Soviet Class B

Soviet Class B
Founded1950
Folded1970
CountrySoviet Union
Level on pyramidLevel 2 & 3 & 4
Promotion toSoviet Class A Second Group
Relegation toKFK competitions
Last championsMotor Vladimir
Terek Grozny
FC Kord Balakovo
Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Khimik Severodonetsk
Tsementnik Semipalatinsk
Zarafshon Nawoyi

The Soviet Football Championship, Class B (Russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу (Класс Б), Soviet football championship (Class B)) was the second, third and for a season fourth highest division of Soviet football, below the Soviet Class A and then the Soviet Class A Second Group.

Historical background

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Creation

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The league was formed in 1950 as the second tier of football competitions in the Soviet Union in place of the Second Group of the Soviet football championship (1949 Soviet First League). Before the start of the 1950 season, there was an idea to include representatives of all 15 union republics.[1] On behalf of the Soviet Council of Ministers, the chairman of the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports Arkadiy Apollonov presented to Mikhail Suslov the season's draft which included 27 teams representing 15 union republics. "The team from the Karelo-Finnish SSR due to lack of trained personnel was not included in participation of the Soviet Union championship", explained Arkadiy Apollonov.

Suslov sent the presentation to Kalashnikov and Sushkov to learn more about the issue. Those two came up with an alternative draft which they presented Georgy Malenkov rather than Suslov.

Further development

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In 1960 Class B was split by republican (regional) principle and there existed Class B of the Russian SFSR, Class B of Ukraine, Class B of Union republics, Class B of Kazakhstan, Class B of Central Asia. With the expansion of Soviet Class A in 1963, the Soviet Class B was downgraded to the third tier and in 1970 even further to the fourth tier. Before 1971 it was abolished.

