Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
ian football club based in
Smalyavichy
Smalyavichy or Smolevichi is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Smalyavichy District. It is situated on the Plisa River (a tributary of the Berezina).Minsk Oblast.
History
The team was founded in 2009 as Vigvam Smolevichi. The same year, they debuted in the Minsk Oblast championship. In 2010, they joined the
Belarusian Second League
The Belarusian Second League () is the third tier of professional football in Belarus. It was established in 1992.
History and format
A strict number of teams and competition format are not defined for the league. Before the start of each season t ...
. They were renamed to Smolevichi in 2011 and to Smolevichi-STI in 2012. Smolevichi-STI won the 2012 Second League season, and have been playing in the First League since 2013. In January 2016, they reached the agreement with BATE Borisov to become Borisov's team
farm club
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...
, although the partnership only lasted for one season.
In 2017, Smolevichi-STI finished second in the First League and were promoted. They made their
Belarusian Premier League
The Belarusian Premier League (, ''Vyšejšaja Liha'' or ''Vysheyshaya Liga''; ; "Top League"), also called the BETERA Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Belarus and the highest level of the B ...
debut in 2018. In January 2018, they reverted their name back to FC Smolevichi.
In 2020, the club rejoined the top tier after finishing in 2nd place in the 2019 First League. They finished bottom of the first division in 2020, and following serious financial issues it was decided that FC Smolevichi would compete in the Belarusian Second League in 2021. Club disbanded after 2021 season.
Name changes
*2009: founded as Vigvam Smolevichi
*2011: renamed to FC Smolevichi
*2012: renamed to Smolevichi-STI
*2018: renamed to FC Smolevichi