# FC Stal Alchevsk

FC Stal Alchevsk was a Ukrainian professional football team of the Ukrainian First League that is based in Alchevsk. In the 2012–13 season the club won promotion to the Ukrainian Premier League, but the club refused this promotion "for the sake of the fans". In 2015, Stal withdrew from all Ukrainian competitions due to the escalating conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
After adopting its name Stal, the club became a phoenix club of previously existed Stal (Voroshylovsk and Komunarsk, both names of Alchevsk during the Soviet period). It is commonly being confused with another football club from Alchevsk – Kommunarets which was dissolved in 1989, six years after establishing of Stroitel Kommunarsk.

## History

* First club
** Stal Voroshylovsk
** Metalurh Komunarsk
** Komunarets Komunarsk
* Second club
** Budivelnyk Komunarsk
** Stal Alchevsk

### Previous club

The club is named after the former city's sports society Stal that was established in Alchevsk (at that time Voroshylovsk) in 1935.

### Second club

The contemporary club traces its history to 1983 when in Komunarsk (name of Alchevsk in 1961–1991) was founded new amateur football club Budivelnyk (Stroitel) along with already existing professional club Komunarets. The club started out in the championship of Luhansk Oblast. During that time the city top club was Kommunarets which was in synchronization with the former name of Alchevsk – Kommunarsk in the honor of the Paris Commune. Its communist revolutionary spirit can be noticed on the contemporary club's logo. With the fall of the Soviet Union Kommunarets was relegated from the Soviet championship in 1988 and disappeared, while Budivelnyk led by Anatoliy Volobuyev became sponsored by the city's metallurgic factory and were introduced to the Ukrainian SSR championship among physical culture clubs (KFK) for the 1989 season. In 1990 the club placed second in the final tournament and was promoted to the Soviet competitions (1991 Soviet Second League B).
Stal joined the Ukrainian Premier League in 2000–2001 for its tenth season. They finished in the next-to-last place and were relegated back to the Persha Liha where they remained until the 2005–2006 season, for which they and FC Kharkiv achieved promotion back to the Ukrainian Premier League. In 2006–2007 season Stal were relegated back to the Persha Liha, where they played till the end of the 2012–13 season in which they won promotion to the Ukrainian Premier League. But the club refused this promotion because of its Stal Stadium did not meet the requirements of the highest Ukrainian division and the club did not want to play in another stadium because it did see "no point in holding matches in another stadium as most fans of Stal won’t see them".
In 2015, Stal withdrew from all competitions due to the escalating conflict in Eastern Ukraine, with ongoing battles and artillery fired near the playing fields, the club decided it was impossible to continue operating in such conditions.

## Club name

"Stal" is a popular name in the Soviet culture and stands for "steel" (in English). The name was chosen as the pride for the heavily industrialized region of the country. A derivative of it "Stalin" was carried by the Soviet dictator Joseph Dzhugashvili.

### Football kits and sponsors

| Years | Football kit | Shirt sponsor |
| 2005–2007 | umbro | – |

## Head coaches

* Anatoliy Volobuyev (1989–00)
* Anatoliy Konkov (2001)
* Anatoliy Volobuyev (2002 – May 2006)
* Mykola Pavlov (May 2006 – Jun 2006)
* Ton Caanen (Jul 2006 – Jun 2007)
* Hennadiy Batkayev (Jun 2007 – Jan 2008)
* Oleh Smolyaninov (Jan 2008 – Sep 2008)
* Vadym Plotnykov (Sep 2008 – 5 Nov 2009)
* Anatoliy Volobuyev (5 Nov 2009 – 2013)
* Vadym Plotnykov (2013–2014)

## Honors

* Ukrainian First League
** Champions (1): 2004–05
** Runners-up (2): 1999–2000, 2012–13

## Notable players

* Alan
* Cătălin Anghel
* Sendley Bito
* Daniel Chiriță
* Emil Dăncuș
* Hovhannes Demirchyan
* Serigne Diop
* Yuriy Dudnyk
* Paul Essola
* Gil Bala
* Rubén Gómez
* Boban Grnčarov
* Marko Grubelić
* Ara Hakobyan
* Oleksandr Koval
* Bogdan Mara
* Yegishe Melikyan
* Florinel Mirea
* Colince Ngaha Poungoue
* Burnel Okana-Stazi
* Samuel Okunowo
* Florin Pârvu
* Marius Skinderis
* Andriy Smalko
* Oleksandr Spivak
* Sergej Tica
* Giorgi Tsimakuridze
* Paulo Vogt
* Hennadiy Zubov

## League and cup history

    Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Domestic Cup Europe Notes 1992 2nd "A" 9 26 9 8 9 28 22 26 1/16 finals 1992–93 2nd 10 42 16 10 16 40 37 42 1/64 finals 1993–94 2nd 4 38 22 7 9 56 40 51 1/16 finals 1994–95 2nd 9 42 19 5 18 69 50 62 1/8 finals 1995–96 2nd 3 42 26 5 11 73 40 69 1/16 finals 1996–97 2nd 6 46 23 9 14 76 43 78 1/32 finals 2nd stage 1997–98 2nd 4 42 24 5 13 69 53 77 1/16 finals 1998–99 2nd 9 38 16 7 15 55 52 55 1/16 finals 1999–00 2nd 2 34 21 7 6 69 36 70 1/16 finals Promoted 2000–01 1st 13 26 3 6 17 19 49 15 1/16 finals Relegated 2001–02 2nd 6 34 14 8 12 42 34 50 1/8 finals 2002–03 2nd 6 34 14 10 10 36 33 52 1/8 finals 2003–04 2nd 5 34 17 7 10 69 27 58 1/4 finals 2004–05 2nd 1 34 22 11 1 69 24 77 1/8 finals Promoted 2005–06 1st 11 30 9 9 12 26 39 36 1/8 finals 2006–07 1st 16 30 5 6 19 22 38 21 1/8 finals Relegated 2007–08 2nd 7 38 15 13 10 52 44 69 1/8 finals 2008–09 2nd 10 32 11 10 11 33 39 43 1/4 finals 2009–10 2nd 3 34 19 8 7 55 35 69 1/8 finals 2010–11 2nd 3 34 18 8 8 55 33 62 1/4 finals 2011–12 2nd 7 34 14 8 12 51 50 50 1/32 finals 2012–13 2nd 2 34 20 6 8 58 35 69 1/16 finals Refused promoted 2013–14 2nd 3 30 16 3 11 41 33 51 1/32 finals 2014–15 2nd Withdrew