Football Federation of Armenia facts for kids
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| Short name | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Founded | 18 January 1992 |
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| FIFA affiliation | 1992 |
| UEFA affiliation | 1992 |
| President | Armen Melikbekyan |
The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) is the main organization that manages and controls association football in Armenia. Its main office is in Yerevan, the capital city.
The FFA is in charge of many football competitions in Armenia. These include the top professional league, the Armenian Premier League, and other leagues like the Armenian First League. They also organize cup tournaments such as the Armenian Super Cup and the Armenian Independence Cup. Besides football, the FFA also manages the Armenian Futsal Premier League, which is a type of indoor football.
A big part of the FFA's job is to choose the coaches and staff for Armenia's national football teams. This includes the Armenia national football team for men, the Armenia women's national football team, and the Armenia national futsal team. The FFA also received a special synthetic football field from FIFA to help develop the sport.
Contents
A Look Back: History of Armenian Football
Armenia's official football story started in the early 1990s. However, people in Armenia had been playing football for a long time before that. When the Soviet Union ended and Armenia became an independent country in 1991, it was a very important time for the nation. This big change also led to the creation of the Football Federation of Armenia on January 18, 1992.
Soon after it was founded, the FFA joined the world's biggest football organizations. It became a member of FIFA (the global football body) and UEFA (the European football body) in 1992. This meant Armenia's national team could start playing in major international tournaments.
First Steps in International Games
The Armenian national team played its first big international match in the qualifiers for the 1996 UEFA European Championship. Their first game was a 2–0 loss against Belgium on September 7, 1994. But they soon made history! On September 6, 1995, Armenia won their first competitive match, beating FYR Macedonia 2–1.
Since then, Armenia has regularly taken part in qualifying tournaments for the European Championship and the World Cup. A notable achievement was finishing third in their group during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. During this time, a talented player named Henrikh Mkhitaryan became very famous. He was playing for FC Shakhtar Donetsk and showed he was a top international player.
Growing Football Facilities
The FFA has also worked hard to improve football facilities in Armenia. In 2007, they started building a special training center and academy for the national team. This center, which includes places for players to live, opened in September 2010.
The main stadium in Yerevan, the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, has also been improved. It now has a fantastic new playing field. In recent years, about 90 smaller stadiums have been built across Armenia. This was made possible with help from FIFA and the Government of Armenia.
In June 2022, Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, visited Armenia. He came to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Football Federation of Armenia. Infantino promised that FIFA would continue to support football development in Armenia. He also met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and discussed building a new national stadium.
Who Leads the FFA?
The Football Federation of Armenia has had several presidents since it was founded. These leaders help guide the development of football in the country.
Past and Present Presidents
- Nikolay Ghazaryan (1992–1994)
- Armen Sargsyan (1994–1998)
- Suren Abrahamyan (1998–2002)
- Ruben Hayrapetyan (2002–2018)
- Artur Vanetsyan (2018–2019)
- Armen Melikbekyan (2019–present)
See also
- Armenian Table Football Federation
- List of football clubs in Armenia
- List of football stadiums in Armenia
