FC Voluntari

FC Voluntari
Full name Fotbal Club Voluntari
Nickname(s) Alb-vișinii
(The White and Burgundies)
Short name Voluntari
Founded 2010 (2010)
as Inter Voluntari
Ground Anghel Iordănescu
Capacity 4,600
Owner Voluntari Town
General manager Ioan Andone
Manager Dinu Todoran
League Liga I
2017–18 Liga I, 12th
Website Club website

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

Founded in 2010 as Inter Voluntari, they have been playing since the 2015–16 season in the Liga I, the first tier of the Romanian football league system. They claimed their first major honour in 2017, after defeating Astra Giurgiu in the Cupa României final at the penalty shootouts, and went on to win the Supercupa României in the same year.

History

Early years

In the 2012–13 season of the Liga IV, they finished second and promoted to the next league Liga III. This time they won the 2013–14 Liga III and promoted again to Liga II. In Liga II they had notable performances against Farul Constanța and CF Brăila. They qualified via the promotion play-offs to Liga I from the first place.

Promotion to the first division

At the end of the 2014–15 Liga II season, they were promoted for the first time in their club history to Liga I, via the promotion playoffs. The 2015–16 Liga I season was a tough one for FC Voluntari, as many technical and administrative changes took the club to the relegation zone. Finishing 12th, the team faced a promotion/relegation play-off against UTA Arad, 2nd place in Seria II of the 2015–16 Liga II. FC Voluntari won 3-1 on aggregate and remained in Liga I.[1]

With experienced players like Vasile Maftei, Florin Cernat or Laurențiu Marinescu in the lineup, Voluntari improved in the 2016–17 Liga I season, finishing in 9th place and avoiding a second consecutive relegation battle. The biggest achievement for the club was winning the Romanian Cup against Astra Giurgiu, the first major trophy in its short history.[2]

Stadium

The club plays its home matches at the 4,600-seater Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu in Voluntari.

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

Cups

Players

First team squad

As of 21 September 2018

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

No. Position Player
3 Moldova DF Igor Armaș
5 Romania MF Alexandru Răuță
6 Romania MF Ion Gheorghe
7 Romania MF Gabriel Deac
9 France DF Aïssa Laïdouni
10 Romania FW Alexandru Tudorie (Vice-Captain)
11 Romania MF Mihai Căpățînă
12 Romania GK Dinu Moldovan
13 Croatia DF Ivan Zgrablić
15 Romania MF Costin Lazăr (Captain)
16 Romania FW Alexandru Marin
18 Romania DF Oktay Özkara
19 Romania DF Robert Hodorogea (on loan from Viitorul)
20 Romania MF Adelin Pîrcălabu
21 France MF Abdelhak Belahmeur
No. Position Player
22 Portugal DF Ricardinho
23 Romania DF Alexandru Vlad
25 Romania GK Constantin Mihăescu
27 Romania GK Răzvan Petrariu
28 Romania DF Ionuț Balaur
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina MF Ivan Sesar
32 Romania DF Bogdan Bucurică
33 Romania MF Alexandru Chilili
48 Martinique FW Geoffrey Malfleury
77 Romania MF Alexandru Ciucur
80 Romania FW Gabriel Iancu
82 Romania GK Cosmin Vâtcă
90 Romania FW Adrian Bălan (Vice-captain)
94 Belgium FW Nathan Kabasele
96 Ghana FW Richard Gadze

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
2 Romania DF Cosmin Achim (to Energeticianul)
4 Romania DF Mircea Leasă (to Energeticianul)
France DF Alphousseyni Sané (to Metaloglobus București)
Romania MF Marius Bîrsan (to Metaloglobus București)
No. Position Player
Romania MF Vlad Gîsă (to Chindia Târgoviște)
Romania MF Laurențiu Manole (to Energeticianul)
Romania FW Alexandru Stoica (to Balotești)

Second team squad (Voluntari II)

As of 16 September 2018

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

No. Position Player
Romania GK Alexandru Dragomir
Romania DF George Buligă (Vice-Captain)
Romania DF Dan Dinu
Romania DF Cornel Gheorghe
Romania DF Sebastian Ignat (Captain)
Romania DF Bogdan Mitache
Romania MF Viorel Brocea
Romania MF Mario Dumitru
No. Position Player
Romania MF Cristian Ghiurcă
Romania MF Eduard Gogoi
Romania MF Cristian Nica
Romania MF David Nistor
Romania MF Eduard Vraciu
Romania FW Iustin Drăgănoaia
Romania FW Cezar Trandafirescu

Club officials

Domestic records and statistics

Season League Pos. Notes
2012/13 Liga IV 2 Promoted
2013/14 Liga III 1 Promoted
2014/15 Liga II 1 Promoted
2015/16 Liga I 12 Won the relegation play-offs
2016/17 Liga I 9
2017/18 Liga I 12 Won the relegation play-offs

References

  1. "Liga 1: UTA invinge FC Voluntari in returul barajului, dar ilfovenii raman in prima liga". ziare.com.
  2. "FC Voluntari - Astra 1-1 (5-3 d.l.d). Minunea din Ilfov! Claudiu Niculescu, performanță istorică în finala Cupei României". www.digisport.ro.
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