Full name Sports Club Tavriya Dissolved 2014 Chairman Serhiy Kunitsyn Founded 1958 | Nickname(s) Krymchyany (Crimeans) Ground Capacity 19,978 Location Simferopol | |
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Ground Mashynobudivnyk Stadium
(RSC Lokomotiv) Manager Serhiy Vasylyovych Shevchenko | ||
Sports Club Tavriya (Ukrainian: Спортивний клуб "Таврія") is a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League since its founding, and won the very first Ukrainian Premier League, making them one of three teams that have ever held this title.
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After the 2014 Crimean Conflict, the club was forced to cease its existence as Ukrainian club. Some of its staff and players decided to join the Russian Football Union under the new name FC TSK Simferopol.
In June 2015 the Football Federation of Ukraine announced it would re-establish the club and its new home would be Kherson. On 29 August 2016 club was added to group 2 of Ukrainian Football Amateur League. The revamped club is based in Beryslav, Kherson oblast.
History
The club was founded in 1958, under the name Avanhard Simferopol and was based on the former Crimean champion 'Burevestnik Simferopo'. Sometime in 1963 Avanhard changed its name to Tavriya. Tavriya played their first game in the USSR Championship against the Yaroslav based club Khimik. Overall, Tavriya played 132 clubs from 113 cities. They played their last match of the Soviet competition against FC Uralmash Yekaterinburg.
Ukraine
After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Premier League was formed. Tavria was one of its founders and eventually became the very first Ukrainian champion in 1992, under the Simferopol born manager Anatoliy Zayaev, defeating FC Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine's most successful club in the final, held in Lviv. Yuriy Hudymenko became the league's top scorer. More players from that era were Oleksandr Holovko, a defender who also played many years for Ukraine national team, and captain Serhiy Yakovych Shevchenko, who scored the championship goal against Dynamo Kyiv. Having earned the right to participate in 1992–93 UEFA Champions League, Tavryia were knocked out in the first round by Swiss club FC Sion. The Russian Sport-Express posted an article (№3 (43), 25 January 2000, page 9) stating that the Ukrainian champions Tavria were threatened by the Football Federation of Ukraine to compete at the CIS Cup in 1993.
Tavria was one of the five clubs to have until 2014 participated in every season of the Ukrainian Premier League. Their best performance in the Ukrainian Cup came in 2010, where they defeated FC Metalurh Donetsk in the final to win the competition. They had previously reached the final in 1994, where they lost to FC Chornomorets Odessa in a penalty shootout.
Russia
After the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Tavriya asked permission from UEFA and FIFA to shift to the Russian league next season. The club applied for a Russian license and changed its name to FC TSK Simferopol. The club currently plays in the Crimean Premier League.
Re-establishment in Ukraine
On 18 June 2015 the Football Federation of Ukraine executive committee voted in favor of re-establishing the club now to be located in Kherson (the largest Ukrainian city bordering Crimea). Serhiy Kunitsyn, Tavriya's former president and also a former Prime Minister of Crimea, was put in charge of the project.
In August 2016 the revamped version of the club applied to play in the 2016–17 Ukrainian Football Amateur League. It did not enter this competition at first. However, Tavriya was included to group 2 of 2016–17 Ukrainian Football Amateur League on 29 August. Re-established club based in the city of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast.
In November 2016 club applied for FFU attestation in order to achieve professional status in the next season.
European record
Champions League:
Europa League:
Intertoto Cup: