Between 1994 and 1996, the club was known as "NK Čakovec Union", with "Union" being the name of a local catering company serving as their main sponsor at the time. They also spent one season playing in the short-lived Croatian First B-League, continuing to play in the Second League after the First B-League folded in 1997. The club was again renamed "NK Čakovec" in December 1996, when it was bought by a group of local businessmen in order to save it from folding due to financial difficulties.