Karviná as a multi-ethnic city of Cieszyn Silesia was a home to many football clubs, which were established by particular ethnic groups after World War I. At that time many football clubs of Polish, German, Czech and Jewish communities were founded. Most known and strongest Polish club was Polonia Karwina founded in 1919. After World War II German and Jewish clubs were not re-established. Czech and Polish clubs still existed until the 1950s, when as a part of communist unification of sport life in Czechoslovakia Czech clubs were joined to ZSJ OKD Mír Karviná and Polish Polonia Karwina incorporated into that club.
In the 2000–01 Czech 2. Liga, Karviná were relegated to the Moravian–Silesian Football League (MSFL) after finishing 15th of 16 teams. They subsequently finished last in the MSFL in the 2001–02 season,[2] signalling a second relegation in as many seasons. The club, playing in the Czech Fourth Division in the 2002–03 season, finished dead last and was thus relegated for a third time in succession.[3]
The club merged with Jäkl Karviná in 2003, taking the name MFK Karviná. The 2003–04 season saw the club play in the Regional Championship, finishing fourth but being promoted to the Czech Fourth Division due to higher-finishing teams declining the opportunity to promote.[4] The club subsequently spent two seasons in the Czech Fourth Division, finishing fifth in their first season and third in the 2005–06 season, winning promotion to the MSFL.[4] The club finished 8th in their first season back in the MSFL in 2006–07 and went on to finish fourth in the 2007–08 season.[4] They then bought the license for the second division from league champions Sigma Olomouc B, and thus qualified to play in the Czech 2. Liga.[4] Having played in the Second League since 2008, the club celebrated promotion to the First League after the 29th round of the 2015–16 Czech National Football League.[5]
Historical names
1919–38: PKS Polonia Karwina
1945–48: SK Polonia Karwina
1948–51: Sokol Polonia Karviná
1951–53: Sokol OKD Mír Karviná
1953–61: Baník Karviná Mír
1961–94: Baník 1. máj Karviná
1994–95: FC Karviná–Vítkovice (after merger with FC Vítkovice Kovkor)
1995–03: FC Karviná
2003–08: MFK Karviná (after merger with Jäkl Karviná)
^Jeřábek, Luboš (2007). Český a československý fotbal – lexikon osobností a klubů (in Czech). Prague, Czech Republic: Grada Publishing. p. 86. ISBN978-80-247-1656-5.
