the weekend even more of a failure, I’d planned on doing Svratka Brno v Dosta Bystrc on the Saturday morning - a match I’d been excitingly dubbing El Svratiko in the run-up to it. Naturally, I discovered the game had already happened, and could have been another option on the Friday morning. It finished 1-1, so I perhaps didn’t miss out too much. 

In any case, if you plan it right, you can certainly manage three or four games in a weekend around this part of the world, perhaps even more on a long weekend. Let’s take a look at some of the sides in and around a city that has more to it than a big clock in the centre. 

For clarity, we’ll begin from the highest league down to around the third tier. There are of course plenty more below the third tier, which can perhaps be saved for a future blog.

SECOND TIER

MFK Vyškov

Currently the highest ranked team within the vicinity of Brno, it’s a mere 45 minute train ride to Vyškov - although try not to make the same mistake I did in thinking the ground is actually in Vyškov. It’s in nearby Drnovice, with a stadium that is as brilliant as it is baffling - what is this massive thing doing in the middle of a village? If you can stomach the early kick-offs, you’ll almost be guaranteed entertainment, with Vyškov boasting a uniquely international style of football. Twelve of their squad aren’t Czech - a rarity at any level in Czech football.

SK Líšeň

At the time of writing Brno’s highest placed side, Líšeň have had an incredible rise over the last decade. Given that a decade ago, they were in the fourth tier, Marvani now regularly trouble the top half of the second league, even finishing as high as 2nd in 2021. With a ground that only holds 2,000, it’s unlikely they’d be able to use it in the top tier should promotion happen, but it’s a charming ground in a pleasant neighbourhood of Brno. While you’re here, you should definitely try a craft beer at Bar Oranžová nearby. 

Zbrojovka Brno

The crown jewel (citation needed) of South Moravia, it’s a crime that Brno doesn’t have a team currently competing in the top division, especially given its second city status. Zbrojovka are undoubtedly the biggest club in the city, though certainly a shadow of themselves at present. They play at the ADAX Invest Arena, which is reachable by the 12, 6 or 1 tram, and it’s honestly nothing special. The club’s spiritual home is Za Lužánkami, which must seem a distant memory at this point. They haven’t won in five months either, though admittedly there has been a four month break…

THIRD TIER

TJ Start Brno

Perhaps we should have started here with a club on a similar trajectory to Líšeň. Based in the Lesná district, Start Brno are practically in the middle of the forest, though it’s not too far a walk from the final stop on the 9 tram. It’s a gorgeous part of the city, and a fantastic stadium for the third tier with passionate support to boot. They were only promoted to the third tier last season, though they’ve certainly been giving a solid account of themselves, currently sitting in 7th. Considering they were in the 10th tier as recently as 2008, the rise has been quite something.

FK Blansko

A few places below Start in 10th, Blansko actually lost 2-1 at home to them over the weekend. They’re also located a few kilometres north of Brno, though it’s only a 20 minute train away. It’s also a charming town with some great pubs to whet the whistle before or after the game, and you can also probably catch The Blansko Klobasa at a game. They’re a relatively young club having only formed in 2004, but it’s been a wild ride thus far, with the club regularly bouncing between tiers. Their only stint in the 2nd tier was in 2020-21, and this ended with a relegation back to the third tier.

Slovan Rosice

A club I covered in my last blog, and also one that sits outside of Brno’s city limits. That said, it’s also only a short hop away by train from Brno. Again, it’s an example of a small yet passionate fanbase who’ll back their team no matter what, and generally some exciting football on show. They currently sit 14th, though don’t look in any considerable danger of relegation. They’re also yet another club from the region with an excellent recent history of rising through the divisions.

TJ Tatran Bohunice

The lowest ranked club of the top three tiers at present, Bohunice can be found in the, errm, well, Bohunice district of Brno. It’s reachable by 7 or 8 tram, and it’s a nice way to start your morning given that games regularly kick off at 10.15am. They’re currently 15th, just above the drop zone, but level on points with Frydlant and Uhersky Brod. It would be a shame to see them drop given their previous two consecutive promotions from the fifth tier to the third, as despite their lengthy history, this is the highest position they’ve ever been. 

In fact, I’ll be watching Tatran Bohunice against Blansko first thing next Saturday, as well as Zbrojovka against Prostejov in the evening, which is also close by, but…yeah…don’t bother.