FK Akademija Pandev Brera Strumica (Macedonian: ФК Академија Пандев Брера Струмица), commonly known as AP Brera Strumica, is a Macedonian football club based in Strumica, which competes in the Macedonian First League.
History
The club was founded in 2010 as Akademija Pandev by the Macedonian football player Goran Pandev, after whom the academy was named.[1] As of 2014, AP Brera has a senior team competing in the Macedonian senior leagues and in 2017, the senior team was promoted to the Macedonian First League for the first time in its history.[2]
In February 2018, the team moved to play their home games at Stadion Kukuš due to a disagreement over rent with FK Belasica.[3]
In the 2018–19 season they won the Macedonian Football Cup winning beating Makedonija G.P on penalties after a 2–2 draw. Akademija won 4–2 on Penalties 6–4 in aggregate.
In August 2022, Goran Pandev and Italian based side Brera Calcio entered into a sponsorship agreement which would see both sides establish a closer relationship.[4] On May 31, 2023, Akademija Pandev was successfully acquired by Brera Holdings PLC, the holding company of Brera Calcio, with the company receiving 90% of the club's shares.[5]
Emblem's evolution
Home ground
AP Brera plays its home games at its very own Sports Center "Pandev". Opened in 2020, it has a single pitch with a single 1,500 seating capacity stand, and is also equipped with a hotel and the club's administrative facilities. It is also where its youth categories play and train.
Mladost Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Strumica, Republic of North Macedonia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and the stadium's capacity is 6,500 spectators. With the last reconstruction in 2017 the stadium has a capacity of 9,200 seats, and it is a third-class field in accordance with UEFA standards. It meets the conditions for a high-ranking competition and is the second such stadium in the country.