The Armenian Premier League

Armenian Premier League

Football is hugely popular in Armenia and with the national team having its most successful year and now ranked 35th in the world by FIFA, the Armenian Premier League goes from strength to strength.

Soviet Occupation
During the Soviet occupation of Armenia (which occurred between 1936 and 1991) football was played as a regional tournament within the USSR. However, when the country gained its independence the Football Federation of Armenia was formed. The following year in January 1992 the league was recognised by FIFA and in 1993 by UEFA, which allowed teams from Armenia to compete in European competitions.

Armenian League
Armenia is a country of only 3 Million people; as such the football league is small when compared to other countries in Europe. The league consists of only two divisions and the Premier League has eight teams competing for the title.

Early Dominance
Historically, the Soviet era of Armenian Football had two dominating teams in the form of FC Dinamo Yerevan and Spartak Yerevan, both operating out of the Armenian Capital. Between them, these two teams won 12 championships during the league’s first 16 years.

USSR National Team
Furthermore, during the Soviet occupation of the country a number of Armenia players were called up to play for the USSR National team. Most notably, Khoren Hovhannisyan was called up to the Soviet national team for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, Hovhannisyan was not the first as Eduard Markarov was a regular in the USSR team during the late 1960’s and became an Armenian sporting hero. In fact, Markarov went on to become a coach for the Soviet national youth team, taking them to the FIFA World Youth Championship which was held in Portugal in 1991.

Trans Caucasian Championship
However, back in 1926 at the formation of the Armenian football league and before occupation by the Soviet Union, football in Armenia was contested as the Trans Caucasian Championship. Teams drawn from the Southern Caucasian countries of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan competed in the competition which was based in Tbilisi.

Domestic Success
In recent years, FC Pyunik of Yerevan have been the dominant force in domestic Armenia football winning an incredible 10 league titles out of the last 12. However, their dominance has been halted in the past two seasons with Ulisses and Shirak winning the 2011 and 2012 seasons respectively.

Strength to Strength
Football in Armenia continues to go from strength to strength and the success of the national team can only help the domestic league to flourish further. This in turn is attracting star players to the country’s league and with European competition available for the winners... big names will soon be arriving.