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| Full name | OFC Belasitsa Petrich | |||
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| Nickname | Komitite | |||
| Founded | 1923; 102 years ago (1923) | |||
| Ground | Stadion Tsar Samuil | |||
| Capacity | 9,500 | |||
| Chairman | Ivan Zlatinski | |||
| Head coach | Zhivko Zhelev | |||
| League | Second League | |||
| 2024–25 | Second League, 8th of 20 | |||
| Website | ofcbelasica | |||
OFC Belasitsa (Bulgarian:ОФК Беласица Петрич) is a Bulgarianfootball club from the town ofPetrich, currently playing in theSecond League. The team was founded in 1923. They play at theStadion Tsar Samuil inPetrich, which has a capacity of 9,500. The club last played in the first tier of Bulgarian football during the2008-09 season.
Belasitsa Petrich was founded in 1923 as FC Manush Voivoda. From 1957 the club was called DFS Belasitsa after the union of the local football clubs "Stroitel", "Cherveno zname", "Torpedo" and "Spartak", i.e. all the teams fromPetrich.
In 1980, Belasitsa promoted to theA PFG for the first time ever. In its debut season in the Bulgarian elite in season1980-81, the team finished in 13th place. In that same season, Belasitsa recorded its best appearance at theBulgarian Cup, reaching the semifinals. They eliminated then holders of the cup,Slavia Sofia along the way. In the semifinal played on 22 April 1981, inKarlovo, Belasitsa lost to eventual winnersBotev Plovdiv, by a score of 6–0.
During these years, Belasitsa earned themselves a reputation for playing very strong football for a team not based in a major city. The team relied almost entirely on youth academy players for the first team. They played in the Bulgarian elite up until season1983-84, when they were relegated after playoffs, ending a four-year stint in the A Group.
Belasitsa returned to the A Group in 1999, ending a 15-year absence from the top tier of Bulgarian football. However, the team largely struggled and was eventually relegated back after just one season in the top level. In 2001, 2 years after their relegation from the top flight, Belasitsa returned to the top level through administrative decisions made by its owners. That year Belasitsa united withHebar, who finished 9th in the2000-01 season, which resulted in Belasitsa taking Hebar's place in the A Group, thus entering the elite once again. The team however, finished 13th during the2001-02 season and was relegated back to the B Group.
A year later, Belasitsa returned to the top level, and began its best ever campaign in the Bulgarian elite, managing to stay 6 consecutive seasons, up until 2009. One of the reasons for such strong results during these years was that the team had brought a lot of talented Brazilian players, including Marcelo Vava, Dianu, Marquinos, and Eduardo Du Bala. In 2005, the team hired Macedonian coachStevica Kuzmanovski, under whose guidance Belasitsa achieved its best ever result in the Bulgarian league, finishing in 6th place. Next season2006-07, Belasitsa also performed strongly, finishing in 8th place.
However, after that season, a general decline started, as the team finished in 13th place during the2007-08 season, saving themselves from relegation in the last round. Unfortunately for Belasitsa, they finished last during the2008-09 season, thus being relegated.
After they were relegated to theB Group in 2009, it was discovered that the team was in serious financial and administrative irregularities, and their future was very unclear. Belasitsa could not register enough players for the2009–10 B Group, so they were disqualified before the season started. They were administratively relegated to theV AFG for that season. In 2012, further economic problems began and the team was in danger from ceasing its operations. However, the team is eventually saved, with the financial support coming from the Municipality of Petrich. Belasitsa was further relegated to the fourth tier of Bulgarian football, the regional amateur league for the 2012–13 season. They achieved first place and were promoted back to the V AFG.
In the next few seasons, the club managed to rebuild their first team and returned to their original stadium, after it had license issues. In seasons 2020/21 and 2021/22, the team had largely fought for promotion to the Second League, but Belasitsa narrowly missed the first spot by a few points on both occasions.
Belasitsa had a very strong2021-22 season, finishing in first place in the Southwest Third League and clinching promotion to the Second League after several seasons in the lower leagues.
In 2023, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary.
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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For recent transfers, seeTransfers winter 2024–25 andTransfers summer 2025.
Most A PFG appearances for the club
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Had international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or had more than 100 league appearances. Players whose name is listed inbold represented their countries.
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