# ACS Sticla Arieșul Turda

ACS Sticla Arieșul Turda, commonly known as Sticla Arieșul Turda, or simply as Arieșul Turda, is a Romanian football club from Turda, Cluj County, which was established in 1907.
The club spent most of its history in the second and in the third leagues of Romania. Their best performance was winning 1960–61 Cupa României against Rapid București, with that performance the club entered in history of Romanian football as the only club which succeeded to win the Romanian Cup without ever playing in the top league.

## History

The glass factory team was founded in 1922 as Muncitorul Turda (Muncitor is the Romanian word for worker). The club played in the Regional Championship until 1936, when managed to qualify for the national level for the first time.
In the 1936–37 season, of the newly founded Divizia C, Arieșul ― named after the Arieș river on which Turda lies ― finishing last in Series I of the North League and withdrew in the middle of the following season.
Since the Divizia C was not held regularly in the post-war period, the club played at regional level under the new name of Flamura Roșie Turda, which it had adopted in 1950.
In the 1952 season, Flamura Roșie won the Cluj Regional Championship, but after eliminated Spartac Salonta in the first round, lost the promotion in the next round against Metalul Hunedoara.
In 1957, the team of glass workers from Turda merged with Progresul Turda, was renamed as Arieșul Turda and played the next two seasons in Divizia C finishing in the 3rd (1957–58) and 4th (1958–59) place.
In 1959, Divizia C was dissolved again, and Arieșul returned in Cluj Regional Championship for the 1959–60 season, which it won, but missed out the promotion after the tournament played in Arad finished 4th after Voința Târgu Mureș, Dinamo Săsar and Voința Oradea. However, the club benefeting after the merge between CFR Cluj and Rapid Cluj, taking the place of CFR Cluj in the second division.
The 1960–61 season is known as a landmark in the history of Arieșul Turda. The team coached by Nicolae Szoboszlay, and from October 1961 by Ștefan Wetzer, took the 6th place in the 3rd series of Divizia B, and in the Romanian Cup, they passed Corvinul Hunedoara (2–0) in the Round of 32, Penicilina Iași (7–1) in the Round of 16, Știința Timișoara (2–1) in the quarters-finals and UTA Arad (3–0) in the semi-finals. The final played against Rapid București on 12 November 1961 at the Republicii Stadium won it 2–1. The footballers who played in that final under the colors of Arieșul were: Vasile Suciu, Eugen Pantea, Ioachim Zăhan, Alexandru Vădan, Eugen Luparu, Ion Onacă, Vasile Mărgineanu, Vasile Pârvu, Dionisie Ursu, Gheorghe Băluțiu and Liviu Husar.
The club was unable to build on its successes, finishing two consecutive seasons on 8th place (1961–62 and 1962–63) and faced with relegation at the end of the 1963–64 season at goal difference, tied on points with CSM Cluj and CSM Sibiu. After an immediate promotion, Arieșul experienced turbulent times in the second half of the 1960s, pass down and found itself in the fourth division after back-to-back relegation.
Arieșul recorded a slight ascent winning the Mureș Series of the 1967–68 Cluj Regional Championship season and promoted to third division, where it played for five consecutive seasons ranking in 7th place (1968–69), 9th place (1969–70), 1st place (1970–71) - led by Nicolae Szoboszlay, missing out the promotion after the tournament played at Oradea, 3rd place (1971–72) and again in 1st place in the 1972–73 season, with coach Gheorghe Váczi on the bench, returning in Divizia B, The squad included players such as: Cocan, Sebeng, Ispas Ludușan, Popa, Gheorghe Fedeleș, Moș, Pop, Szűcs, Mîlna, Cheta, Ciortea, Deac, Szilaghi, Markiș, Moceanu, Ciocan, Neagu, Cocu and Hășmășan.
The club spent the next four years in the second division finishing 14th (1973–74) – avoided the relegation at goal difference, 10th (1974–75) – changed its name Sticla Arieșul Turda, 7th (1975–76) and 15th (1976–77) – returning to the third tier.

