Full name | Football Club Torpedo Kutaisi |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | FC Torpedo, |
Founded | 1946 |
Ground |
Ramaz Shengelia Stadium Kutaisi, Georgia |
Capacity | 14,700 |
President | Zaal Chachava |
Manager | Kakhaber Chkhetiani |
League | Erovnuli Liga |
2017 | 1st (champions) |
Website | Club website |
FC Torpedo Kutaisi is a Georgian professional football club based in Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city. ‘Torpedo Kutaisi’ was founded in 1946 and in just three years the club became the winner of the Football Championship of that time. By the end of 1964, the Football Federation of the former Soviet Union published a list of the best soccer players and 5 among them – R. Urushadze, I. Losaberidze, S. Kutivadze, J. Kherkhadze, and V. Chkhartishvili were from the Torpedo Kutaisi team. Furthermore, Torpedo Kutaisi players of different times were always named among the Top Ten footballers of Georgia. G. Tskhovrebovi, R. Dzodzuashvili, J. Kherkhadze, Kutivadze, T. Sulakvelidze, G. Nodia, T. Kostava and others were among them. Moreover, Ramaz Shengelia was recognized as the number one football player of the former USSR. Torpedo play their home games at Ramaz Shengelia Stadium.
FC Torpedo Kutaisi was founded in 1946 on the base of Kutaisi Automotive Plant. In 1949 the club became the winner of the Georgian SSR Championship. In 1959 two football clubs "FC Torpedo Kutaisi" and "FC Locomotive Kutaisi" were united and the name remained "FC Torpedo Kutaisi". In 1962 "FC Torpedo Kutaisi" was firstly became a participant in the Soviet Top League. Many famous Georgian football players began their career in this club. For example, when Dinamo Tbilisi won UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1980–81, five footballers were the ex-players of FC Torpedo Kutaisi.
When the Georgian National Championships started in 1990, the club changed its name into "FC Kutaisi". But after three years, the club restored the old name. The last years of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st were the most successful years in the club's history. During 1999–02 the club won five domestic titles. During that time most players of the Georgia national football team were from "FC Torpedo Kutaisi". Besides this, Georgian managers (Jemal Kherkhadze, David Kipiani, Revaz Dzodzuashvili, Otar Gabelia, Vladimir Gutsaev and others) worked in the club as a head coach and in the staff too.