CS Luceafărul Oradea

Clubul Sportiv Luceafărul Oradea, commonly known as Luceafărul Oradea or simply as Luceafărul, is a Romanian professional football club from Oradea, Bihor County. The team currently plays in the Liga IV.

Founded in 2001, Luceafărul started as a youth academy for children who had no future at FC Bihor. The club played for the first time in Liga III in the 2006–07 season, after a merger with Lotus Băile Felix. They promoted to Liga II twice, in 2011 and 2016. Over time ''Luceferii'' has had several transformations, from the merger with Lotus to moving in Bacău and withdrawing in favor of FC Bihor, followed by a new reorganization.

History

First years and ascension (2001–2008)

Founded in 2001, at the initiative of several parents whose children had no future at FC Bihor, Luceafărul was grown by the former Prefect of Bihor County, Gavrilă Ghilea, also a former president of FC Bihor. For the first 5 seasons of its existence, Luceafărul have activated only at youth level, reaching the final stages of the championship at different youth groups for 3 times, but then the team from Oradea grew step by step and from the training of children they have reached a professional status in 2006 when Luceafărul merged with ''Lotus Băile Felix''. After a first perfect season, they managed to promote to the Liga II. The miracle did not last long, because the lack of money led to the withdrawal of the team from the championship.

''Luceferii'' started the 2007–08 season with a new head coach, Lucian Ciocan and after a new great season, ''Luceafărul Lotus'' earned the promotion to the Liga II, but subsequently they announced their withdrawal due to financial reasons. A group of businessmen from Bacău decided to form a new team to occupy the vacant spot. Thus, Știința Bacău was born after a merger.

''Știința Bacău, a failed project (2008–2009)''

''FC Știința Bacău'' was probably one of the strangest football clubs in the history of the Romanian football. After ''Luceafărul Lotus'' disappeared, Știința was born, but after only a half of season, the club encountered serious financial problems. In February 2009 businessman Giani Nedelcu joined with Mircea Crainiciuc and re-founded back the club dissolved last summer, ''Luceafărul Lotus Băile Felix'' and took Știința's place in the championship. But until the end of the season, they continued to play under the name of ''Știința Bacău''. In fact the club was a strange mix of influences from 3 different clubs, remains of Rocar București, Luceafărul Lotus and Știința Bacău. In fact, the club wanted to be a fresh alternative to the Bacău football problems, but it ended by being nothing but a team without supporters, tradition, with players transferred in the last moment and a poor management.

On 3 June 2009, Mircea Crainiciuc announced that the club withdrew from the championship because of financial reasons. They lost their remaining 3 matches from the 2008–09 Liga II season with 0–3 and relegated to the Liga III, ending a strange, unique and turbulent moment in the history of the club.

Luceafărul reborn from ashes, several times (2008–present)

The old club was re-founded in the summer of 2008 as Luceafărul Oradea, its original name, and started from Liga IV–Bihor County, functioning in parallel with the old entity, called then ''Știința'', for a season.

After two seasons the club promoted back to the Liga II, at the end of the 2010–11 Liga III season. A new head coach was hired in the summer of 2011, the Brașov born Călin Moldovan. On 9 December 2011 he was fired and replaced with Leontin Grozavu.

It finished 6th in the 2011–12 Liga II and 10th in the 2012–13 Liga II. In 2011, they also played a Round of 32 match in the Cupa României against Dinamo București, lost 0–1.

On 10 July 2013, it was announced that Luceafărul withdrew from the Liga II and would be enrolled in the Liga IV for the 2013–14 season. This movement has been accomplished in order to help FC Bihor, Oradea and Bihor County most important club, which was in serious financial and sporting problems at that time.

At the end of the 2014–15 Liga IV season, Luceafărul promoted back to Liga III after an impressive journey: 18 victories, 1 draw, no defeats, 177 goals scored and only 7 received. The goalscorer of the team was Constantin Roșu