FC Kairat
FC Kairat Almaty (Kazakh: Қайрат Алматы Футбол Клубы) is a Kazakh football club, playing in Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty.
Like many clubs in the Soviet Union they went through a number of name changes in their history. They were known Lokomotiv Almaty when founded in 1954, and later Urozhai Almaty, before settling on Kairat. They were the leading Kazakh team during the Soviet era, the only ever club to compete at the Soviet Top League, and to win the Soviet First League (second tier of competition) in both 1976 and 1983. The team achieved an all time high Soviet Super League finish of 7th in 1986 and altogether spent 24 seasons in the Soviet top division, a record for a Central Asian team. During the existence of the USSR Kairat Almaty was a part of the Voluntary Sports Society Kairat.
The club also has a highly successful Futsal team AFC Kairat, who has been Kazakh champions in 2003-2008 seasons and reached semi-finals of UEFA Futsal Cup in three recent seasons.
Read more about FC Kairat: European Stage, 2007-09, Name History, League Results, Achievements, Current Squad, Notable Past Managers, Notable Past Players