First years between Hungary and Romania (1904–1971) Although the history of football from
Miercurea Ciuc started back in 1904, when
Transylvania was still part of
Austria-Hungary, the football club of the city was an amateur one, without significant results at the national level. The club was re-founded in 1919 at a superior level of professionalism, under the name of
Asociația de Educație Fizică din Miercurea Ciuc and became part of the
Kingdom of Romania, but the following years turned out to be as unfruitful as before for "the Székelys", who couldn't achieve notable results in the
Romanian leagues. In August 1940
Kingdom of Hungary annexed
Northern Transylvania, including
Miercurea Ciuc, as a result of the
Second Vienna Award and the team started to appear on the map of the
Hungarian leagues under the Hungarian name of
Csíkszeredai Testnevelési Egylet (Association of Physical Education in Csíkszereda). Lack of support from the regime combined also with the little interest of the local people for football, in a city where
Ice hockey and
HSC Csíkszereda (multiple champions of Romania) were the main attraction, have resulted in poor to very weak results for the football team, which played in the amateur leagues,
Divizia D, until 1971.
Ascent to Divizia C (1971–1990) 1971–72 season was the first one played by the club in the
Divizia C, but
AS Miercurea Ciuc, as it was named then, relegated, after finishing 13th out of 14. Only one season spent the club from
Miercurea Ciuc in the fourth tier, before promoting back, at the end of the
1972–73 edition. Followed three consecutive seasons in which the club achieved its best performances until then,
1973–74 – 5th,
1974–75 – 8th and
1975–76 – 15th. The rank obtained at the end of the last season brought another relegation for the club, but
Ciucanii had now the taste of higher levels football and after another season spent in the Divizia D, promoted back. The third spell of "the Red and Blacks" on the third stage of the Romanian football was a longer one, originally under the name of
IUPS Miercurea Ciuc, name of the main sponsor, IUPS (Întreprinderea de Utilaje și Piese de Schimb) translated as Machinery and Spare Parts Undertaking, a factory under the direct rule of the communist regime (as all the factories from that period), at the same time signaling the fact that the regime finally turned its "face" to the football from the region, the club was ranked 9th at the end of the
1977–78 season. In 1978 IUPS became a subsidiary of
Uzina Tractorul Brașov (Romanian main tractors factory) and changed its name in Tractor Undertaking, the football team followed its main sponsor and changed its name in
Tractorul Miercurea Ciuc. For the next five seasons in which the club from
Miercurea Ciuc played in the third tier, the following rankings were obtained:
1978–79 – 7th,
1979–80 – 14th,
1980–81 – 6th,
1981–82 – 7th and
1982–83 – 16th. surpassing its old record, 5th place at the end of the 1973–74 edition, then avoiding a last-minute relegation at the end of the 1989–90 season (14th out of 16th).
Romanian Revolution of 1989 was not necessarily a rescue for the club, which was in its last decade sponsored by the regime through its factory.
Ups and downs, dissolution and rebirth (1990–2014) The 1990s was a tumultuous period for Rapid, as for many Romanian clubs, pivoting quite enough between the 3rd, respectively 4th level of the Romanian football. The club from Miercurea Ciuc divided the decade, five years being spent in the
Divizia C and five years in the
Divizia D, with the following results: 1990–91 – 7th, 1991–92 – 5th (withdrew at the end of the season), 1992–93 – 1st (promoted back to Divizia C), 1993–94 – 17th (relegated),
1994–95 – 2nd in Divizia D,
1995–96 – 1st in Divizia D,
1996–97 – 1st (promoted), 1997–98 – 15th (relegated),
1998–99 – 1st (promoted), 1999–2000 – 15th (relegated). After a decade full of ups and downs, the club started the 2000s as a newly relegated team, but surprisingly the club was included by the
Romanian Football Federation for 2000–01 season of Divizia C. In the summer of 2000 due to lack of founds, Rapid withdrew, before the start of the season. This was basically the end of an era for the football from the county seat of
Harghita County. Due to lack of funds and with the fans being more oriented to the ice hockey team, most popular of the county's clubs, Rapid continued the activity at the limit of subsistence, until finally succumbed. In 2010 the football club was re-founded, this time under the name of
CSM Miercurea Ciuc, also known in Hungarian as
VSK Csíkszereda, and after a 2nd place at the end of the 2010–11 edition,
Ciucanii won the
Harghita County championship at the end of the 2011–12 season, but lost the
Liga III promotion play-off, with the score of 1–5, against
CSM Făgăraș,
Brașov County champions. In the summer of 2012
CSM Miercurea Ciuc was renamed as
FK Miercurea Ciuc, also known in Hungarian as
FK Csíkszereda. Led by former player of
Rapid București and
FC Brașov,
Róbert Ilyés, who was named in 2013 as player-manager of the squad,
the Székelys won again the
Liga IV, Harghita Series, but lost dramatically the promotion play-off, this time 2–3 against Mureșul Luduș,
Mureș County champions. After winning the third consecutive season of Liga IV, Harghita Series,
Ciucanii finally promoted at the end of the
2013–14 season, after a 2–0 win against ASF Zărnești, champions of
Brașov County. Also in 2013, the club has entered into a partnership with
NB I member
Puskás Akadémia and they created
The Football Academy of Székely Land.
Golden Age (2014–present) Unlike its region colleague,
Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, which has been promoted consecutively to the first league, FK Csíkszereda encountered some difficulties. The first season spent in the third tier, after an absence of 14 years, was finished on the 6th place, then followed by a 5th place at the end of the
2015–16 edition.
2016–17 season brought an important performance, "the Red and Blacks" being ranked 3rd, thus equaling their best performance, obtained in 1989, 28 years before. But this performance was in fact, a real drama because FK Miercurea Ciuc led the series until the final round, when they lost 0–1 at home, against
Știința Miroslava, Miroslava promoting also after
CSM Pașcani goalkeeper scored a goal in the last minute of the match against AFC Hărman, another aspirant for promotion. After missing the promotion for a distance of 1 point, Miercurea Ciuc started full of hope the
2017–18 season, but this time missed the promotion for 2 points, however being ranked 2nd, the best performance of the club ever. In the summer of 2018
Romanian Football Federation moved the team from the first series (
Moldavia region) to the fifth series (
Transylvania region) region. Even if some rivals saw it as an advantage, Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda had a tough battle, but not against
Minaur Baia Mare or 1. FC Gloria (the unofficial successor of
Gloria Bistrița), which were seen as main rivals, but against
Comuna Recea, a total surprise of the season. Finally "the Red and Black" promoted to
Liga II, for the first time in the history of 115 years old of football from Miercurea Ciuc. In this season the club was led from the bench by
Valentin Suciu, the man who also promoted
Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe from
Liga IV to
Liga I. Suciu also led the team to the best result in the
Romanian Cup, where it was eliminated only in the
quarter-finals by the top-flight side
CS Universitatea Craiova, but not before eliminating
Dinamo București in the
round of 16. The great run from the Romanian Cup, bring in the press the information that along with several other sponsors, FK Miercurea Ciuc (FK Csíkszereda) receives financing from the
Government of Hungary, which has sparked controversy in Romania. However, the sum of €3.2 million—which can double if performance clauses are met—is supposed to be invested exclusively in club infrastructure development and the youth sector. Hungarian clubs,
Ferencváros and
Kispest Honvéd, paid the fines of 25 312
Romanian leu (around 1.9 million
HUF) that the club received for uses of flags of Transylvania. ==Ground==