NK Varaždin NK Varaždin is a club whose history stands as a striking example of the resilience of Croatian provincial football. Its roots go back to 1931, when Czech businessman Ernst Stiassny, owner of the local textile factory, founded the club for his workers — from 1958 it competed under the name Varteks, honouring its main sponsor, and for decades stood as a symbol of the city, playing in its distinctive red-and-white checkerboard shirts.
After years of stability in the Prva HNL (17 consecutive seasons up to 2012), the club sank into financial crisis and eventually declared bankruptcy in 2015. From its ashes, already in 2012, a legally separate successor club was born — today's NK Varaždin — carrying forward the city's identity, colours and footballing traditions, despite the formal break in continuity with the historic club.
The team plays its home matches at Stadion Anđelko Herjavec, built as far back as 1931 and repeatedly renovated since, a silent witness to the entire turbulent history of football in Varaždin.
