NK Maribor

Nogometni Klub Maribor (English: Football Club Maribor), commonly referred to as NK Maribor or simply Maribor, is a professional association football club based in the city of Maribor, Slovenia. Founded on 12 December, 1960, Maribor is one of only three football clubs in the country who have never been relegated from Slovenian top flight 1. SNL since its establishment in 1991. They are regarded as a symbol of Slovenian football, particularly in their home region of Styria (Slovene: Štajerska) in northeastern Slovenia.

Maribor is the most successful club in the country, having won ten Slovenian PrvaLiga titles, seven Slovenian Cups and two Slovenian Supercups. The club's most successful period was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when they were led by managers Bojan Prašnikar, Ivo Šušak and Matjaž Kek and overwhelmingly dominated domestic football, winning seven successive league titles and three national cups. Following the 2008–09 season and led by manager Darko Milanič, Maribor became the dominant force in Slovenian football for the second time, having won three out of four championships since then. In addition, Darko Milanič has led the club to two cup titles and two supercups, becoming the first coach who has won all three domestic trophies. Prior to Slovenia's independence in 1991 Maribor played in the Yugoslav football system. They are one of only three Slovenian teams who participated in the country's highest division, Yugoslav First League, between the end of World War II in 1945 and the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991. Apart from winning the Yugoslav second division once and the third division five times, the club had no major success during its Yugoslav period; the closest they came to winning a major trophy was in the 1967–68 season, when they reached the semi-finals of the Yugoslav Cup. In addition, they are the only Slovenian club and one of only four clubs from the former Yugoslavia who participated in group stage of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

They maintain a fierce rivalry with Olimpija from the capital Ljubljana, with whom they contest the Eternal Derby (Večni derbi). Their other major rivalry is against Mura 05 from Murska Sobota and matches between the two are dubbed as the Northeastern Derby (Severovzhodni derbi). Maribor also have a loyal and passionate fan base and the club has the highest average all-time attendance in Slovenia.

The club's home ground is the Ljudski vrt stadium, which has a capacity of 12,994. It was originally built in 1961 and later underwent a series of major reconstructions in the 1990s and 2000s. The club's Academy, which is hailed as the best in the country, is responsible for youth development at the club and has enjoyed a fair amount of success in producing promising young players. Maribor's nicknames are The Purples (Vijoličasti) and The Violets (Vijolice), both referring to their primary colour purple. The club's motto is One club, one honour (En klub, ena čast).