Zbrojovka Brno

The Case For Them

Zbrojovka Brno are not a spare club. They are Czech Republic First League, ShipEx Arena, and 113 years of people deciding this was theirs, pick them and the season has a second spine.

• The calendar you inherit

  Following Czech Republic First League means odd kick-off hours, a new commentary language and a table you will check before your own club's. Czech Republic becomes part of your week.

• Old enough to matter

  1913 is the founding date, old enough that the club has survived a war, a rebuild and at least one financial scare, young enough that the good years are still in living memory.

• Loaded cabinet

  6 distinct honours on record, including Czechoslovak First League. Adopt them and you inherit expectation, which is more fun than it sounds when the trophies keep coming.

• Close to the pitch

  ShipEx Arena holds about 10,785. You can hear the defenders shouting at each other, which is the single best argument for lower-capacity football.