Winners

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Second tier

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Season Winner Runners-up Third
1950 VMS Moscow Torpedo Gorkiy Spartakas Vilnius
1951 Kalinin Dinamo Minsk Lokomotiv Moscow
1952 Kharkiv Spartakas Vilnius FC Lokomotyv Kharkiv FC VMS Moscow
Ivanovo DO Tbilisi FC Krasnoe Znamya Ivanovo FC Dinamo Alma-Ata
Baku Neftçi PFK FC Burevestnik Chișinău FC Torpedo Gorky
Final Lokomotyv Kharkiv Spartakas Vilnius DO Tbilisi
1953 Zone 1 FC Spartaki Tbilisi FC Dynamo Yerevan FC Torpedo Rostov-on-Don
Zone 2 FC Znamya Ivanovo FC Dinamo Minsk FC Metalurh Odessa
Zone 3 FC Shakhtar Stalino FC Torpedo Gorky FC Metalurh Zaporizhia
Final Dinamo Minsk Torpedo Gorkiy Shakhtar Stalino
1954 Zone 1 FC Spartak Yerevan Neftçi PFK ODO Tbilisi
Zone 2 FC Zenit Moscow Spartakas Vilnius FC Khimik Moscow
Zone 3 FC Shakhtar Stalino FC Torpedo Rostov-on-Don FC Metalurh Zaporizhia
Final Shakhtar Stalino Spartakas Vilnius Neftchi Baku
1955 Zone 1 Burevestnik Chisinau Spartak Kalinin ODO Kiev
Zone 2 ODO Sverdlovsk Spartak Yerevan ODO Tbilisi
1956 Zone 1 Spartak Minsk Torpedo Taganrog Metalurh Zaporizhia
Zone 2 Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev ODO Tbilisi Spartak Yerevan
1957 Zone 1 FC Avangard Leningrad FC Torpedo Taganrog FC Avanhard Kharkiv
Zone 2 FC Spartak Stanislav SKVO Lviv FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad
Zone 3 SKVO Tbilisi FC Spartak Yerevan Neftçi PFK
Far East SKVO Khabarovsk FC Dynamo Vladivostok FC Burevestnik Tomsk
Final Avangard Leningrad Spartak Stanislav SKVO Tbilisi
1958 Zone 1 SKVO Odessa FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad FC Avanhard Mykolaiv
Zone 2 SKCF Sevastopol FC Metalurh Zaporizhia FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don
Zone 3 SKVO Lviv Spartak Minsk FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia
Zone 4 SKVO Rostov-on-Don FC Spartak Yerevan FC Kuban Krasnodar
Zone 5 SKVO Sverdlovsk FC Kairat Alma-Ata FC Zvezda Perm
Zone 6 SKVO Khabarovsk FC Tomich Tomsk FC Urozhai Barnaul
Final SKVO Rostov-na-Donu SKVO Sverdlovsk SKCF Sevastopol
1959 Zone 1 FC Trud Voronezh FC Dynamo Kirov FC Avanhard Mykolaiv
Zone 2 FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad FC Trud Glukhovo FC Avanhard Kharkiv
Zone 3 FC Spartak Yerevan FC Terek Grozny FC Torpedo Taganrog
Zone 4 FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia FC Baltika Kaliningrad SKVO Odessa
Zone 5 FC Admiralteyets Leningrad FC Volga Kalinin FC Zenit Izhevsk
Zone 6 FC Pamir Leninabad FC Mashinostroitel Sverdlovsk FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Zone 7 SKVO Sverdlovsk FC Lokomotiv Krasnoyarsk SKVO Khabarovsk
Russia Final Admiralteyets Leningrad Trudovyie Reservy Leningrad[note 1] Trud Voronezh
1960 Russia I FC Trud Voronezh FC Spartak Leningrad FC Shakhter Stalinogorsk
Russia II FC Volga Kalinin FC Shinnik Yaroslavl FC Dynamo Kirov
Russia III FC Terek Grozny FC Torpedo Taganrog FC Spartak Krasnodar
Russia IV FC Metallurg Nizhny Tagil FC Zvezda Perm FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk
Russia V FC Irtysh Omsk SKA Khabarovsk FC Sibelektromotor Tomsk
Russia Final Trud Voronezh FC Irtysh Omsk Volga Kalinin
Ukraine I Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia FC Arsenal Kyiv
Ukraine II FC Metalurh Zaporizhia SKA Odessa FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk
Ukraine Final Metalurh Zaporizhzhya Sudobudivnyk Mykolaiv
Republics I FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi FC Urozhai Minsk FC Shirak Leninakan
Republics II FC Torpedo Kutaisi FC Pamir Leninabad FC Progress Baku
Republics Final Torpedo Kutaisi Lokomotivi Tbilisi
1961 Russia I FC Volga Kalinin FC Metallurg Cherepovets FC Dynamo Leningrad
Russia II FC Dynamo Kirov FC Baltika Kaliningrad FC Iskra Kazan
Russia III FC Krylia Sovietov Kuibyshev FC Sokol Saratov FC Traktor Stalingrad
Russia IV FC Terek Grozny FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don FC Torpedo Taganrog
Russia V FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk FC Uralmash Sverdlovsk FC Stroitel Ufa
Russia VI SKA Khabarovsk SKA Novosibirsk FC Luch Vladivostok
Russia Final Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev Terek Grozny Dynamo Kirov
Ukraine I FC Chornomorets Odessa FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia FC Zirka Kirovohrad
Ukraine II SKA Odessa FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk FC Avanhard Zhovti Vody
Ukraine Final Chornomorets Odessa SCA Odessa Lokomotyv Vinnytsia
Republics I FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi FC Shirak Leninakan Lokomotiv Gomel
Republics II FC Torpedo Kutaisi FC Shakhter Karaganda FC Metallurg Rustavi
1962 Russia I FC Shinnik Yaroslavl FC Spartak Leningrad FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo
Russia II FC Trud Voronezh FC Trudovyie Rezervy Kursk FC Serpukhov
Russia III FC Spartak Krasnodar FC Traktor Volgograd FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don
Russia IV FC Uralmash Sverdlovsk FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk FC Iskra Kazan
Russia V SKA Novosibirsk SKA Khabarovsk FC Luch Vladivostok
Russia Final Spartak Krasnodar Trud Voronezh Uralmash Sverdlovsk
Ukraine I FC Chornomorets Odessa FC Polissya Zhytomyr FC Lokomotyv Donetsk
Ukraine II SKA Odessa FC Metalurh Zaporizhia SKA Kyiv
Ukraine III FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk Avanhard Simferopol FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia
Ukraine Final Trudovye Rezervy Lugansk Chornomorets Odessa Avanhard Simferopol
Republics I Lokomotiv Gomel FC Shirak Leninakan FC Nairi Yerevan
Republics II FC Shakhter Karaganda FC Alga Frunze FC Metallurg Chimkent
Republics Final Shakhtyor Karaganda Lokomotiv Gomel

