Chelyabinsk

The team came out of a factory yard. Workers at the Automatic-Mechanical Plant in Chelyabinsk put together a side called Strela in 1977, which it won in 1980. Vitaly Muta, who founded it and later ran it as president and director for years, is the figure the whole professional project in the city traces back to.

The name changed to Zenit in 1990, and within two years the club was in the First League of Russia, finishing 12th in 1992. In 1993 it lost professional status; in 1994 it played no official football at all.

Since 2009 it has carried the city's name and the city's money — the municipality covers the budget. Local products make up three-quarters or more of the squad.

Under Mikhail Salnikov, a midfielder there in the early nineties before he took the job in 2016, the team won 16 consecutive matches — a record for the Russian professional leagues. Roman Pilipchuk, appointed in April 2024, finally got them out, topping the silver group of Division A.

Home is the Central Stadium, 7,597 seats. Winter 2025 brought a rebrand: the blues deepened, and brown entered the palette for the rock of the southern Urals.

The First League is where the club was in 1992 and where it is again.