On our way, we were passing through Rustavi, one of the biggest cities of Georgia. And its main stadium lies just along the road we were driving.
It was impossible not to see its main gate, so I asked for a stop and break for some ten or twenty minutes.
The main gate of the stadium
The gate was open, and anyone could enter the stadium. An older man was doing some conservation job there, and I asked him, if its allowed to do some photos. He said – no problem, and here I went :)
The stadium, built in 1948, and later reconstructed, is named Poladi (means ‘Steel” in Georgian), which strongly associates with local metallurgical industry. The current capacity is about 4636, with seated places divided into two stands.
The stand behind the main entrance gate
The opposite, roofed stand
Originally, the capacity had been 10 719. The seats are in red, green and blue, the lights are high and impressive.
The history of local football is very, very complicated, but let’s try.
In the Soviet times there were at least few teams from Rustavi, which appeared in the available to me sources (which are definitely not complete).
Metalurgi Rustavi – played in the GSSR Highest league in seasons 1949, 1952, and 1954-1959. Then it got promoted to the inter-republican levels: 1960-1962 Soviet First League of Republics, 1963-1972 – Soviet Second League (different zones). Then it started floating between GSSR Highest League (1973-1974, 1977-1979, 1982-1985) and again Soviet Second League (1975-1976, 1980-1981, 1986-1989). In 1963 even their reserve team has played in the GSSR Highest League.
Burevestnik Rustavi – appeared in the GSSR Highest League in 1957.
Imedi Rustavi – appeared in the GSSR Second League East from 1983 to 1985.
Kimikosi Rustavi – appeared in the GSSR Highest League in 1960, and in the GSSR Second League East in 1976.
Metalisti Rustavi – played in the GSSR Second League East in 1987 and 1988.
Mshenebeli Rustavi – played in the GSSR Second League East in 1986 and 1987.
Skhivi Rustavi – the team has appeared in the GSSR Highest League in 1958 and 1959.
Spartaki Rustavi – played in the GSSR Highest League in 1961, and in the GSSR Second League East in 1981.
The available sources confirm also existence of such teams as Stroitel and others, but no further info is available to me.
In the independent Georgia things got complicated more.
First, the former Metalurgi, has changed name to Gorda (meaning ‘a special kind of a white weapon, similar to a sabre’), and has played in the Georgian Highest League from 1990 to 1992/93. Then they changed name back to Metalurgi, from 1993/4 season to 1997/8. In 1998, they changed their name back again to Gorda, and from 1998/99 up to 2002/3, they still played in the Highest League. In 2001/2 and 2002/3 they’ve put their reserve team in the Second League.
Till now, everything is ok, right?
After 2002/3 season, Gorda got relegated to the First League, and the team has changed name again, this time for FC Rustavi. As FC Rustavi, they’ve played three seasons in the First League (in 2004/5 also with a reserve team in the Second League). After 2005/6 season however the team had serious financial trouble, and decided to merge with FC Tbilisi of that time. The new team has been playing now as Olimpi Rustavi. And why as Olimpi? Well, that’s because, the FC Tbilisi of that time was also a result of a merge, between Merani-91 Tbilisi and Olimpi Tbilisi.
Olimpi Rustavi has preserved that name till 2011 (with second and third teams appearing in the lower levels), and later turned back to the name Metalurgi.
The new-old Metalurgi survived till the end of 2014/15 season, when it got bankrupt. The completely new team, named again FC Rustavi has been founded and granted a place in the First League in 2015/16 season. Some remains of Metalurgi were fighting for survival in the lowest, Second League in 2015/16, but they withdrawn after first half of the season.
The new FC Rustavi exists till now, playing at the moment in the National League 2, but is not using Poladi stadium anymore, remaining on its own training centre.
But these weren’t all the teams from Rustavi in the independent Georgia!
There was a “first” FC Rustavi existing in 1990 and 1991, in the Second League.
There was a team named Khalibi-97, existing from 1997/8 to 2000/1, having played two seasons in the First and two in the Second League.
And there was also a team named Imedi, appearing in the Second League in 1993/4, then transforming into Azoti Rustavi (1994/5 season, First League Eastern Zone), and Azoti-Akademia (1995/6 season, First League Eastern Zone), also later in 2008/9 and 2010/11 in the Second League.
Also the local sport school has entered the league football, in 2013/14 Second League.
The biggest successes of Rustavi teams in the Soviet times are:
- Georgian SSR Champion (1959, 1974, 1979, 1985)
- Georgian SSR Cup winner (1974)
- USSR B Class (2nd level) third place - 1961
The biggest successes of Rustavi teams in the independent Georgia are:
- Champion of Georgia (2006/07 and 2009/10, as Olimpi Rustavi)
- vice-champion of Georgia (2011/12 season as Metalurgi Rustavi)
- Georgian Cup finalist (2008/09 season as Olimpi Rustavi)
- Georgian Supercup winners (2010, as Olimpi Rustavi)
- UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round (2010/11 as Olimpi Rustavi)
Poladi is not the only existing stadium in Rustavi, but that was the only one visited by me that time.
Next stop - Qvareli!
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