SFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo

SFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo
Full nameSports Football Club
Etar Veliko Tarnovo
Nickname(s)Болярите (The Bolyars)
Founded24 April 1924; 100 years ago (1924-04-24)
GroundStadion Ivaylo
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Capacity15,000
ChairmanLyubomir Filipov
Head coachZhivko Zhelev
LeagueSecond League
2023–24First League, 16th of 16 (relegated)
Websitehttp://etarvt.bg/

Etar (Bulgarian: Етър) is a Bulgarian sports football club based in Veliko Tarnovo, that plays in the Bulgarian Second League, the second level of Bulgarian football.

Etar was established in 2013, shortly after the folding of Etar 1924, which was dissolved for financial reasons after the 2012–13 season. Etar 1924, on the other hand, was established as a result of the dissolution of the historical FC Etar (Veliko Tarnovo). Although the three clubs share similar names and colors, the Bulgarian Football Union considers them separate entities and records are not shared between the three. The current Etar quickly ascended from the amateur leagues, eventually promoting to the Bulgarian First League at the end of the 2016–17 season. The club's home ground has been Ivaylo Stadium since 2013. Etar plays in all-violet kits and their nickname is 'The Bolyars'.

History

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Foundation and Amateur League (2013–2016)

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The club was founded as OFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo in 2013[1] with the license of FC Botev Debelets.[2] In their first season they finished in 5th position in V Group.

In January 2016, Boncho Genchev became the new manager of the team which was in 3rd place at the halfway point in the season, only two points behind the 1st place team.[3] The selection included Lyubomir Genchev coming from A Group team Montana, Stefan Hristov from Spartak Pleven and the leading goalscorer in the first part of 2015–16 season in B Group, Petar Dimitrov.[4] The team eventually won all its matches, winning the league and being promoted to B Group.[5]

Professional Football (2016–present)

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On 9 June 2016 Etar were officially approved for the new 2nd division — Second League, with the club changing its abbreviation to "SFC Etar". Ferario Spasov remains in his position as manager and with a good selection team made promotion to First League.[6] Etar were promoted as champions of the 2016–17 Second League, sealing their title on the final day of the season with a 2–2 away draw against Nesebar, coupled with Septemvri Sofia's 2–0 away defeat to Oborishte.[7][8]

Etar's first season into the elite was difficult. The team finished 13th in the regular phase, with only four wins. This placed Etar as one of the candidates for relegation. In the relegation phase, Etar finished last in their group and had to play playoff/play out matches in order to remain in the elite. In the first round, Etar beat Pirin Blagoevgrad 3-1 aggregate and advanced to the second round. There, the violets faced Dunav Ruse. Two strong matches resulted in a 4-1 aggregate win, and Etar secured their status as a member of the top tier.

On 4 January 2018 Krasimir Balakov was announced as the new manager in the club with Stanislav Genchev, Iliyan Kiryakov and Kaloyan Chakarov as first team coaches.[9]

After 4 seasons in the First League, Etar was relegated to the Second League at the end of the 2020-21 season.[10] Back into the second tier, Etar managed to finish in fourth place during the 2021–22 season, qualifying for promotion playoffs. Etar, however, lost against Botev Vratsa and did not manage to return to the First League immediately. Next season (2022–23), Etar managed to finish in second place, securing promotion to the First League after two years of absence.

League positions

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Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)First Professional Football LeagueSecond Professional Football League (Bulgaria)First Professional Football LeagueSecond Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Bulgarian V AFGBulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian V AFGBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football Group

Nickname, shirt and colors

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Their main nicknames are the Bolyars and the Violets, the latter in reference to the colour of their home kit, which is often mistaken for purple.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
2013–2016 Spain Joma Britos
2016–2017 None
2017–2022 WinBet
2022– United States Nike

