Football Federation of Armenia facts for kids
| UEFA | |
|---|---|
 |
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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 in charge of association football in Armenia. Think of it as the "boss" of all official football in the country! Its main office is in the capital city, Yerevan.
The FFA runs the country's biggest football leagues, like the Armenian Premier League and the Armenian First League. It also organizes important cup games, such as the Armenian Super Cup and the Armenian Independence Cup.
One of the FFA's most important jobs is managing Armenia's national teams. This includes the men's Armenia national football team, the Armenia women's national football team, and the Armenia national futsal team.
Contents
The Story of Armenian Football
The official history of football in Armenia began in the early 1990s. After Armenia became an independent country in 1991, it needed its own organization to manage the sport. So, on January 18, 1992, the Football Federation of Armenia was created.
Joining the World Stage
In 1992, the FFA became a member of FIFA (the world's football governing body) and UEFA (the European football governing body). This meant Armenia could compete in international tournaments.
The national team played its first official match to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament. On September 7, 1994, they played against Belgium but lost 2–0. However, they made history in the same qualifying campaign. On September 6, 1995, the team celebrated its first-ever competitive win, beating North Macedonia 2–1.
Since then, Armenia has participated in every qualifying tournament for the European Championship and the World Cup. One of their best performances was finishing third in their group for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. During this time, star player Henrikh Mkhitaryan became famous around the world.
Growing the Game at Home
The FFA has worked hard to improve football facilities in Armenia. In 2007, they started building a national training center and academy for players. This center opened in 2010.
The country's main stadium, the Yerevan Republican Stadium, was also updated with a new, high-quality playing field. With help from FIFA and the Armenian government, about 90 smaller stadiums have been built across the country.
In June 2022, FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited Armenia to celebrate the FFA's 30th anniversary. He promised that FIFA would continue to help Armenia grow its football program, including helping to build a new national stadium.
Who Has Led the FFA?
The FFA is led by a president. Here are the people who have held the position:
- 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
In Spanish: Federación de Fútbol de Armenia para niños
- Armenian Table Football Federation
- List of football clubs in Armenia
- List of football stadiums in Armenia
- Yerevan Football Academy
