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| Full name | Clubul Sportiv Gloria Bistrița | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Glorioșii (The Glorious Ones) Vampirii albaștri (The Blue Vampires) Echipa lui Dracula (Dracula's Squad) | ||
| Short name | Gloria | ||
| Founded | 31 May 2018; 7 years ago (2018-05-31) asAsociația Club Sportiv Unu Fotbal Club Gloria Bistrița | ||
| Ground | Jean Pădureanu | ||
| Capacity | 7,800 | ||
| Owners | Bistrița-Năsăud County Council Bistrița Municipality | ||
| General manager | Bogdan Apostu | ||
| Head coach | Nicolae Grigore | ||
| League | Liga II | ||
| 2024–25 | Liga III, Seria VII, 1st (promoted via play-offs) | ||
| Website | https://gloria2018.ro/ | ||
Clubul Sportiv Gloria Bistrița, commonly known asGloria Bistrița or simply asGloria, is a professionalfootball club based inBistrița,Bistrița-Năsăud County, competing inLiga II, the second tier ofRomanian football.
Founded in 2018 as 1. FC Gloria Bistrița, the team is widely seen as the unofficial successor ofACF Gloria Bistrița, sharing its name, colors (white and blue), stadium, and even former staff and players. In 2021, it was taken over by the Bistrița-Năsăud County Council and renamed Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud. In 2025, it dropped "Năsăud" to strengthen its identity and align more closely with the Municipality of Bistrița.[1]
Following the bankruptcy ofACF Gloria Bistrița in 2015, football in the city sought revival throughFC Bistrița andAcademia Gloria Bistrița. However, both projects were short-lived due to financial difficulties, dissolving in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
1. FC Gloria Bistrița was founded on 31 May 2018 and directly enrolled inLiga III, taking the place of newly promoted ACS Dumitra. The latter ceded its spot and right to compete in the third tier, along with all its players, administrative and technical staff, to the newly established club. Simultaneously, ACS Dumitra enrolled inLiga IV – Bistrița-Năsăud County and became the official second team and partner of 1. FC Gloria.[2][3]
The club is widely regarded as the unofficial successor of the historic club by supporters, the media, and by the club itself, which has embraced this legacy. It shares a similar name, the same white and blue colors, plays at the same stadium, and includes former directors, managers, and players from the original club, further reinforcing the continuity between the two entities.[4][5]
In the following three seasons, under the guidance ofDănuț Matei and featuring experiencedtop-flight players such asSergiu Costin,Alin Chibulcutean,Adrian Nalați,József Lőrincz,Ovidiu Stoianof,Marius Curtuiuș,Călin Albuț, andAndrei Enescu, 1. FC Gloria finished 9th in Series V of the2018–19 Liga III season. In the2019–20 season, which was interrupted in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the team placed 7th in the same series. During the2020–21 season, competing in Series X, Gloria achieved a 3rd-place finish.
In the summer of 2021, 1. FC Gloria, facing financial collapse,[6] was taken over by the Bistrița-Năsăud County Council and renamed Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud. In the2021–22 season, the team competed in Series IX of Liga III, finishing 5th in both the regular season and the play-out round, withAdrian Falub taking charge in February 2022.[7]
In the2022–23 campaign, playing in Series X, Gloria finished 3rd in the regular season and 2nd in the play-off round, thus qualifying for the promotion play-off, where it was eliminated in the first round byCorvinul Hunedoara (1–2 at home and 1–2 away). During the2023–24 season, the club once again qualified for the promotion play-off after winning Series IX, but was knocked out in the first round byUnirea Ungheni (2–2 at home and 1–2 away).
| Name | Period |
| ACS 1. FC Gloria Bistrița | 2018–2021 |
| CS Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud | 2021–2025 |
| CS Gloria Bistrița | 2025–present |
Named in June as the new head coach,Iosif Rotariu parted ways with the club just a month later.[8] In his place,Cristian Pustai was appointed as head coach for the2024–25 season. With a core of players including R. Avram,R. Began, T. Mitran, M. Salka, I. Chukwu, Al. Mogoș, A. Burdeț, S. Vișinar, I. Vencu,A. Llullaku (cpt.),V. Alexandru, Tonini,Fr. Cristea, D. Covaci, Rafael Tavares, P. Chiorean, B. Forizs,A. Buziuc, Andraș andG. Deac, the White and Blues dominated Series VII, securing qualification for the promotion play-off. After advancing pastCSO Filiași, who was disqualified, Gloria earned promotion toLiga II with a 1–0 home victory and a dramatic second leg againstSCM Râmnicu Vâlcea, which ended 2–3 after extra time and 5–4 in the penalty shootout.[9]
1. FC Gloria, like its predecessor,ACF Gloria Bistrița, plays its home matches onJean Pădureanu Stadium inBistrița, with a capacity of 7,800 seats. The stadium is named in honor of the longest-running president of a football club in Romania, Jean Pădureanu, the man who led the old Gloria for 47 years (1966–2013). A respected, but also a controversial character,the Lord, as he was called, managed to maintain the club in theLiga I for 22 consecutive years.[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Board of directors[edit]
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The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or significant caps for CS Gloria Bistrița.
Călin AlbuțAlin ChibulcuteanSergiu CostinMarius CurtuiușGabriel DeacAndrei EnescuCostinel GuguJózsef LőrinczSergiu MureșanAdrian NalațiOvidiu StoianofBogdan VasileDănuț Matei (2018–2021)Adrian Falub (2022–2024)Cristian Pustai (2024–2025)
