Profesionalen Futbolen Klub Botev, commonly referred to as Botev Plovdiv (, ) or simply Botev (within its associated city), is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, that competes in the Bulgarian Parva Liga, the top flight of Bulgarian football. Founded on 11 March 1912, it is the country's oldest active football club. Botev is named after the Bulgarian national hero Hristo Botev. The club plays its home games at Botev 1912 Football Complex, located in the neighbourhood of Komatevo, while its stadium is under reconstruction. During its history, the club has won 2 Bulgarian championships, 3 Bulgarian Cups, 1 Bulgarian Supercup and 1 Balkans Cup. Botev has also reached the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals once. In addition, the club has been a runner-up in the domestic league twice and has reached the Bulgarian Cup final thirteen times. In the years before the Bulgarian championship was created, the team regularly participated in the local Plovdiv championship, claiming it six times. History Early years (1912–1944) The club was founded on 11 March 1912 as Hristo Botyov - Futbolno druzhestvo (meaning "Hristo Botyov - Football Association") in Plovdiv by 22 students from Saint Augustine's French College and First Boys High School. The name was chosen in honor of the Bulgarian national hero Hristo Botev, as proposed by the club's host - Tenyo Rusev. The club's first management board also included Stoyan Puhtev, serving as chairman, Nenko Penelov as vice-chairman and Petar Delev as both a secretary and cashier. Interestingly, the Botev Plovdiv’s constituent assembly was held on Sunday, March 11, 1912 and received a juridical registration on the next day, Monday, March 12. Presently club fans celebrate the later date as a birthday. In 1920, some members of the association split and founded a new football club, named Rekord. However, this did not deter Botev from winning the first unofficial urban championship. On 30 August 1925, Botev lost 2–6 to Turkish side Fenerbahçe, in its first international match. The following year, the team led by the playing coach and captain – Nikola Shterev, won the Plovdiv Cup. Botev won its first national title in 1929, defeating Levski Sofia 1–0 in the final, with Nikola Shterev scoring the winning goal. The club became the first from Plovdiv to win the Bulgarian Championship. Notable players from the period include Stancho Prodanov, Vangel Kaundzhiev and Mihail Kostov, who played for the national team.