PFC Spartak Plovdiv () is a Bulgarian football club based in Plovdiv, which currently plays in the third tier of Bulgarian football, the Third League. The club was established in 1947 and folded its senior team in 2016, before being 'refounded' in 2017. Spartak currently plays its home matches at the 3,000-seat Todor Diev Stadium in the Kichuk Parizh district of Plovdiv. The stadium is named after the club's all-time greatest player Todor Diev. Established in 1947, following the communist takeover in Bulgaria, Spartak was first enrolled in the second tier in 1952, before achieving promotion to the A Group a year later. In the following years, Spartak established itself as a force in the first tier. In 1958, Spartak won its first major trophy, the Bulgarian Cup, beating Minyor Pernik in the final. Spartak Plovdiv’s greatest achievement came in 1963, however, when the team surprisingly won the Bulgarian league. The following year, Spartak participated in the Balkans Cup, where the team finished as runner-up. Following these achievements, Spartak was dissolved in 1967 to the surprise of many, when the club was merged into Botev Plovdiv. The team was re-founded in 1982 as an independent club, starting from the third tier. In 1995, Spartak returned to the top level of Bulgarian football, 27 years after its last appearance in the A Group. Spartak survived only two seasons, however, and it was relegated in 1997. After that, the team suffered financial problems and has been playing in lower leagues mostly since then. History Spartak was founded on 15 November 1947, after being evolved from three earlier Plovdiv clubs – Levski, Septemvri and Udarnik. The club name is a reference to the Roman slave hero Spartacus. This reference also explains the club's nickname – The Gladiators (). The first team colours of the club were chosen the same year, and soon Spartak was characterized by a blue, red and white check jersey. The 1950s and 1960s were Spartak's golden age, spending that time in the A PFG. The club has been once champions of Bulgaria (in 1963), coming second the previous year, and Bulgarian Cup winners (in 1958). The club participated in the European Cup competition for the first time in 1963-64 against FK Partizani Tirana (0:1, 3:1) and vs PSV (0:1, 0:0). The second continental participation was in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1966-67 vs S.L. Benfica (1:1, 0:3). In 1964, Spartak reached