The greenest club in world football? The rise and rise of Karvina

I'd had Karvina's fixture with Mlada Boleslav pencilled in since the start of the season, given that I'd had to plan somewhat meticulously in order to complete the Czech First League this season. That probably won't be possible this season following various scheduling issues and a brief illness, but barring any setbacks, I should only be left with two or three Czech First League grounds to visit next season.

When the fixture was announced for the Sunday, I was a little annoyed initially, given that I tend to prefer attending games on Saturday before chilling on Sunday like a true Craig David. Then I realised there was an an opportunity to make a weekend of it with a tick in the Slovak League on the Saturday - you can check out my most recent blog on Ruzomberok here if you like.

Given that I'd come back to Brno via Karvina on my way back from Zilina recently, it made sense to stop over on the way back and take in a club widlely (citation needed) known as the greenest club in Czech football...

Okay, so I don't mean in a Forest Green sense. What I mean to say is that the club itself is quite literally green. The stadium is green, the seats are green, the grass is green, and according to a friend of mine who'd visited before, when the sun shines through the roof (which is green), everything is essentially green. As for their environmental credentials, I don't know, nor do I intend to research it...

But apart from being green, who are Karvina? Well they're a club that technically haven't existed for long, only forming in 2003 after merging with Jakl Karvina. Prior to this merger, they'd only been in the top flight on two separate occasions, suffering immediate relegation both times. Since then, however, their rise has been fairly remarkable.

Despite finishing 4th in the regional fifth tier in their first season, they were promoted due to the teams around them declining promotion to the fourth tier. From then, it only took a couple of seasons to be in the MSFL, and then another two to get back to the second tier. 2015-16 saw promotion to the top flight, and a return to the big time for the city of Karvina.

The club managed to stay afloat for a few seasons before relegaton in 2022, but this was followed by an immediate return in 2023. Things are currently going about as well as you might expect, with the club sitting 11th, which is the top rung of the relegation group. That said, relegation looks extremely unlikely at this point.

As for the game, it's a proper mid-table affair between themselves and Mlada Boleslav, who are only a couple of points ahead.  Both will be looking to at the very least, cement a place in the pointless middle group of the table, or perhaps even better, push toward that top six. With neither team in any real danger of achieving Europe or dropping out of the league this season, one can only hope this translates into a free-flowing, exciting game.

Karvina v Mlada Boleslav - Industrial Football?

On coming back from Ružomberok, I managed to reach Karvina just before 2pm, meaning I had a spare hour and a half to kill before kick-off. It dawned on me what an industrial derby this was, given Karvina's extensive mining history, and Mlada Boleslav's famous Skoda factory. I could only hope the football wouldn't be so labourious.

Imagine my surprise and delight to find it was anything but! In fact, on walking the 40 minute journey from the station to the ground, you can hardly see any evidence of the industrial past in the city. The greenery of the park en route made the walk seem relatively swift. The only negative was the fact the journey could have been done by car in six minutes, giving Karvina a distinctly North American feel in terms of its prioritisation of drivers. Or should that be prioritization...

There were buses, but they seemed few and far between, especially on a Sunday, hence the decision to take the walk. I had more than enough time, On arrival, I happened to be sat near the Boleslav end, of which I was pleasantly surprised to find a few hardy sould who'd made the trip, and had also tried to make some noise (and give some amusingly jovial anti-Polish abuse to the home faithful).

Lukas Masek opened the scoring for the away side through a fortuitous tap in, and they'd probably edged the first half with some lovely moments of play. It didn't take long for Samuel Sigut to equalise and bag his first for Karvina, with a lovely finish from a tight angle. So that was that - 1-1 at the break, and two teams looking far from industrial, with both sides probably feeling they should have gone in ahead.

It was Karvina who took the initiative in the second half, absolutely blowing Boleslav away in the end - the 3-1 scoreline was perhaps too kind on the away side, who were dismal in the second half. It was another tap-in, and another for Filip Vecheta, who enjoyed a hat trick against Ceske Budejovice last matchday. He'd make it five goals in two games just five minutes later, again tapping in a rebound from Sigut who'd been unlucky to hit the post.

A sending off for substitute Nicolas Penner put the final nail in the coffin for Boleslav, who are perhaps seeing the additional European games catch up with them. 3-1 it finished, with Karvina moving above their opponents up to 8th - the top six now only four points away.

If I were to give the game a needlessly English equivalent, I'd probably say something like Fulham v West Ham. Karvina were the relative new boys still playing nice football a level above, whereas Mlada Boleslav were top tier mainstays who could either be amazing or diabolical with little in between. Perhaps that's an oversimplification, but then again if it helps someone unfamiliar with the Czech game gain a slight understanding, why not make needless English comparisons?

Five things you didn't know about Karvina...

1.) It is thought that the name Karvina is actually derived from the old Polish word for cow, meaning the name can be translated as 'Cow Village'. Sadly I saw zero cows on my visit...

2.) As well as the aforementioned mining industry, Karvina is also renowned for its spas, thanks particularly to discoveries of iodine-bromine brine around the town, which is said to have medicinal qualities. 

3.) 177 cherry blossom trees line the streets of 17. Listopadu Street in Karvina, which explains why it was named Alley of the Year in 2014! The perfect spot for all your Mayday kissing needs (look it up - it's a Czech tradition).

4.) Unfortunately, due to the intensive mining industry in the town over the years, residents of Karvina breathe in some of the most polluted air in the entirety of the Czech Republic. Despite this, you get a sense that the town is trying to overcome this with its focus on greenery.

5.) According to legend, the bell in the local church is thought to be the strongest and most melodious sound in all of Silesia. Some have said the bell can be heard across the border as far as Cieszyn.