FC Voluntari

FC Voluntari
Full nameSC Fotbal Club Voluntari SA
Nickname(s)Voluntărenii (The People from Voluntari)
Ilfovenii (The People from Ilfov)
Short nameVoluntari
Founded26 July 2010; 13 years ago (2010-07-26)[1]
GroundAnghel Iordănescu
Capacity4,600
OwnerVoluntari Town
General directorBogdan Bălănescu
Head coachIlie Poenaru
LeagueLiga I
2022–23Liga I, 9th of 16
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Fotbal Club Voluntari (Romanian pronunciation: [volunˈtarʲ]), commonly known as FC Voluntari or simply Voluntari, is a Romanian professional football club based in Voluntari, Ilfov County, which competes in the Liga I.

Founded in 2010, it has been playing since the 2015–16 season in the Liga I, the highest tier of the Romanian league system. Voluntari claimed its first major honour the following campaign, after defeating Astra Giurgiu in the penalty shootout of the Cupa României final, and went on to win the Supercupa României the same year.

Voluntari's home ground is the Anghel Iordănescu Stadium, which has a capacity of 4,600 people.

History

Early years

FC Voluntari was founded in the summer of 2010 and enrolled directly in the Liga III, after acquiring the berth of Petrolul Berca.[2]

During their debut season in the third league, Ilfovenii finished in sixth place with Romeo Bunică as a head coach, and repeated the performance the next season with Bogdan Andone in charge. The 2012–13 season began with poor performances and after five rounds Andone was replaced by Bunică, who led the team to the seventh place.[3]

Adrian Iencsi led Voluntari to winning the 2013–14 Liga III en fanfare, but despite the Liga II promotion, Iencsi was sacked and replaced for the next year by Ilie Poenaru.[4] There, they had notable performances against Farul Constanța and CF Brăila, and then qualified to the Liga I from the first place via the promotion play-offs.[citation needed]

Promotion to the first division

Voluntari earned promotion for the first time in their history to Liga I, the highest tier of Romanian football, at the end of the 2014–15 campaign. Its debut season was difficult, as many technical and administrative changes led the club to the relegation zone. Finishing 12th, the team faced a promotion/relegation play-off against UTA Arad, which it won 3–1 on aggregate and maintained its place in the Liga I.[5]

With experienced players such as Vasile Maftei, Florin Cernat or Laurențiu Marinescu in the starting eleven, Voluntari improved itself in the 2016–17 season, finishing in ninth place and avoiding a second consecutive promotion/relegation play-off. During that year, the club achieved its biggest achievement so far by winning the Cupa României over Astra Giurgiu, being the first major trophy in its brief history.[6]

Stadium

Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu as seen from the First Stand.
Outside view of the stadium.

The club plays its home matches at the 4,600-seater Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu in Voluntari. Attendances are usually modest, as Voluntari is considered a suburb of Bucharest and many of its citizens are inclined to support clubs from the capital instead.[citation needed]

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Cups

Players

First-team squad

As of 7 January 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Other players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Club officials

Domestic records and statistics

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than signifiant caps for FC Voluntari.

For a list of all former and current FC Voluntari players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FC Voluntari players.
Romania
Argentina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cape Verde
Croatia
DR Congo
Greece
Haiti
Ivory Coast
Moldova
Netherlands
Spain
Tunisia

Notable former managers

For a list of all former and current FC Voluntari managers with a Wikipedia article, see Category:FC Voluntari managers.

References

  1. ^ FOTBAL CLUB VOLUNTARI SA Archived 17 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine. termene.ro (in Romanian)
  2. ^ "Bunică mai are nevoie de voluntari serioși" [Bunică still needs serious volunteers]. liga2.prosport.ro. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.(in Romanian)
  3. ^ "Bunică revine la Voluntari!" [Bunică returns to Voluntari!]. liga2.prosport.ro. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.(in Romanian)
  4. ^ "Adrian Iencsi nu mai este antrenor la FC Voluntari" [Adrian Iencsi is no longer the coach of FC Voluntari]. ilfovsport.ro. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2022.(in Romanian)
  5. ^ "Liga 1: UTA invinge FC Voluntari in returul barajului, dar ilfovenii raman in prima liga". ziare.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  6. ^ "FC Voluntari – Astra 1–1 (5–3 d.l.d). Minunea din Ilfov! Claudiu Niculescu, performanță istorică în finala Cupei României". www.digisport.ro. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  7. ^ "FC VOLUNTARI" (in Romanian). Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Board of directors". Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Technical staff". Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.

External links