NK Kustoà ¡ija is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb, which currently competes in the Druga NL, the third level of Croatian football league system. Kustoà ¡ijas home ground is the Kustoà ¡ija Stadium in Zagreb, which has a capacity of 2,550 spectators. It was founded in 1929.
Kustoà ¡ija also have a football school attached to the club, where a number of children of famous Croatians have trained due to its location in the center of Zagreb.
The club was founded on 15 July 1929 in Zagreb, at Ilica 55, under the name Sportski klub Metalac. It had 18 members and consisted of football, swimming and chess sections. The initiative to establish the club came from members of the Metal Workersâ Union, Ivan Slugiàand Ivan Koroà ¡ec, who became the clubâÂÂs first president. The club was a workersâ club for metal industry employees. It was not permitted to operate publicly until its statutes were officially approved in June 1930. The club statutes from 1930 list it under the name à  portski klub Metalac. The football section of Metalac played its first official match on 14 September 1930 at the Tipografija ground against Esperant (1âÂÂ2). Metalac initially did not have its own ground and played its home matches at the GrafiÃÂar ground, a workersâ club which allowed Metalac to use the pitch free of charge. The club premises were located at Haulikova Street 10/IV, which from 1933 also served as the headquarters of the âÂÂAssociation of Third-Class ClubsâÂÂ.
In 1932, the club colours were red and black. During the interwar period, Metalac was associated with the activities of the illegal Communist Party.
The club was dissolved on 15 May 1941 during the period of the Independent State of Croatia, along with other workersâ clubs.
During World War II, almost all members of MetalacâÂÂs various sections participated in the Yugoslav Partisan movement. A total of 41 members were killed, seven of whom were proclaimed PeopleâÂÂs Heroes of Yugoslavia: Petar Bià ¡kup Veno, Marijan ÃÂaviÃÂ, Dragica KonÃÂar, Rade KonÃÂar, Ivica LovinÃÂiÃÂ, Marko Oreà ¡koviàand Joà ¾a VlahoviÃÂ. Milutin Baltiàand Ivan à  ibl were also proclaimed PeopleâÂÂs Heroes.
Metalac was re-established on 9 June 1945, with its first general assembly held ten days later. From that point it operated under the name Fizkulturno druà ¡tvo Metalac. Josip Broz Tito became a member and honorary president of the club on 2 October 1945. In 1947, Metalac was granted use of the à  parta ground. After its post-war re-establishment, the club finished 6th in the 1946 Croatian League, earning promotion to the second tier. In the 1952âÂÂ53 season, Bogdan Cuvaj became head coach, and in 1954âÂÂ55 the club achieved its best league result, finishing third in the Yugoslav Second League. Metalac reached the quarter-finals of the Yugoslav Cup in 1948 and 1951. From 7 August 1953, the club operated under the name Sportsko druà ¡tvo Metalac. The club competed in the second and third tiers until the 1972âÂÂ73 season, after which it played exclusively in lower-division competitions.
In 1964, the club merged with NK Kustoà ¡ija (formerly Sloboda) and acquired the football ground in Sokolska Street. Until then, it had played at the Munjarski put ground. On 18 March 1969, the club changed its name to RadniÃÂko sportsko druà ¡tvo Metalac.
Since 1993, the club has been known as NK Kustoà ¡ija.
In the 2015âÂÂ16 season, Kustoà ¡ija won the Mà ½NL Sredià ¡te and was promoted to the 3. HNL â West. In 2016âÂÂ17, after finishing second, the club earned promotion to the 2. HNL.
Kustoà ¡ija was relegated from the First NL in the 2022âÂÂ23 season (the second tier since the 2022âÂÂ23 season). In February 2023, 18-year-old Senegalese player Mikayil Faye joined the club. After making 14 appearances, he was sold in the summer to Barcelona for â¬5 million plus bonuses, a record fee for a player from the Croatian second tier.
In September 2025, the team presented a rebranding, adopting a new badge. In December they presented gold and black as main colors.