Football Club Urartu ( hy, Ուրարտու Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ, translated ''Futbolayin Akumb Urartu''), commonly known as Urartu, is an Armenian professional football team based in the capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and ...

that currently plays in the

Armenian Premier League The Armenian Premier League ( hy, VBET Հայաստանի Պրեմիեր Լիգա, known as the VBET Armenian Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the top football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the competition was held as a r ...

. The club won the

Armenian Cup The VBET Armenian Cup ( hy, Հայաստանի Անկախության Գավաթ) is the main football cup competition of Armenia. In its original form as the Armenian Cup, it started in 1939, when Armenia was a republic of the Soviet Union. It s ...

three times, in 1992, 2007 and 2016. In 2013–2014, they won the Armenian Premier League for the first time in their history. In early 2016, the Russia-based Armenian businessman Dzhevan Cheloyants became a co-owner of the club after purchasing the major part of the club shares. The club was known as FC Banants until 1 August 2019, when it was officially renamed FC Urartu.

History

Kotayk

Urartu FC were founded as FC Banants by Sarkis Israelyan on 21 January 1992 in the village of Kotayk, representing the

Kotayk Province Kotayk ( hy, Կոտայք, ), is a province (''marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province ...

. He named the club after his native village of ''Banants'' (currently known as ''

Bayan Bayan may refer to: Eduational Institutions * Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL Places *Bayan-Aul, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan *Bayan Mountain, an ancient mountain name for part of Tarbagatai Mountains at Kazakhstan in Qing Dynasty period *B ...

''). Between 1992 and 1995, the club was commonly referred to as Banants Kotayk. During the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

season, the club won the first

. At the end of the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

transitional season, Banants suffered a financial crisis. The club owners decided that it was better to merge the club with

FC Kotayk FC Kotayk ( hy, Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Կոտայք) is a defunct Armenian football club from the town of Abovyan, Kotayk Province. History Founded in 1955, Kotayk was one of the oldest football clubs in Armenia. After playing sev ...

Abovyan Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of ...

, rather than disband it. In

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

, Banants demerged from FC Kotayk, and was moved from Abovyan to the capital

Yerevan

FC Banants was relocated to Yerevan in 2001. At the beginning of 2003, Banants merged with FC Spartak Yerevan, but was able to limit the name of the new merger to FC Banants. Spartak became Banants's youth academy and later changed the name to Banants-2. Because of the merger, Banants acquired many players from Spartak Yerevan, including

Samvel Melkonyan Samvel Melkonyan ( hy, Սամվել Մելքոնյան, born on 15 March 1984 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union) is an Armenian former footballer who played as a winger. Samvel was also a member of the Armenia national football team, p ...

. After the merger, Banants took a more serious approach and have finished highly in the league table ever since. The club managed to lift the

in 2007. Experience is making way for youth for the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

and 2009 seasons. The departures of most of the experienced players have left the club's future to the youth. Along with two Ukrainian players, Ugandan international, Noah Kasule, has been signed. The club headquarters are located on Jivani Street 2 of the

Malatia-Sebastia District Malatia-Sebastia ( hy, Մալաթիա-Սեբաստիա վարչական շրջան, ), also nicknamed colloquially as Bangladesh, is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, located in the western part of the city. As of the 20 ...

, Yerevan.

Domestic

European

Stadium

The construction of the

Banants Stadium Urartu Stadium ( hy, Ուրարտու Մարզադաշտ) is an all-seater football stadium in the Malatia-Sebastia District of Yerevan, Armenia. The stadium is home to Urartu FC and has a capacity of 4,860 seats. It was known as Banants Stadium ...

was launched in 2006 in the

of Yerevan, with the assistance of the FIFA goal programme. It was officially opened in 2008 with a capacity of 3,600 seats. Further developments were implemented later in 2011, when the playing pitch was modernized and the capacity of the stadium was increased up to 4,860 seats (2,760 at the northern stand, 1,500 at the southern stand and 600 at the western stand).

Training centre/academy

Banants Training Centre Urartu Training Centre, is the training ground and academy base of the Armenian football club Urartu. It houses the club's main stadium, 3 additional full-size training pitches, mini football pitches as well as an indoor facility. The current te ...

is the club's academy base located in the

. In addition to the main stadium, the centre houses 3 full-size training pitches, mini football pitches as well as an indoor facility. The current technical director of the academy is the former Russian footballer

Ilshat Faizulin Ilshat Galimzyanovich Fayzulin (russian: Ильшат Галимзянович Файзулин; tt-Cyrl, Илшат Галимҗан улы Фәйзуллин; born 5 March 1973) is a Russian football coach and a former player of Tatar ethnic ...

Fans

The most active group of fans is the ''South West Ultras'' fan club, mainly composed of residents from several neighbourhoods within the

of Yerevan, since the club is a ''de facto'' representer of the district. Members of the fan club benefit from events organized by the club and many facilities of the Banants training centre, such as the mini football pitch, the club store and other entertainments.

Achievements

** Winner (1): 2013–14. ** Runner-up (5):

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

, 2006,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. *

** Winner (3):

, 2016. ** Runner-up (6):

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, 2021–22 *

Armenian Supercup The Armenian Supercup is a match that is played between the Armenian Premier League Champion and Armenian Cup Winner. It is named after Hakob Tonoyan and typically takes place in May every year with some exceptions. Results Results by team Si ...

