Margveti Zestaponi was a
Georgian 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 based in
Zestaponi
Zestaponi ( ka, ზესტაფონი, tr, ) is the administrative center of Zestaponi District in Western Georgia (country), Georgia. Zestaponi is the center of an ancient, historical part of Georgia – Margveti, which is a part of Im ...
between 1990 and 2000.
History
In 1990 the
Georgian Football Federation
The Georgian Football Federation ( GFF; ka, საქართველოს ფეხბურთის ფედერაცია, ''sakartvelos pekhburtis pederatsia'') was founded in 1936. Based in Tbilisi, it was part of the Football Fede ...
was founded to hold their own football competition and leave the Soviet football league system. Clubs like
FC Dinamo Tbilisi
FC Dinamo Tbilisi ( ka, დინამო თბილისი, ) is a Georgian professional football club based in Tbilisi that competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the top flight of Georgian football.
Dinamo Tbilisi was one of the most prom ...
and
FC Guria Lanchkhuti
FC Guria ( ka, საფეხბურთო კლუბი გურია) is a Georgian association football club from Lanchkhuti. Following the 2024 season they were relegated to Liga 4, the fourth tier of the national league.
Being one ...
gave up their place in the
Soviet Top League
The Soviet Top League, known after 1970 as the Higher League (), served as the top division (tier) of Soviet Union football from 1936 until 1991. The league's name was a conditional designation used for brevity since being completely owned and g ...
to join.
At that time Zestaponi had their own club FC Metallurg Zestaponi. A new club, formed as Margveti Zestaponi, joined
Pirveli Liga
The Georgian Erovnuli Liga 2 ( ka, ეროვნული ლიგა 2; ), organized since 1990 by the GFF, serves as the second division of professional football in Georgia.
The league was introduced for the 2017 season under the current ...
and was promoted in the first season.
Margveti was a member of
Umaglesi Liga
The Erovnuli Liga ( ka, ეროვნული ლიგა; ) is the top division of professional top tier football in Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional Football League of Georgia and Georgian Football Federati ...
and achieved their best season in 1995–96 by finishing runner-up. But in the 1997–98 season, Margveti finished at the bottom and was relegated.
FC Margveti Zestaponi faced financial problems and was declared bankrupt in 2000.
A new club using the city legend team name Metalurgi Zestaponi was formed in 1999. In 2006
Margveti-2006 was founded in the lower division and recently in
Meore Liga
Liga 3 ( ka, ლიგა 3), organized by the Georgian Football Federation, is the third division of professional football in Georgia. Introduced for the 2017 season with the launch of the Erovnuli Liga, it is a rebrand of the former Meore Liga ...
, but it is a different (municipal) club.
Notable players
Zviad Endeladze
Zviad Endeladze ( ka, ზვიად ენდელაძე; born 7 April 1966 in Adigeni) is a retired Georgian footballer who played as a forward.
Endeladze started his career at local Adigeni club Zarzma. After a year-long conscription ...
became the club's most famous player after scoring 40 goals in a
single season. With this achievement he joined the European Golden Shoe winners.
City rival
Although Metallurgi Zestaponi, Margveti Zestaponi and
FC Zestaponi
Football Club Zestaponi is a Georgian football club based in Zestaponi. They play their home games at David Abashidze Stadium. Zestaponi was founded on 18 June 2004 by the initiative of the shareholders of JSC Giorgi Nikoladze Zestaponi Ferro- ...
came from the same city, they never met in the league, and both clubs came from the succession of Metallurgi Zestaponi.
Seasons
:
;Reserve
:
Eurocups
References
External links
{{Erovnuli Liga teamlist
Margveti Zestaponi
1990 establishments in Georgia (country)
2000 disestablishments in Georgia (country)