FC Spaeri (

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

: საფეხბურთო კლუბი სპაერი) is a Georgian

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club, based in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

. Since the 2022 season the club competes in Liga 2, the second tier of Georgian football system.

History

Spaeri was established in 2017 by five individuals working in the Special State Protection Service. The team mostly consisted of the servicemen of this organization and initially participated in the Amateur League before becoming a member of

Regionuli Liga Regionuli Liga (Georgian: რეგიონული ლიგა), run by Georgian Football Federation since 1990, is the fifth and lowest division of the Georgian league system after Erovnuli Liga, Erovnuli Liga 2, Liga 3 and Liga 4. Its parti ...

. Spaeri finished the 2018 season as runners-up and obtained the right to take part in the newly created Liga 4. Having won 21 games out of 27, they claimed the first place there with automatic promotion to Liga 3. The debut in the third division was impressive with Spaeri vying for a promotion play-off place up until the last matchday. Eventually, the club came two points short of the third place. The team improved their performance in 2021 and following an unbeaten run in twenty league games won Liga 3 six rounds before the end of the season. Initially, they did not seem encouraging in the second division. With a single point in initial four matches, Spaeri were sitting bottom of the table. However, the team quickly recovered, produced the longest unbeaten streak of the season and qualified for promotion

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. Forward Levan Papava became the top scorer of the league with 17 goals netted during the regular season. He added a brace in a dramatic tie against

Gagra Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Abkhaz and Russian: Гагра) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular hea ...

, scored another in the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

, but the team failed to secure one more promotion. Kakha Maisuradze has been coaching the team since 2017.

Seasons

Current squad

''As of 8 March 2022'' (C)

Stadium

Spaeri stadium, located in an eastern suburb of

, was officially opened in September 2018. Тhe pitch has an artificial turf.

Honours

●

, Runners-up: 2018 (East A) ● Liga 4, Winners: 2019 ● Liga 3, Winners: 2021 ● Liga 2, Runners-up: 2022

References

External links

Profile on SoccerwayPage on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaeri Football clubs in Georgia (country) Association football clubs established in 2017