The club played in the highest division from 1950 to 1952. In 1952 the league underwent reorganization and Vítkovice were forcibly relegated to a lower division. However the club won promotion to the top flight again in 1981. Then in the 1985–1986 season the club achieved their greatest success, as Vítkovice led by manager Ivan Kopecký won the Czechoslovak First League. Vítkovice subsequently played in the European cup for the first time in their history. The club was strongly financially supported by local iron and steel works which unfortunately fell into a financial crisis after the Velvet Revolution of 1989. The industry withdrew some of its support and the club was forced to merge with FC Karviná in 1994. Afterwards the club was relegated to the Second Division. The merger was overturned a year later, which meant the club was relegated to the Third Division in 1995, and although the club returned to the Second Division in 1996, Vítkovice struggled in the middle of the table. After persistent financial problems, the club dropped back to the Third Division (MSFL) in 2010.