About

Fotbal Club Academica Clinceni, commonly known as Academica Clinceni, is a Romanian professional football club based in Clinceni, Ilfov County, currently playing in the Liga I. Academica Clinceni was founded in Buftea in 2005, following a merger between two clubs, and enrolled directly in the third division. It promoted to the Liga II at the end of the 2007–08 season, but participated in the competition for only one year after it sold its place and returned to the third tier. After several years Buftea promoted again, but following the withdrawn of their financial support the club had to relocate three times—The first time in 2013, when it was bought by the authorities from Clinceni, also in Ilfov County, one year later when it moved to Pitești, and finally when it returned to Clinceni and settled on the current name in 2015. In 2017, Academica started a partnership with FCSB, loaning a number of youth players from the latter's academy, and achieved a surprising promotion to the Liga I in 2019. The team represents the smallest locality to ever participate in the Romanian first league, the commune of Clinceni only having a population of roughly 5,000 people.