Vereya Bears are a rugby league team from Vereya, Moscow Oblast. The club was first formed in 1995 and now play in the Russian Championship. Home matches are played at the Vereya Stadium.[ citation needed ]
Following the arrival of rugby league in Moscow in 1991, the sport began to grow outwards. Vereya were established in 1995 as part of this expansion, but did not register until 1998. They adopted the name "Bears".[ citation needed ]
The club debuted in Russian Championship XII and finished fourth. Since then they have hovered around that place. The Bears had never been able to break up the stronger Moscow clubs until Russian Championship XVII when they finished second.[ citation needed ] The Bears won their fourth successive Russian Championship in 2013. [1] They lost to Lokomotiv in the 2014 final, [2] then won the title again in 2015. [3]
After their second-placed finish in Russian Championship XVII the Bears were entered into the 2008 Challenge Cup. They were entered into the Second Round of the competition and flew over to England to face amateur club Leigh Miners Rangers. They were defeated 64-12 and so were knocked out of the competition.
There are over 200 children in various Vereya Bears youth teams.[ citation needed ]
Professional Football Club CSKA, commonly referred to as CSKA Moscow or CSKA Moskva outside of Russia, or simply as CSKA, is a Russian professional football club. It is based in Moscow, playing its home matches at the 30,000-capacity VEB Arena. It plays in red and blue colours, with various plain and striped patterns having been used.
Football Club Zenit, also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925, the club plays in the Russian Premier League. Zenit are the reigning champions of the Russian Premier League. Previously they won the 2007, 2010, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 and the 2022–23 seasons of the Russian Premier League, as well as the 2007–08 UEFA Cup and the 2008 UEFA Super Cup. The club is owned and sponsored by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. The team play its home matches at the Gazprom Arena. In March 2022, the club was expelled from all European and international club competitions by FIFA and the UEFA due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, the European Club Association suspended the team. On 24 May 2023, Zenit became the first Russian sports club with 10 million followers on social media.
FC Rubin Kazan is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–22 season, winning the Russian Premier League championship in 2008 and 2009. After one season in the second tier, the club returned to the RPL for the 2023–24 season. The club also won the 2011–12 Russian Cup. The team plays in the Ak Bars Arena.
Association football is the most popular sport in Russia, beating ice hockey by a huge margin. Men's football is overseen by the Russian Football Union, having the Russian Premier League as the first tier of the Russian football league system, with the Russian Football National League being the second tier.
FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and 10 Russian championships, it is the country's most successful club. They have also won a record 10 Soviet Cups, 4 Russian Cups and one Russian Super Cup. Spartak have also reached the semi-finals of UEFA Europa cup, UEFA Champions cup and the UEFA cup winner's cup.
FC Lokomotiv Moscow is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three occasions; the Soviet Cup twice; and the Russian Cup a record nine times. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Club Association suspended all Russian teams from participation in international competition.
The Russian Premier League, also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 as the Russian Football Premier League and was rebranded with its current name in 2018. From 1992 through 2001, the top level of the Russian football league system was the Russian Football Championship.
FC Rostov is a Russian professional football club based in Rostov-on-Don. The club competes in the Russian Premier League, playing their home matches at the Rostov Arena.
Rugby league is a team sport in Russia. The Russian Association of Rugby League Clubs (ARLK) is the governing body of rugby league in Russia. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Rugby League and European Rugby League banned Russia from all international rugby league competitions.
2005 was marked by a greatest success in the Russian club football so far, as CSKA Moscow won the UEFA Cup. Later, CSKA completed the treble, winning the Russian Cup and the Russian Premier League title. Notable changes in the Russian Football Union also took place.
RC Lokomotiv Moscow is a professional Russian rugby football club based in Moscow, which from 2010 will field teams in both rugby league and rugby union. The club is one of the oldest in Russia. Originally a club for those who worked on the railways, they participated in the first USSR rugby union championship in 1937. Lokomotiv were Soviet Championship winners in 1983. During the existence of the USSR, RC Lokomotiv Moscow club was a part of the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society.
The Russia national rugby union team, nicknamed Medvedi, represented Russia in men's international rugby union international competitions. The team is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia (RUR). The RUR is considered the official successor union of the Soviet Union by World Rugby and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s. Since 1992, the team has played as Russia. Its first test match as Russia was against the Barbarians in Moscow in June 1992 and the country's first test against an official Test nation was against Belgium later that same year.
2003 in Russian football saw the first title for PFC CSKA Moscow. Spartak Moscow, the Cup winners, had the worst league finish since 1976. The national team qualified for Euro 2004.
PBC Lokomotiv Kuban is a Russian professional basketball team based in Krasnodar. It participates in the VTB United League.
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The 2008 Challenge Cup was the 107th staging of the most prestigious knock-out competition in the world of Rugby league, featuring teams from across Europe, including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. It began in February 2008.
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Smolov is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Krasnodar.
Evgeny Isayevich Klebanov, known also as Eugene Klebanov, is a Russian former rugby union player, league coach, Master of Sports of the USSR, Merited Coach of Russia in rugby, five-times winner of the Moscow rugby championship and runner-up at the USSR rugby championship in 1990. He has coached for a long time Russia at the 2003, 2004 and 2005 European Nations Cups and other international tournaments. Klebanov also trained over 100 Masters of Sports of the USSR and Russia. Currently he is the head coach of the National Rosbol Federation of Russia and the Superball Academy.
Dmitri Nikolayevich Barinov is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Lokomotiv Moscow and the Russia national team.
The Association of Rugby League Clubs is the governing body for rugby league in Russia. The association was formed in 2010, bringing together amateur clubs and regional RRLF clubs after the expulsion of the Russian Rugby League Federation and essentially rugby league itself by the Order of the Ministry of Tourism RUSSIA № 21 from State Register of Sports of Russia.