 | |
| Full name | АНО «Профессиональный футбольный клуб «Арсенал», Тула» |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Krasno-zholtyye(Red-yellows) Kanoniri (Canoneers) Pryaniki (Gingercakes) Pushkari (The Gunners) Oruzheyniki (Gunsmiths) Samovars |
| Founded | 1946; 79 years ago (1946) |
| Ground | Arsenal Stadium |
| Capacity | 19,241[1] |
| Owner | Valery Grinkovsky |
| Chairman | Alexander Zotov |
| Manager | Dmitri Gunko |
| League | Russian First League |
| 2024–25 | 10th of 18 |
| Website | arsenaltula |
 Current season | |
FC Arsenal Tula (Russian:ФК Арсенал Тула) is a Russian professionalfootball club fromTula playing in the second-tierRussian First League.
Originally founded in 1923, FC Arsenal Tula was promoted to theRussian Premier League in 2014 for the first time in its history after finishing as runners-up in the2013–14 Russian National Football League. This achievement marked three successive promotions for the club. On its debut season in the2014–15 Russian Premier League, it finished in last place and was relegated back to the FNL. The club spent one season in the FNL before returning to the Premier League for the 2016–17 season, in which they have competed until the2021–22 Russian Premier League season, when they were relegated again after finishing last.[2][3]
The team currently plays its home games inArsenal Stadium, which has a capacity of 19,241.
Arsenal Tula played their first season in the USSR Championship in 1946 under the name Zenit Tula, competing in the Central Division of theRSFSR Championship and finished 5th in their debut season. The precursors to Arsenal Tula played mainly in theSoviet Second League and never played in theSoviet Top League. The club was the champions of Zone West of theRussian Professional Football League in 1997 and 2003 and competed in theRussian Football National League from 1998 until 2001 and in 2004. In 2005, Arsenal Tula did not receive an FNL license due to financial difficulties and once again competed in Zone West in the PFL. In 2006 the team FC Arsenal Tula was liquidated and FC Oruzheynik Tula was formed in its place, playing in the Amateur Division. In 2011, it was announced that the team FC Arsenal Tula would be reformed.[4]
The present day team FC Arsenal Tula was formed at the end of 2011, replacing the former team FC Arsenal-Tula. The first coach of Arsenal was the famous Russian footballerDmitri Alenichev and the coaching staff includedDmitri Ananko,Oleg Samatov, and famous goalkeeperAleksandr Filimonov. The club's initial squad also had several famous players such as midfielderYegor Titov and defenderDmytro Parfenov. Over the course of the 2011/12 season, Arsenal finished in 8th place in theRussian Amateur Football League and all of the famous footballers left the club. Trainer Dmitri Alenichev decided to replace them with young players.
On June 18, 2012, Arsenal received a license to compete in Zone Center in the2012–13 Russian Second Division. Arsenal won promotion at their first attempt, finishing the season with 73 points and 22 wins, 7 draws, and just 1 loss. In the2013–14 season, FC Arsenal Tula were promoted once again, finishing as runners-up and being promoted to theRussian Premier League for the first time in their history. Over the course of the2014–15 Russian Premier League, Arsenal finished in last place with 25 points and were relegated back to the FNL. During this season, on April 9, 2015, Arsenal had a sensational 1–0 victory overSpartak Moscow. In this match, the fans of Spartak climbed onto the roof ofArsenal Stadium despite it being unsafe and one fan was hospitalized. This match resulted in the club being fined 500,000 rubles and being forced to play their next match againstKrasnodar at a neutral venue. In the2014–15 Russian Cup, Arsenal reached the quarterfinals, beatingZenit Saint Petersburg in their home stadium.
