AFC Rocar București

{{Infobox football club

| clubname = Rocar ANEFS București

| image = Rocar_ANEFS_logo.gif

| fullname = Asociația Fotbal Club Rocar București

| short name = Rocar

| nickname = Bercenarii
(The People from Berceni)

| founded = 1953

| dissolved = 2009

| ground = ANEFS

| capacity = 6,000

| record attendance =

| chairman =

| manager =

| league =

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| position =

| website =

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| pattern_so1=_color_2_stripes_blue

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Rocar București was a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest, founded in 1953 and dissolved in 2009. The club had a meteoric appearance in the forefront of Romanian football. Promoted in 1999, the club from Drumul Găzarului Street in the Berceni Neighborhood, has made way back two years later. Also, Rocar reached the Cupa României final in the 2000–01 season.{{cite web|url=http://cupatimisoreana.gsp.ro/stiri/32/rocar-retrogradata-dar-finalista-a-cupei.htm|title=Rocar, retrogradată, dar finalistă a Cupei|language=ro|trans-title=Rocar, relegated, but Cup finalist|accessdate=7 May 2016|publisher=cupatimisoreana.gsp.ro|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623215557/http://cupatimisoreana.gsp.ro/stiri/32/rocar-retrogradata-dar-finalista-a-cupei.htm|url-status=dead}}

History

The club was founded in 1953 under the name of Uzina de Autobuze București, being under the tutelage of the Romanian bus manufacturer with the same name, and competed in the Bucharest Municipal Championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniansoccer.ro/stiri/16668/evolutia-denumirilor-echipelor-de-a-lungul-anilor.htm|title=Evoluția denumirilor echipelor de-a lungul anilor|language=ro|trans-title=Evolution of team names over the years|accessdate=7 May 2016|publisher=romaniansoccer.ro|archive-date=9 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009104123/http://www.romaniansoccer.ro/stiri/16668/evolutia-denumirilor-echipelor-de-a-lungul-anilor.htm|url-status=live}}Mihai Ionescu & George Tudoran, Fotbal de la A la Z – Editura Sport-Turism 1984.

Autobuzul was promoted to Divizia C at the end of the 1967–68 season, finishing 1st in Series I of the Bucharest Municipal Championship. However, Autobuzul lost the Municipal Championship final to Voința București.{{cite web|url=https://adt.arcanum.com/ro/view/InformatiaBucurestiului_1968_07__anul15/?pg=6&layout=s|title=S-a încheiat campionatul bucureștean de fotbal|language=ro|trans-title=The Bucharest football championship has ended|accessdate=1 October 2024|publisher=Informația Bucureștiului|date=2 July 1968|page=3|via=adt.arcanum.com|archive-date=8 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608101430/https://adt.arcanum.com/ro/view/InformatiaBucurestiului_1968_07__anul15/?pg=6&layout=s|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://adt.arcanum.com/ro/view/InformatiaBucurestiului_1968_07__anul15/?pg=18&layout=s|title=Voința—campioană a municipiului București la fotbal|language=ro|trans-title=Voința—champion of the city of Bucharest at football|accessdate=1 October 2024|publisher=Informația Bucureștiului|date=7 July 1968|page=3|via=adt.arcanum.com|archive-date=1 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001155847/https://adt.arcanum.com/ro/view/InformatiaBucurestiului_1968_07__anul15/?pg=18&layout=s|url-status=live}}

In the first season in the third division, ”Bercenarii” finished in 4th place, and in the following season, Autobuzul won Series IV of Divizia C but missed promotion to the second division, finishing 4th in the play-off group held in Brașov. The squad included the following players: Ocea, Pandele, Opriș, Diaconu, Baicu, Ivan, Gerea, Rențea, Tănase, Andrei, Cărbuneanu, Radu, Postelnicu, Popescu, Jipa, Bobin, Vîrban, Constantin Tiniche, Dincă, Petculescu and Pipoi.

After another two seasons in Divizia C, finishing 12th in the 1970–71 season and 3rd in the 1971–72 season, Autobuzul managed to promote to Divizia B. This promotion was achieved at the end of the 1972–73 season, when the team finished in 2nd place. The club’s leadership included engineer Vasile Cornac as association president and C. Băcanu as head of the football division. Coach Emil Samureanu was responsible for this achievement, assembling a squad of players who contributed to the team's success. The team included players such as Matache, Pandele, Diaconu, Gostin, Popescu, Bobin, Radu, Cosma, Maruneac, C. Tiniche, Chiriță, Cațaros, Stănescu, Ivan, Bică, Melencovici, Nicolau, Ion Cățoi, Rențea, Dăncescu, Ghiță, Riocsan, Petculescu, and Ciferidis.

In Divizia B, Autobuzul was assigned to Series II and played three consecutive seasons. The team finished its first season in the second division in 11th place, two points above the relegation line, followed by a 7th-place finish in the 1974–75 season. However, Autobuzul was relegated at the end of the 1975–76 season, finishing in last place.

Autobuzul returned to second division at the end of the 1988–89 season, finishing 1st in the Series V of Divizia C. The squad coached by Gheorghe Pareșcura was composed from following players: Ene, C. Cristescu, Marius Curelea, Roșu, Ursu, Dumitru, Dițu, Virgil Cârstea, Salami, C. Nicolae, Iliescu, Silviu Cristescu, Mihai Dărăban, Iordache, Pantelimon, Butoi, M. Ploaie, R. Voinea and Tănase.{{cite web|url=http://bibliotecadeva.eu:82/periodice/sportul/1989/08/sportul_1989_08_12331.pdf|title=Vă prezentăm noile promovate în Divizia B|language=ro|trans-title=We present the new promoted in Divizia B|accessdate=29 September 2024|publisher=Sportul|date=17 August 1989|page=3|via=bibliotecadeva.eu|archive-date=29 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929170604/http://bibliotecadeva.eu:82/periodice/sportul/1989/08/sportul_1989_08_12331.pdf|url-status=live}}

Chronology of names

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
Name !Period
align=left\|Uzina de Autobuze București \|1953–1968
align=left\|Autobuzul București \|1968–1993
align=left\|Rocar București \|1993–2002
align=left\|Rocar ANEFS București \|2005–2009

class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"

Name

!Period

align=left|Uzina de Autobuze București

|1953–1968

align=left|Autobuzul București

|1968–1993

align=left|Rocar București

|1993–2002

align=left|Rocar ANEFS București

|2005–2009

Note: 3 years of inactivity between 2002 and 2005, and the team was refounded as Rocar ANEFS București in the Liga IV.

Stadium

Rocar played its home matches at the ANEFS Stadium in Bucharest, which has a capacity of 6,000 people. Built in 1960, the stadium was previously known as Autobuzul and later as Rocar.{{cite web|url=https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/liga-2/galerie-foto-video-incursiune-spectaculoasa-pe-stadioanele-vechi-ale-bucurestiului-imagini-impresionante-cum-arata-acum-baza-lui-rocar-494360.html|title=Incursiune spectaculoasă pe stadioanele vechi ale Bucureștiului! Imagini impresionante: cum arată acum baza lui Rocar|language=ro|trans-title=Spectacular foray into Bucharest's old stadiums! Impressive images: what Rocar's base looks like now|accessdate=5 January 2025|publisher=gsp.ro}}