Third tier

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Season Zone Winner Runners-up Third Notes
1963 Russia Volga Kalinin Dinamo Kirov Zvezda Serpukhov three zones
Ukraine SKA Odessa Lokomotyv Vinnytsia Azovstal Zhdanov
Republics Lokomotivi Tbilisi Dinamo Batumi
1964 Russia Rostselmash Rostov/Don Terek Grozny Tekstilshchik Ivanovo three zones
Ukraine Lokomotyv Vinnytsia SKA Kiev Polissya Zhytomyr
Republics Granitas Klaipėda Vostok Ust-Kamenogorsk Politodel Tashkent Oblast
1965 Russia Spartak Nalchik Rubin Kazan Sokol Saratov three zones
Ukraine SKA Lviv SKA Kiev Avanhard Zhovti Vody
Republics Dynamo Kirovobad Dynamo Baku Pamir Leninabad
1966 Russia Lokomotiv Kaluga Spartak Ordzhonikidze Metallurg Tula four zones
Ukraine Avanhard Zhovti Vody Dynamo Khmelnytskyi Lokomotyv Kherson
Central Asia Pamir Leninabad Metallurg Chimkent Dynamo Tselinograd
Republics Meshakhte Tkibuli Polad Sumgayit Neman Grodno
1967 Russia Dinamo Makhachkala Volga Ulyanovsk Volgar Astrakhan four zones
Ukraine Avtomobilist Zhytomyr Khimik Severodonetsk Dnipro Kremenchuk
Central Asia Zarafshon Nawoyi Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast Metallurg Temirtau
Republics Neman Grodno Polad Sumgait
1968 Russia Mashuk Pyatigorsk Kalinenets Sverdlovsk Spartak Belgorod four zones
Ukraine Avanhard Ternopil Bukovyna Chernivtsi Shakhtar Kadiivka
Central Asia Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast Ak Altyn Andizhan Oblast Samarqand
Kazakhstan Embek Djezkazghan ADK Alma‑Ata Metallurg Temirtau
1969 Russia Druzhba Maykop Saturn Rybinsk Iskra Smolensk five zones
Ukraine Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk Shakhtar Horlivka Spartak Sumy
Central Asia Tashavtomash Tashkent Samarkand Yangiyer
Kazakhstan Traktor Pavlodar Tsementnik Semipalatinsk Embek Djezkazghan
Caucasus Dila Gori Guria Lanchkhuti Avtomobilist Yerevan

Fourth tier

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Season Winner Runners-up Notes
1970 Motor Vladimir (Russia)
Terek Grozny (Russia)
FC Kord Balakovo (Russia)
Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia)
Khimik Severodonetsk (Ukraine)
Tsementnik Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan)
Zarafshon Nawoyi (Central Asia)
Spartak Kostroma (Russia)
FC Spartak Ryazan (Russia)
Neftianik Tumen (Russia)
Vulkan Petropavlovsk‑Kamtchatski (Russia)
Lokomotyv Vinnytsia (Ukraine)
Traktor Pavlodar (Kazakhstan)
Janguier (Central Asia)
seven zones, four in RSFSR

Notes

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  1. ^ Trudovye Reservy replaced Dynamo Leningrad for several seasons. Later, Dynamo was reinstated in their place.

References

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