Modern sport dates back to recent times in Bulgaria. Before the Great and Balkan Wars, sport was not known to the broad masses of the people and was known to a few, and then only in the larger towns, where the influence of the West and of England had begun to be felt, not only in sport, but in every other undertaking, whether cultural, economic or otherwise.
In the town of. Plovdiv thanks to the French college “St. Augustine” the sport was more familiar to its alumni Bulgarians, who brought it as a European novelty among their comrades. And in 1906-1907 the first football team was formed in Plovdiv, and in 1910-11-12. already in the city small mahlen clubs with the most varied European and Bulgarian names emerge. But as early as 1911, the Botev Mahlen Sports Club was formed by students, which included alumni of the college. But then these student clubs existed as one-day clubs, while the ambition of the initiator was firm and strong. So does the Botev Sports Club. In 1912 in March the sports club “Botev” was formed again and unfortunately the Balkan war of liberation came and stopped its life. In 1914. its life is restored with the statutes already approved by the Ministry of Enlightenment and the teachers’ council of the local high school and a hectic life begins. But here comes the obstacle again – the great European war is declared, Bulgaria intervenes in it to gather the whole Bulgarian tribe in one country and the sports club puts an end to its life again. It was not until 1919 that the club was revived at the beginning and with renewed vigour and energy began to operate. Around “Botev” and another club “Levski” the best athletes were grouped and they were the schools and the nursery of the sport in Plovdiv. From 1919 to the present day the Botev Sports Club has worked manfully and has not a little experienced the burdens and hardships of Bulgarian reality, but its members have had the strong will and indomitable energy not to despair, but with redoubled strength to raise it to its present position, when all its other contemporary brethren have disappeared one after another, destroyed by this Bulgarian reality. And today in the city of Plovdiv the only oldest and most deserving club in sports is “Botev”. Today, when he celebrates his traditional holiday together with the whole Bulgarian people, who celebrate the feast of the greatest Bulgarian Hristo Botev – the genius of Bulgaria, giving independently great athletic and football games, let us pay tribute and deep gratitude to the singer fighter Botev, in unity with the sports club “Botev”.
From the jubilee “Botev List” issued by the club on June 7, 1925
