FC Amkar Perm was founded on May 5, 1993 as a football team of the mineral fertilizers factory. The name of the club is a combination of initial parts of the words ‘ammiak’ (Eng. ammonia) and ‘karbamid’ (Eng. carbamide) which was the factory’s main production. Amkar got its club colors thanks to partners from Milan who suggested the team should choose something resembling the design of their hometown club kit. The team was represented by workers of the above-mentioned factory; in 1994 several footballers from amateur leagues as well as certain professionals joined them. The squad managed to win the Perm oblast championship as well as the city cup. In December of the same year the club registered for a tournament of sports societies, but was invited to play in the Russian third league championship instead.
Next year the team was reinforced by players of the local club ‘Zvezda’ and Amkar finished sixth in the third league, which got them promoted to the second league.
Amkar was considered an upstart, a one-day team with no future. Nevertheless, in 1996 the Perm team managed to finish third in the Central zone of the second league and next year they were already second. These years enriched the club – with professional football management experience in the first place. Many leaders of the then team did not accept offers from elite clubs and remained faithful to Perm. Namely, these were Konstantin Zyryanov (currently, a Zenit midfielder) and Konstantin Paramonov, legend of Perm football.
With every year the team progressed and received better financing. Although it was not big money, it allowed the club to solve even difficult tasks. The team began to play in the Premier League and became its permanent participant. However, in 2010 Amkar was on the verge of bankruptcy – the club did not even have money to pay salary to the main squad players. The club supporters organized fundraising activities to save the professional team.
In January 2011 the team withdrew its application to participate in the Premier League. However, it was a hasty decision – Amkar managed to deal with their problems and play in the season.
Amkar has already achieved many a success in its short history in comparison with numerous older teams. The club played in the UEFA Cup and Europa League. Provided the club should have been dismissed, it would be a big loss for development of football in the Perm region.
Found a mistake? Highlight it with mouse and press CTRL + Enter. Thank you!
There are no comments.