Years Team Name Robert Fulda | ||
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Full name Robert Ferdinandovich Fulda Date of birth (1873-04-18)18 April 1873 Date of death 16 February 1944(1944-02-16) (aged 70) | ||
Place of birth Moscow, Russian Empire Place of death Lausanne, Switzerland | ||
Robert Ferdinandovich Fulda (Russian: Ро́берт Фердина́ндович Фу́льда), born 18 April 1873, died 16 February 1944, was a Russian sports enthusiast who is considered as the "pioneer of Russian sport". He was born into a family of German merchants, who emigrated to Russia in the mid-19th century. Fulda graduated from the Moscow University as a lawyer, but was not interested in practicing his profession.
As an athlete, he was mostly interested in tennis and football. Fulda was one of the pioneers of Russian football and the founder of Sokolniki Sports Club. In 1904, he translated the rules of association football and later organized the Moscow Football League. At the 1912 Summer Olympics, he was the assistant coach of the Russian Empire national football team. In 1914, Fulda became the manager of the national team and was also elected as the chairman of the All-Russian Football Union.
After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Fulda fled to Germany and later settled in Switzerland.