Before the beginning of the2015–16 season, trainer Dmitri Alenichev left for Spartak Moscow and was replaced byViktor Bulatov. Viktor Bulatov was sacked after 24 games, with the club having won 14, drawn 4, and lost 6 games under his tenure. Bulatov was replaced bySergei Pavlov, who led Arsenal back to the Premier League, with the club finishing as runners-up with 82 points. In the2016–17 Russian Premier League, Arsenal started poorly, and in October 2016, Pavlov was sacked and replaced withSergei Kiriakov. Arsenal finished in 14th place and advanced to the relegation play-offs againstYenisey Krasnoyarsk, which Arsenal survived and stayed in the Premier League because of the away goals rule, as Arsenal had won 1–0 in Tula and lost 2–1 in Krasnoyarsk. In the2017–18 season Arsenal hiredMiodrag Božović, who led them to their highest ever position of 7th in the Premier League. Božović left Arsenal after one year.Oleg Kononov took over as the manager, but also left after 5 months at the helm.Igor Cherevchenko eventually led them to 6th place in the2018–19 season, which qualified them for the very first time for the European competition,2019–20 UEFA Europa League.[5]
In the2023–24 Russian First League season, Arsenal qualified for the Russian Premier League promotion play-offs.[6] Arsenal lost toPari Nizhny Novgorod 2–3 on aggregate and remained in the First League.[7]
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 3rd, "Center" | 5 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 38 | 49 | 16 | |
| 1947–1948 | ||||||||||
| 1949 | 2nd, RSFSR-4 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 36 | 66 | 17 | |
| 1950–1958 | ||||||||||
| 1959 | 2nd, Zone 2 | 13 | 28 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 26 | 44 | 18 | |
| 1960 | 2nd, RSFSR-Zone 1 | 8 | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 39 | 43 | 28 | R64 |
| 1961 | 6 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 22 | 28 | R128 | |
| 1962 | 10 | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 45 | 30 | R256 | |
| 1963 | 11 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 30 | 35 | 26 | R512 | |
| 1964 | 3rd, RSFSR-Zone 2 | 12 | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 31 | 38 | 28 | R64 |
| 1965 | 3rd, RSFSR-Zone 1 | 9 | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 38 | 24 | 35 | R1024 |
| 1966 | 2 | 32 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 33 | 15 | 43 | R512 | |
| 3rd, Semi-final | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3rd, Final | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 1967 | 2nd (Group 2) | 13 | 38 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 26 | 35 | 36 | R512 |
| 1968 | 14 | 40 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 40 | 34 | R256 | |
| 1969 | 5 | 38 | 12 | 19 | 7 | 36 | 25 | 43 | R128 | |
| 1970 | 4 | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 80 | 38 | 53 | R16 | |
| 1971 | 3rd, Zone 2 | 2 | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 58 | 28 | 77 | |
| 1972 | 12 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 47 | 51 | 46 | ||
| 1973 | 3rd, Zone 3 | 16 | 34 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 37 | 61 | 19 | |
| 1974 | 3rd, Zone 2 | 10 | 40 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 42 | 51 | 41 | |
| 1975 | 3rd, Zone 3 | 19 | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 51 | 28 | |
| 1976 | 18 | 40 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 26 | 57 | 24 | ||
| 1977 | 3rd, Zone 1 | 10 | 40 | 16 | 9 | 15 | 51 | 34 | 41 | |
| 1978 | 3rd, Zone 3 | 24 | 46 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 39 | 70 | 27 | |
| 1979 | 3rd, Zone 1 | 19 | 46 | 8 | 18 | 20 | 41 | 72 | 34 | |
| 1980 | 8 | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 66 | 43 | 43 | ||
| 1981 | 17 | 32 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 25 | 67 | 13 | ||
| 1982 | 15 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 56 | 18 | ||
| 1983 | 11 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 31 | 27 | ||
| 1984 | 3 | 32 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 56 | 29 | 43 | ||
| 1985 | 4 | 32 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 50 | 34 | 42 | R32 | |
| 1986 | 2 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 19 | 41 | R64 | |
| 1987 | 12 | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 29 | 40 | 25 | ||
| 1988 | 16 | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 56 | 61 | 31 | ||
| 1989 | 15 | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 46 | 36 | ||
| 1990 | 4th, Zone 5 | 15 | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 31 | 48 | 24 | |
| 1991 | 12 | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 54 | 41 | 45 | ||
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 3rd, Zone 2 | 7 | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 56 | 45 | 51 | R16 |