Honours

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Domestic

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Players

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Current squad

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As of 15 November 2024 [11]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Bulgaria BUL Angel Martinov
2 DF Bulgaria BUL Petar Ivanov
4 DF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Aleksandrov
5 DF Bulgaria BUL Rosen Varbishki
6 MF Bulgaria BUL Filip Angelov
7 DF Bulgaria BUL Kolyo Stanev
8 MF Bulgaria BUL Atanas Atanasov
9 FW Bulgaria BUL Preslav Yordanov
10 MF Bulgaria BUL Aykut Ramadan
11 MF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Babaliev
12 GK Bulgaria BUL Stanislav Nistorov
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF Finland FIN Didis Lutumba-Pitah
14 MF Bulgaria BUL Radoslav Naydenov
16 MF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Ivanov
17 FW Bulgaria BUL Ivan Kokonov
18 MF Belgium BEL Joachim Carcela
24 FW Bulgaria BUL Tonislav Donkov
26 FW Bulgaria BUL Yoan Marinov
27 FW France FRA Ibrahim Keita
28 MF Bulgaria BUL Nikolay Yankov
44 DF Senegal SEN Serigne Mbacké Faye
77 DF Bulgaria BUL Martin Nikolov

For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2023–24 and Transfers summer 2024.

Foreign players

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Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First Professional League however only three can be used in a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.

Reserve team

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Etar II
Full nameSFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo II
Nickname(s)Болярите (The Bolyars)
GroundTrifon Ivanov Stadium, Veliko Tarnovo
ChairmanLyubomir Filipov
ManagerStefan Nikolov
LeagueThird League
2023–24Third League, 6th
Websitehttps://etarvt.bg/dublirasht-otbor/

Etar II (Bulgarian: Етър II) is a Bulgarian football team based in Veliko Tarnovo. It is the reserve team of Etar Veliko Tarnovo, and currently plays in Third League, the third level of Bulgarian football.

Current squad

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As of 5 September 2024 [12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Bulgaria BUL Teodor Ivanov
GK Bulgaria BUL Presiyan Petkov
GK Bulgaria BUL Nikos Rashkov
DF Bulgaria BUL Rosen Varbishki
DF Bulgaria BUL Ivalin Petkov
DF Bulgaria BUL Ivelin Ivanov
DF Bulgaria BUL Sever Aliev
DF Bulgaria BUL Ismail Ibryamov
DF Bulgaria BUL Denis Martinov
DF Bulgaria BUL Vasko Parvanov
DF Bulgaria BUL Aleksandar Pleshkov
DF Bulgaria BUL Kenan Yumerov
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Ivanov
MF Bulgaria BUL Trayan Dimitrov
MF Bulgaria BUL Kristiyan Dimitrov
MF Bulgaria BUL Kostadin Belaliev
MF Bulgaria BUL Dimitar Kolev
MF Bulgaria BUL Aleksandar Kraev
MF Bulgaria BUL Denislav Georgiev
FW Bulgaria BUL Ivan Petkov
FW Bulgaria BUL Zlatin Boyanov
FW Bulgaria BUL Kaloyan Nenchev
FW Bulgaria BUL Aleksandar Guguchkov

Notable players

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Had international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or had more than 100 league appearances. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

Goalscoring and appearance records

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As of 12 June 2024

Most appearances for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Appearances
1 Bulgaria Hristo Ivanov 2017–2023 110
2 Bulgaria Yani Pehlivanov 2017–2023 78
3 Bulgaria Rumen Rumenov 2017–2019 76
4 Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov 2017–2020 73
5 Bulgaria Nikola Kolev 2017–2020 72
6 Bulgaria Milcho Angelov 2019–2021 68
7 Bulgaria Krum Stoyanov 2018–2019
2022–2024
68
8 Bulgaria Daniel Mladenov 2017–2019
2021–2023
67
9 Bulgaria Zdravko Iliev 2019–2023 63
10 Bulgaria Ivan Skerlev 2016–2020 57


Most goals for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Goals
1 Bulgaria Daniel Mladenov 2017–2019
2021–2023
21
2 Bulgaria Preslav Borukov 2020–2021 12
3 Montenegro Veljko Batrović 2018–2019 11
Bulgaria Milcho Angelov 2019–2021 11
5 Senegal Alioune Badará 2017–2018 10
6 Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov 2017–2020 9
7 Albania Flo Bojaj 2018–2020 8
Bulgaria Ivan Petkov 2016–2021 8
9 Bulgaria Rumen Rumenov 2017–2019 6
10 Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 2020 5
  • Players in bold are still playing for Etar.