## Honours
### Leagues

Liga III
* Winners (6): 1964–65, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1983–84, 1986–87, 2006–07
* Runners-up (4): 1979–80, 1980–81, 1998–99, 2001–02
Liga IV – Cluj County
* Winners (3): 1990–91, 1993–94, 2017–18
Cluj Regional Championship
* Winners (3): 1952, 1959–60, 1967–68

### Cups

Cupa României
* Winners (1): 1960–61
Cupa României – Cluj County
* Winners (2): 2017–18, 2023-24

## Chronology of names

| Name | Period |
| Muncitorul Turda | 1907–1950 |
| Flamura Roșie Turda | 1950–1958 |
| Arieșul Turda | 1958–1974 |
| Sticla Arieșul Turda | 1974–1999 |
| Arieșul Turda | 1999–2012 |
| FCM Turda | 2012–2013 |
| Arieșul Turda | 2013–2015 |
| Sticla Arieșul Turda | 2016–present |
* Note: 1 year of inactivity between 2015 and 2016, and the team was refounded as Sticla Arieșul Turda in the Liga IV.

## League history

| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Notes |
| 2023–24 | 4 | Liga IV (CJ) | 4th | |
| 2022–23 | 4 | Liga IV (CJ) | 9th | |
| 2021–22 | 3 | Liga III (Seria IX) | 10th | Relegated |
| 2020–21 | 3 | Liga III (Seria IX) | 4th | |
| 2019–20 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 9th | |
| 2018–19 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 7th | |
| 2017–18 | 4 | Liga IV (CJ) | 1st (C) | Promoted |
| 2016–17 | 4 | Liga IV (CJ) | 3rd | |
| 2014–15 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 8th | Relegated |
| 2013–14 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 7th | |
| 2012–13 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 13th | |
| 2011–12 | 2 | Liga II (Seria II) | 16th | Relegated |
| 2010–11 | 2 | Liga II (Seria II) | 9th | |
| 2009–10 | 2 | Liga II (Seria II) | 10th | |
| 2008–09 | 2 | Liga II (Seria II) | 13th | |
| 2007–08 | 2 | Liga II (Seria II) | 14th | |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Notes |
| 2006–07 | 3 | Liga III (Seria V) | 1st (C) | Promoted |
| 2005–06 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria VIII) | 4th | |
| 2004–05 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IX) | 3rd | |
| 2003–04 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IX) | 6th | |
| 2002–03 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria VIII) | 9th | |
| 2001–02 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria VIII) | 2nd | |
| 2000–01 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria VII) | 11th | |
| 1999–00 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria VI) | 7th | |
| 1998–99 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IV) | 2nd | |
| 1997–98 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IV) | 4th | |
| 1996–97 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IV) | 10th | |
| 1995–96 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IV) | 13th | |
| 1994–95 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria IV) | 15th | |
| 1991–92 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria XI) | 8th | Relegated |
| 1990–91 | 4 | County Championship (CJ) | 1st (C) | Promoted |
| 1989–90 | 3 | Divizia C (Seria XI) | 16th | Relegated |

## Notable former players

The footballers mentioned below have played at least 1 season for Sticla Arieșul Turda and also played in Liga I for another team.
* Valentin Lemnaru
* Vasile Suciu
* Cosmin Tilincă
* Gheorghe Váczi

## Former managers

* Gheorghe Váczi (1958–1959)
* Nicolae Szoboszlay (1959–1961)
* Nicolae Szoboszlay (1969–1972)
* Sorin Cigan (2006–2007)
* Victor Roșca (2007)
* Leonida Nedelcu (2007)
* Mircea Bolba (2007–2008)
* Victor Roșca (2008)
* Marin Tudorache (2009–2010)
* George Ciorceri (2010–2012)
* Dorin Toma (2022–2023)
* Ștefan Wetzer
* Ioan Tătăran