Zrinjski

The beginning and early years

In 1896, several distinguished Herzegovinians from Mostar had the idea of forming a youth sports society named Hrvatski sokol (Croatian Falcon). At the time, this was not allowed, but in 1905, Croat youth led by Professor Kuštreb succeeded. With the help of the cultural society "Hrvoje," they formed the "Đački športski klub" (Student Sports Club). In 1912, it evolved into Gimnazijski nogometni klub Zrinjski (Gymnasium Football Club Zrinjski). It was named after the historic Croatian noble family Zrinski. Some of the first games they played were against the sports team Osman from Sarajevo: the games ended 0–3 and 2–1. Club activist and player Ivo Ćorić wrote the first reports about the club at that time. He named some of the players: Rudolf Brozović, Bruno and Edo Novak, Marko Suton, Željko and Ante Merdžo, Abid Pehlivanović, Slavko Jukić, Ivan Bošnjak and Karlo Šmit. In 1914, at the outset of World War I, the club was banned. This ban lasted until 1917 when Zrinjski, along with another Croatian sports club from Mostar, Hrvatski radnički omladinski športski klub (HROŠK), formed a new club called "Hercegovac". Some of the HROŠK players were: Jure Zelenika, Nikola Paladžić, Miroslav Prpić, Mirko Vlaho, Ante Pavković and Kažimir Zubac.

In 1922, the original name "Zrinjski" was revived, and the team began competing more seriously. They played against other Mostar teams, like Yugoslavian Sports Club (JŠK), Velež and Vardar, and also teams from all over Herzegovina, Bosnia and Dalmatia. In 1923, Zrinjski won the Mostar Championship with a 1–0 victory over JŠK. The players that played in that game were: Vjekoslav Vrančić, Kazimir Vlaho, Živo Bebek, Rudi Janjušić, Husein H. Omerović, Milivoj Smoljan, Pero Golić, Mijo Miličević, Muhamed Omeragić, August Kučinović and Franjo Štimac. In the 1930s Zrinjski played games in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and even Montenegro. In 1936, Yugoslav authorities did not allow Zrinjski to play in a tournament in Dubrovnik because their jerseys bore Croatian colours. In 1938, Zrinjski won a tournament against Velež, ŠK Sloga and ŠK Makabi. At that time, they also played three-night games, with the lights they borrowed from the local mine. Some of the club presidents from 1905 to 1945 were Miško Mikulić, Drago Turkelj, Jakša Miljković and Blaž Slišković.

World War II and ban

In 1941, following the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia, was proclaimed under the name Independent State of Croatia. A football league was also formed, and Zrinjski joined it when it was admitted to FIFA. In the league, Zrinjski played some historic games against Građanski Zagreb.

In 1943, Zrinjski played Jedinstvo, winning 2–1, which was probably the last match before the club was banned. By the end of the Second World War, the Independent State of Croatia had been defeated by the Yugoslav Partisans resistance movement. Zrinjski was among the clubs banned in 1945 for being nationalist propaganda tools.

Restoration

After Bosnia and Herzegovina became an independent state in 1992, Zrinjski was reestablished in Međugorje. Because of the ongoing war, for the first two years, Zrinjski played only friendly games, mostly in Herzegovina and Croatia, but also in Canada and Germany. In 1994, Zrinjski, along with other Croat clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, helped create the Herzeg-Bosnia Football Federation. The club participated in its league for seven seasons and consistently ranked among the best teams. Some of the notable players at that time were Blaž Slišković and Slaven Musa, both FK Velež Mostar players before that. In 1998, Zrinjski participated in the first playoffs with teams from Bosniak-ruled parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2000, the Premier League included both clubs from Bosniak-ruled and Croat-ruled parts of the country for the first time, and Zrinjski was one of the clubs competing in the league and still is today. Clubs from Serb-ruled parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina

In the summer of 2000, Zrinjski also participated in a UEFA competition for the first time. They played in the Intertoto Cup against the Swedish team Västra Frölunda IF. Zrinjski lost the first game in Sweden 1–0 and led 1–0 after 90 minutes in Mostar. At the start of overtime, Zrinjski scored another goal, securing the result that sent them to the next round. Still, the game ultimately ended in a 3–2 Zrinjski victory, and Vastra Frolunda advanced due to away goals.

The new era

Before the 2003–04 season, several new board members joined the club, bringing in better sponsors. Their primary goal was to make Zrinjski one of the top clubs in the country by its 100th anniversary in 2005. Zrinjski then took four players on loan from Dinamo Zagreb: Luka Modrić, Marko Janjetović, Ivica Džidić and Davor Landeka. After the season, Džidić and Landeka stayed permanently. Although Zrinjski was nowhere near the top, the base for the next season was created. In the summer of 2004, the club signed some of the best players in the league, such as Zoran Rajović, Dušan Kerkez, Velimir Vidić, and Sulejman Smajić. The team, led by manager Franjo Džidić, won the title easily, with a significant point advantage over runner-up Željezničar. Zoran Rajović was the league's leading scorer.