History
Shirak was founded in 1958. During the 1970s, the club played under the name Olympia. They were playing in the Soviet First League until Armenia's independence. The club's home ground is the Gyumri City Stadium, which can serve nearly 3,000 supporters; the stadium was renovated in 1999. The club is one of the oldest in Armenia and has produced many talented players who have gone on to represent the country. Artur Petrosyan and Harutyun Vardanyan are two famous players produced by this club. Both of them had gained enviable reputations as talented players and went on to play for the Armenian national football team.
The club is the second most titled team in the country, having won 3 championships and 3 super-cups, however struggled financially in recent years (2005, 2006), a factor that has seen the club turn in poor performances in recent editions of the Armenian Premier League.
Shirak has participated in 3 different European cups: Champions League, UEFA Cup and Intertoto Cup. They are currently playing in the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League and advanced to the second round with a 2-1 aggregate victory over FK Rudar Pljevlja.
Read more about this topic: Shirak FC
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