** Winner (1): 2014. ** Runner-up (5): 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016.

Current squad

Out on loan

Personnel

Technical staff

Management

Urartu-2

Banants Training Centre 28 October 2015, Yerevan, Armenia

FC Banants' reserve squad play as FC Banants-2 in the

Armenian First League The Armenian First League is currently the second level football competition in Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classific ...

. They play their home games at the training field with artificial turf of the

Urartu Training Centre Urartu Training Centre, is the training ground and academy base of the Armenian football club Urartu. It houses the club's main stadium, 3 additional full-size training pitches, mini football pitches as well as an indoor facility. The current te ...

Managerial history

* Varuzhan Sukiasyan (1992–94) * Poghos Galstyan (July 1, 1996 – June 30, 1998) *

Oganes Zanazanyan Hovhannes Arutyunovich Zanazanyan ( hy, Հովհանես Զանազանյան, russian: Оганес Арутюнович Заназанян; 10 December 1946 – 4 October 2015) was a Soviet football player and an Armenian coach. Honours * Sov ...

(2001–05) * Ashot Barseghyan (2005–06) *

Nikolay Kiselyov Nikolay Kiselyov may refer to: * Nikolay Kiselyov (soldier) (1913–1974), Russian soldier, known for rescuing over 200 Jews from the Nazis during World War II * Nikolay Kiselyov (athlete) (1939–2005), Russian Nordic combined skier, silver medali ...

(2006–07) *

Jan Poštulka Jan Poštulka (born 9 March 1949) is a Czech former football player and later coach. He played as a goalkeeper for Czechoslovak teams Sparta Prague and Bohemians Prague. As a head coach, he enjoyed his greatest success in Central America ( ...

(2007) *

Nikolay Kostov Nikolay Kostov ( bg, Николай Костов; born 2 July 1963) is a Bulgarian football manager and former footballer who most recently managed Shakhter Karagandy. Career Much of his coaching career has taken place in Cyprus. His first coa ...

(July 1, 2007 – April 8, 2008) * Nedelcho Matushev (April 8, 2008 – June 30, 2008) *

Kim Splidsboel Kim Michael Splidsboel (born 25 November 1955) is a Danish football manager and former professional player who played as a sweeper. He was most recently the manager of Danish 2nd Division side, BK Avarta. Playing career Splidsboel played profes ...

(2008) *

Armen Gyulbudaghyants Armen Gyulbudaghyants ( hy, Արմեն Գյուլբուդաղյանց), is an Armenian association football manager and former footballer. He is the former manager of the Armenia national football team. Career During his career, Gyulbudaghyants m ...

(Jan 1, 2009 – Dec 1, 2009) * Ashot Barseghyan ''(interim)'' (2009) *

Stevica Kuzmanovski Stevica Kuzmanovski (; born 16 November 1962) is a Macedonian football manager and former player. Playing career During his career that spanned from the early 1980s to the early 2000s, Kuzmanovski played for Partizan, Pelister, OFK Beograd (thr ...

(Jan 1, 2010 – Dec 31, 2010) *

Rafael Nazaryan Rafael Nazaryan ( hy, Ռաֆայել Նազարյան, born on 26 March 1975 in Yerevan, Soviet Union) is a retired Armenian football midfielder and a current manager. He was a member of the Armenia national team and participated in 23 internat ...

(Jan 1, 2011 – Jan 15, 2012) *

Volodymyr Pyatenko Volodymyr Mykolayovych Pyatenko ( uk, Володимир Миколайович П'ятенко; born 9 September 1974) is a Ukrainian professional football coach and former player ( defender). Career On 12 November 2010, Pyatenko was appointed ...

(Jan 17, 2013 – June 30, 2013) *

Zsolt Hornyák Zsolt Hornyák (born 1 May 1973) is a Slovak football manager and a former defender of Hungarian ethnicity. He is the manager of Hungarian team Puskás Akadémia. As a player, Hornyák won the Czechoslovakian championship in the 1991/1992 sea ...

(July 1, 2013 – May 30, 2015) * Aram Voskanyan (July 1, 2015 – Oct 11, 2015) * Tito Ramallo (Oct 12, 2015 – Oct 3, 2016) *

Artur Voskanyan Artur Voskanyan ( hy, Արթուր Ոսկանյան, born 13 August 1976 in Yerevan) is an Armenian Association football, football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of Armenia national under-21 football team. Club career Artur ...

(Oct 3, 2016 – Aug 11, 2018) *

(Aug 12, 2018 –Nov 24, 2019) *

Aleksandr Grigoryan Aleksandr Vitalyevich Grigoryan (russian: Александр Витальевич Григорян; born 28 September 1966) is an Armenian professional football coach and a former player. He also holds Russian citizenship. Managerial career I ...

(Nov 25, 2019 –Mar 10, 2021) *

Robert Arzumanyan Robert Arzumanyan (also called Arzoumanian) ( hy, Ռոբերտ Արզումանյան, born 24 July 1985 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR) is an Armenian former international footballer who played as a defender and current manager of FC Noah. Club car ...

(10 March 2021–24 June 2022) *

Dmitri Gunko Dmitri Ivanovich Gunko (russian: Дмитрий Иванович Гунько; born 1 March 1976) is a Russian professional football coach and a former player. He is the manager of Armenian club Urartu. Coaching career He served as caretaker m ...

(27 June 2022–)

References

External links

Official website

Banants at Weltfussball.de
{{Armenian Premier League

Urartu Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of Va ...