FK Kauno Žalgiris

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Kauno Žalgiris

Full name	Futbolo klubas Kauno Žalgiris
Nickname(s)	Žalgiris
Founded	2004 as FM Spyris
Ground	Stadium of Football Academy of Kauno Žalgiris
Capacity	500
Chairman	Eimantas Pūras
Manager	[1]
League	A Lyga
2021	A Lyga, 3rd
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Active departments of BC Žalgiris
Basketball Basketball B Football Football B Rugby union

Futbolo klubas Kauno Žalgiris (English: Football club Kauno Žalgiris) is a professional football club based in Kaunas, Lithuania, that competes in the A lyga, the top tier of Lithuania. The club was founded as FM Spyris Kaunas in 2004, became the football section of basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas and moved to their current stadium, the Darius and Girėnas Stadium, in 2015. After their debut season in the A Lyga, the club adopted the name FK Kauno Žalgiris in 2016.

History[]

2005–2014: Early years[]

The idea of professional club was raised by the Kaunas football school "Tauras" in 2004, when coaches of the school decided to give an opportunity for school graduates to continue their football careers professionally, this became a reality in 2005 when FM Spyris was formed. The club initially played in the LFF II league's southern division, wearing yellow and blue. On 1 May 2005, FM Spyris played their first official match, defeated 2-1 by FK Sveikata Kybartai.^[2] For a single season in 2010, FM Spyris was renamed to FM Aisčiai Kaunas, the team finished as runners-up. Despite struggling to get back on top of the league, by 2013, the club had moved up to the LFF I league and enjoyed a couple of competitive seasons and were competitive in the LFF Cup.^[3]

2015–present: Kauno Žalgiris[]

After their recent success, the club made it official that they would like to join the premier Lithuanian football league for the 2015 season, Spyris was accepted on the first check up. Before the season started it was announced that 6 new players will join the club Dzmitry Rekish, Giuseppe Palma (on loan from S.S.C. Napoli), Andrius Velička, Paulius Daukša, Klimas Gusočenko and Jevgenij Maroz. Prior to the start of the season, the club announced their cooperation with BC Žalgiris and plans of adapting the name Žalgiris. The name change would spark a controversy due to the fact another Lithuanian club FK Žalgiris Vilnius would also be competing in the league. The club from Vilnius would file a complaint under the basis of LFF regulations not allowing two teams being under the same name. On 1 March 2015, the club debuted in the A Lyga by defeating FK Klaipėdos Granitas 2–1 in Kaunas as FK Spyris Kaunas. The club's green and white kits would sport the name Žalgiris and the basketball club's logo, alongside the logo they used as FK Spyris. Spyris finished fifth in the league, also reached the Lithuanian Football Cup semi-final, but was defeated by Žalgiris Vilnius.^[4] Before the start of the 2016 season, the club changed its name to FK Kauno Žalgiris, adapting the name of the namesake basketball club. Although the newly developing fan base were happy about it, the name change was shadowed by more legal issues with FK Žalgiris Vilnius, so the future of club's name was uncertain. The club started its preseason by signing a former Kaunas football school Tauras graduate Mantas Fridrikas. Later the club announced the oldest player on the team Audrius Kšanavičius was retiring, winger Jevgenij Moroz and one of the best 2015 A lyga players, Dzmitry Rekish, were leaving the club. After a brief spell of silence, the club announced the signings of three new players just before the beginning of the season who were former FK Šiauliai right back Ernestas Pilypas, Russian winger Leonid Mushnikov, who also was part of Šiauliai team from 2011 to 2013 and 2013 Lithuanian Footballer of the Year Mindaugas Kalonas whose career at that time was on a downfall.

The club signed a contract with 2016 Best I Lyga manager .^[5]

In 2020 season team won third place in A lyga.

Stadium[]

Darius and Girėnas Stadium

The club played its home matches at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium. The stadium is a multi-use facility in Ąžuolynas park in the Žaliakalnis district of Kaunas, Lithuania. The all-seater stadium holds 9,180. In 1998 it was renovated according to UEFA regulations, and in 2005 it was modernised with the installation of the biggest stadium television screen in the Baltic states. Currently this stadium is in renovation process.

Currently the club uses the Stadium of the Football Academy of Kauno Žalgiris (until 2020 was named Sport School Tauras) from Kaunas as their stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 500.

Kit[]

• When the club was called FK Spyris, they wore yellow/blue (Yellow kits, blue shorts and blue socks).
• Since 2015, FK Žalgiris Kaunas's colours have been green and white. The kit is a green and white jersey, and the shorts and socks is a variation of green and white.
• The Goalkeeper's kits were brown with black shorts and socks in the 2018 season. Currently, in the 2020 season, the goalkeeper's jersey is in blue.

Home kit

Away kit

"Spyris" home kit until 2015

Kit manufacturers[]

Crest[]

FK Kauno Žalgiris is using the same logo as BC Žalgiris. The logo design is a green and white shield with the sign "BC Žalgiris", a basketball, and the letter "Ž". The club's name commemorates the victorious Battle of Žalgiris (Battle of Grunwald) (The meanings of Žalgiris and Grunwald are both "green grove").

Honours[]

Lithuanian Championship:

• A Lyga
  • 1st place (0):
  • 2nd place (0):
  • 3rd place (2): 2020, 2021
• Lithuanian Cup
  • Winners (0):
  • Runners-up (0):
• Lithuanian Supercup
  • Winners (0):
  • Runners-up (0):

Rankings in Domestic Competitions[]

European Competitions record[]

As of match played 29 July 2021

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Agg.
2019–20	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Apollon Limassol	0–2	0–4	0–6
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Bodø/Glimt	N/A	1–6	N/A
2021–22	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR	Europa	2−0	0–0	2−0
		2QR	The New Saints	0–5	1–5	1–10
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR

Notes

• QR: Qualifying round

Current squad[]

As of 14 December 2021

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  GNB Rudinilson Silva 4 DF  LTU Martynas Dapkus 6 MF  JPN Yuma Suwa 7 FW  NGA Philip Otele 8 DF  LTU Egidijus Vaitkūnas 9 FW  BRA Michael Thuíque 10 MF  LTU Gratas Sirgėdas 13 MF  LTU Domantas Putrius 14 MF  LTU Denis Ževžikovas 15 MF  LTU Karolis Šilkaitis 16 MF  NGA Abdulgafar Opeyemi 17 DF  NGA Emmanuel Ugbo

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 DF  LTU Rimvydas Sadauskas 22 GK  LTU Deividas Mikelionis 24 MF  GHA Divine Naah 25 MF  NGA Oyinlola Kayode 27 MF  LTU Deitonas Vinckus 30 GK  LTU Airidas Mickevičius 31 GK  LTU Dovydas Vilkas 77 MF  LTU Linas Pilibaitis 80 DF  LTU Edvinas Kloniūnas 81 DF  LTU Aurimas Jurkevičius 83 DF  LTU Pijus Nainys 93 DF  LTU Edvinas Girdvainis

Out on loan[]

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  LTU Ernestas Mockus (on loan to BFA)

Technical staff[]

Position	Name
Chairman	Eimantas Pūras
Director of Football	Andrius Velička
Head coach	[6]
Assistant coach	.[7][8]
Assistant coach	Laimis Bičkauskas
Assistant Coach	Ignas Dedura
Fitness Coach	Vaidas Verbickas

References[]

External links[]

• Official website (in Lithuanian)
• Facebook Kauno Žalgiris official page
• alyga.lt Kauno Žalgiris page
• Kauno Žalgiris page (lietuvosfutbolas.lt)