Past seasons

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As of 23 June 2024

Season Tier Division Place Bulgarian Cup
2013–14 3 V Group 5th DNP
2014–15 3 V Group 2nd DNP
2015–16 3 V Group 1st↑ DNP
2016–17 2 Second League 1st↑ Round of 32
2017–18 1 First League 11th Quarter-finals
2018–19 1 First League 7th Quarter-finals
2019–20 1 First League 10th Round of 32
2020–21 1 First League 14th↓ Round of 16
2021–22 2 Second League 4th Round of 16
2022–23 2 Second League 2nd↑ Preliminary round
2023–24 1 First League 16th↓ Round of 16

Managers

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Dates Name Honours
2013–2014 Bulgaria Sasho Angelov
2014–2015 Bulgaria Kaloyan Chakarov (interim)
2015–2016 Bulgaria Georgi Vasilev
2016 Bulgaria Boncho Genchev
2016 Bulgaria Ferario Spasov 1 V Group title
2017–2018 Bulgaria Stanislav Genchev 1 Second League title
2018–2019 Bulgaria Krasimir Balakov
2019 Bulgaria Rosen Kirilov
2019 Bulgaria Kaloyan Chakarov (interim)
2019–2020 Bulgaria Petko Petkov
2020 Bulgaria Kaloyan Chakarov (interim)
2020–2021 Bulgaria Aleksandar Tomash
2021–2022 Bulgaria Veselin Velikov
2022–2023 Bulgaria Emanuel Lukanov
2023 Bulgaria Marin Stefanov (interim)
2023–2024 Bulgaria Svetoslav Petrov
2024–present Bulgaria Zhivko Zhelev

Club officials

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Board of directors

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Position Name Nationality
Chairman Lyubomir Filipov Bulgaria
Board Member Georgi Markov Bulgaria
Board Member Kristiyan Deshkov Bulgaria
Board Member Deyan Kuzdov Bulgaria
Board Member Svetoslav Totev Bulgaria
Board Member Tsvetomir Boyadzhiev Bulgaria

Current technical body

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Position Name Nationality
Sports Director Stefan Atanasov Bulgaria
Administrative Director Stratsimir Tinchev Bulgaria
Youth Academy Director Stefan Angelov Bulgaria
Head coach Svetoslav Petrov Bulgaria
Assistant coach Marcho Dafchev Bulgaria
Goalkeeper coach Petko Petkov Bulgaria
Conditioning coach Stefan Ivanov Bulgaria
Analyst Denislav Georgiev Bulgaria
Youth Academy Coach Marin Stefanov Bulgaria
Youth Academy Coach Tsvetan Raykov Bulgaria
Youth Academy Coach Kristiyan Pavlov Bulgaria
Physiotherapist Preslav Nikolaev Bulgaria
Housekeeper Miroslav Chernev Bulgaria

References

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  1. ^ "Новият "Етър В. Търново" е вече факт!". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  2. ^ "Етър Велико Търново започва на чисто във В група". gong.bg. Archived from the original on 2013-06-28.
  3. ^ "Бончо Генчев: Ще върнем Етър в професионалния футбол". Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  4. ^ "Етър хвърли трансферна бомба – привлече голмайстора на "Б" група". Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  5. ^ "Етър се завърна в професионалния футбол пред хиляди боляри на стадион "Ивайло"". 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  6. ^ "Официaлнo: "Етъp" във Втopa лига". 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  7. ^ "Nesebar vs. Etar 2–2". soccerway.com. 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  8. ^ ""Етър" влезе в елита!". 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  9. ^ "Революция в Търново: Балъков е новият мениджър на Етър, Генчев остава, Деко е аут". Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  10. ^ ""Етър" е първият изпадащ, "Славия" оцеля" (in Bulgarian). btvnovinite.bg. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Първи отбор". etarvt.bg (in Bulgarian). 21 March 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Дублиращ отбор". etarvt.bg (in Bulgarian). 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
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