Lernayin Artsakh FC () is an
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club formerly based in
Stepanakert
Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in ...
,
Artsakh Republic
Artsakh may refer to:
Places
* Artsakh (historical province), in the ancient Kingdom of Armenia
* Kingdom of Artsakh, a medieval Armenian Kingdom
* Nagorno-Karabakh, region in the South Caucasus, also known as Artsakh
* Republic of Artsakh, a ...
but is registered in the town of
Vayk
Vayk () is a town and the centre of the Vayk Municipality of the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia.
As per the 2016 official estimate, Vayk had a population of around 4,700. However, as of the 2022 census, the population of the town was 5,356, down ...
, Vayots Dzor Province,
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. The club was founded in 1927 in
Soviet Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent re ...
and its current name translates from Armenian as "''Mountainous Artsakh''".
History
The club was founded in 1927 under the name ''Dinamo Stepanakert''. In 1960, the name was changed to ''Karabakh'' and remained by that name until 1989 when it was renamed ''Artsakh''. During the years between 1992 and 1995 they were unable to participate in any competition due to the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...
. In 1995, the club moved from Stepanakert to
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
in order to participate in the
Armenian Premier League
The Armenian Premier League (, known as the Armenian Fastex Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the top association football, football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the competition was held as a regional tournament within th ...
. They subsequently changed their name back to ''Karabakh''.
In 1999, the club was expelled from the Premier League due to financial problems, but managed return to professional football the following year. The club changed its name to ''Lernayin Artsakh'' in 2002 and played their home matches in
Kapan
Kapan ( ) is a town in southeast Armenia, serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as the provincial capital of Syunik Province. It is located in the valley of the Voghji (river), Voghji River and is on the norther ...
that year.
The club withdrew from the Armenian top tier before the start of the 2003 season in protest against the exclusion of fellow Premier League club
Ararat Yerevan
Football Club Ararat Yerevan (), commonly known as Ararat Yerevan, is an Armenia, Armenian professional Association football, football club based in Yerevan that plays in the Armenian Premier League.
Since 1999 the club has been owned by the Sw ...
. The next year, the club finished second in the
First League and again won promotion. Their return to the highest level in 2002 was of short duration, as they withdrew after playing eleven matches. In 2006 they won promotion to the Premier League for a third time, but this time declined to enter the top flight.
In 2009, the club relocated back to Stepanakert, and started participating in the
Artsakh Football League.
They have moved back to the First League for 2019–20, thereby voiding their
2019 Artsakh Football League season.
Domestic records since 1978
Honours
*
Armenian First League
The Armenian First League () is currently the second level association football, football competition in Armenia after the Armenian Premier League. The competition exists mostly out of reserve teams of several Premier League clubs; however, other ...
**Champions (1):
2021–22
*
Artsakh Football League
**Winners (2): 2009, 2018
Players
Current squad
Other players under contract
See also
*
Football in Armenia
Football ( ''futbol'' or ''votnagndak'' ) is the most popular sport in Armenia.
As of December 2024, the Armenia national football team is 100th in FIFA World Rankings. Since gaining independence in 1991, Armenia has had its own national associ ...
References
External links
FC Lernayin Artsakh
{{Football clubs in Artsakh
Association football clubs established in 1927
Sport in the Republic of Artsakh
1927 establishments in Armenia
football clubs in Armenia