| 1993 | 3rd, Zone 3 | 2 | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 58 | 15 | 49 | |
| 1994 | 3rd, Zone Center | 9 | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 47 | 33 | 35 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 40 | 19 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 43 | 67 | R256 | |
| 1996 | 4 | 42 | 29 | 5 | 8 | 79 | 36 | 92 | ||
| 1997 | 3rd, Zone West | 1 | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 91 | 26 | 91 | R16 |
| 1998 | 2nd | 5 | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 53 | 65 | QF |
| 1999 | 9 | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 61 | 51 | 64 | R32 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 45 | 39 | 52 | QF | |
| 2001 | 16 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 35 | 40 | R32 | |
| 2002 | 3rd, Zone West | 2 | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 66 | 29 | 77 | R256 |
| 2003 | 1 | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 83 | 18 | 83 | R32 | |
| 2004 | 2nd | 13 | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 39 | 32 | 58 | |
| 2005 | 3rd, Zone West | 13 | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 26 | 31 | 32 | R256 |
| 2006 | 18 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 26 | 58 | 25 | R512 | |
| 2007 | 4th, Zone Central - Black Earth Region | 2 | 32 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 21 | 63 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 75 | 27 | 71 | ||
| 2009 | 7 | 24 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 40 | 24 | 39 | ||
| 2010 | 5 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 27 | 25 | 35 | ||
| 2011–12 | 8 | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 58 | 43 | 64 | ||
| 2012–13 | 3rd, Zone Center | 1 | 30 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 74 | 20 | 73 | R256 |
| 2013–14 | 2nd | 2 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 9 | 62 | 39 | 69 | R64 |
| 2014–15 | 1st | 16 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 20 | 46 | 25 | QF |
| 2015–16 | 2nd | 2 | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 64 | 36 | 82 | R64 |
| 2016–17 | 1st | 14 | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 18 | 40 | 28 | R32 |
| 2017–18 | 7 | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 35 | 41 | 42 | ||
| 2018–19 | 6 | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 40 | 33 | 46 | SF | |
| 2019–20 | 8 | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 41 | 38 | R16 |
As of 1 August 2019
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Agg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | UEFA Europa League | 2QR |  Neftçi | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–4 |
Arsenal'sfeeder clubArsenal-2 Tula participated in the third tier of professional Russian football,Russian Professional Football League, beginning with the 2014–15 season. The club was dissolved after the 2016–17 season.[8] Another team was called Arsenal-2 and competed professionally from 1998 to 2002, it last competed asDynamo Tula.
Traditionally, the games of Arsenal have drawn great interest from the local football loving population. In the 2011–12 season, when Arsenal was still an amateur team, over 13,500 fans showed up for a match between Arsenal andRusichi, which is an attendance record for a Russian amateur game.[9] In the second division, FC Arsenal Tula's attendance was over 8,000 people on average. According to data collected by theRussian Football Union in 2013, Arsenal's attendance was 15th out of 106 professional clubs in Russia.[10] In the FNL, the average attendance of Arsenal was 10,844, with over 16,500 people showing up for the key game againstTorpedo Moscow. In Arsenal's first season in the Premier League, the average attendance was 12,154.
There are several ultras groups among Arsenal fans including the well-known Red-Yellow Cannoneers.[11] The shirt number 12 has been permanently retired by the club management in honor of the fans.
As of 11 September 2025, according to theFirst League website.Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed inbold represented their countries while playing for Arsenal.
Viktor Papayev (1989)
Aleksei Petrushin (1993–94)Anatoli Polosin (1995)Gennadi Kostylev (1996)
Yevhen Kucherevskyi (1997–99)Leonid Buryak (1999)Vladimir Yurin (1999–00)Vladimir Fedotov (2001)Boris Stukalov (2004) Yury Cheryevsky (2005–06)Aleksandr Chimbiryov (2008–11)Dmitri Alenichev (2011–15)Viktor Bulatov (2015–16)Sergei Pavlov (2016)Andrei Kozlov (caretaker) (2016)Sergei Kiriakov (2016–17)
Miodrag Božović (2017–2018)Oleg Kononov (2018)
Igor Cherevchenko (2018–2020)Sergei Podpaly (2020)Dmytro Parfenov (2020–2021)Miodrag Božović (2021–2022)Oleg Kononov (2022–2023)Aleksandr Storozhuk (2023–)
