FC Oryol (Russian: ФК «Орёл») is a Russian football club based in the city of Oryol. From 2004 to 2006 FC Oryol played in the Russian First Division.
Football has been played in Oryol since 1911. In 1960 a team named Lokomotiv was formed in Oryol to play in the Class B of the Soviet championship. In 1963 it was renamed Spartak, in 1973 Stal (meaning "steel"), in 1975 the team was renamed Spartak again.
The team played in Class B until the restructuring of the leagues in 1971, when it entered the Soviet Second League. In 1990–1991 Spartak played in the Second League B.
In 1992 Spartak entered the Russian Second League. In 1993 the team was renamed Oryol. In 1994 Oryol moved to the Third League, and in 1996 they were promoted back after finishing third. In 2003 Oryol finished first in the Centre zone of the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division. The sixth position in 2004 was the best in the club's history. In 2006 Oryol were relegated from the First Division after finishing 20th. The club faced fincancial problems, thus abandoning their place in the Second Division, was re-created as Spartak Oryol and joined the Amateur Football League. After a year in the amateur league, FC Oryol returned to the Second Division and was once again renamed, entering 2008 season as FC Rusichi Oryol. Rusichi finished mid-table in their first three seasons in the Second Division, with Yevgeni Polyakov becoming the central zone's top scorer with 20 goals in 2010. In winter 2011 rumours circulated that the team would change its name to FC Oryol. Despite being in top five for the most part of 2011/12 season, Rusichi once again finished mid-table (8th place). In summer of 2012 the club announced the name change, finally becoming FC Oryol again.
Oryol or Orel (Russian: Орёл; IPA: [ɐˈrʲɵl], lit. eagle) is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately 360 kilometers (220 mi) south-southwest of Moscow. Population: 317,747 (2010 Census); 333,310 (2002 Census); 336,862 (1989 Census).
While there are no historical records, archaeological evidence shows that a fortress settlement existed between the Oka and Orlik Rivers as early as the 12th century, when the land was a part of the Principality of Chernigov. The name of the fortress is unknown; it may not have been called Oryol at the time. In the 13th century the fortress became a part of the Zvenigorod district of the Karachev Principality. In the early 15th century, the territory was conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The city was soon abandoned by its population, after being sacked either by Lithuanians or the Golden Horde. The territory became a part of the Tsardom of Russia in the 16th century.
Ivan the Terrible decreed that a new fortress be built on the spot in 1566, for the purpose of defending the southern borders of the country. The fortress was built very speedily, work starting in the summer of 1566 and ending in the spring of 1567. The location chosen was less than ideal strategically, as the fortress was located on a seasonally flooded low ground easily targeted from the neighboring high ground. False Dmitry I and his army passed through Oryol in 1605; Ivan Bolotnikov in 1606; False Dmitry II camped in Oryol for the winter of 1607–1608. Polish intervention sacked it in 1611 and 1615; the population fled after the second sacking and moved to Mtsensk. Orlovsky Uyezd nonetheless continued to exist on paper.
Orel or Oryol (meaning eagle in some Slavic languages) may refer to:
At least five ships of the Imperial Russian Navy have been named Oryol (Eagle). The name is often rendered in English-language sources as Orel, but this is a bad transliteration of the Cyrillic.