| Full name | Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 | ||
| Dissolved | 2018 | ||
| Ground | Bonyan Diesel Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 12,000 | ||
| League | Persian Gulf Pro League | ||
| 2017–18 | Persian Gulf Pro League, 9th | ||
| Website | http://www.gftclub.ir/ | ||
Gostaresh Foulad Tabriz Football Club (Persian:باشگاه فوتبال گسترش فولاد تبریز,Bashgah-e Futbal-e Gâsteresh Fulâd Tebriz) was an Iranianfootball club based inTabriz,Iran. The club was founded in 2008. They were promoted toPersian Gulf Pro League in the2012–13 season. In 2018, the club's ownership was moved to Amir Hossein Alagheband and the club moved toUrmia.
Gostaresh Foolad also had afutsal team in the senior, under 22's, under 19's, under 17's, and under 15's levels.
Formed in 2008, Gostaresh took over the licence ofNiroye Zamini when they ran into financial difficulties. Gostaresh had played the previous season inIran Football's 3rd Division, placing first overall.
While providing limited results in the club's inaugural season in theAzadegan League, Gostaresh found success in theHazfi Cup.
The team reached the finals by securing a 2–0 victory overPersian Gulf Pro League sideZob Ahan[1] The victory sealed Gostaresh a meeting with Asian powerhousePersepolis in theHazfi Cup final.[1] Clearly outmatched, Gostaresh lost the home leg 1–0 from a goal byPersepolis forwardSheys Rezaei, who scored in the 12th minute.[2] In the second leg atAzadi Stadium inTehran, gostaresh lost 3–1 for a total aggregate loss of 4 goals to 1, givingPersepolis theHazfi Cup.[3]
In the 2011–2012 seasonLuka Bonacic took over the club's managerial role, at the end of the year Gostaresh was tied for second place and a shot at promotion, but goal difference dropped them to third, and hopes of promotion were destroyed on the final day.
The 2012–2013 season saw the introduction ofRasoul Khatibi, his tactics seemed to work and Gostaresh easily clinched automatic promotion to theIran Pro League
Gostaresh Foolad play in the 2013–14Iran Pro League season. They lost in the round of 16 of the Hazfi Cup toAzadegan League sideSanat Naft Abadan. In their first year in the league, Gostaresh finished 10th.
After a bad start to the 2014–15 seasonMehdi Tartar was fired as head coach of the club and replaced byFaraz Kamalvand, finishing in 11th place.
Under Faraz Kamalvand Gostaresh had one of their best ever seasons in the 2015–16 season, finishing in ninth place. The club finished a best ever 8th place in the 2016–17 season. However shortly after,Faraz Kamalvand resigned and signed withSanat Naft Abadan.
Bonyan Diesel Stadium is Gostaresh Foolad's main stadium with the capacity of 12,000. The stadium and its complex includes two grass pitches.
Since the club's establishment in 2008, the teams has worn an all blue home kit with an all white away kit, corresponding with the club's logo. From 2008 to 2014, Gostaresh's kit sponsor was German companyUhlsport who also supplied theIran national football team and a large number of other Iranian clubs. Starting in the summer of 2014, the club switched to Spanish companyKelme. After only one season with Kelme, Gostaresh once again switched sponsors and chose Iranian based companyMerooj.
The table below chronicles the achievements of Gostaresh Foolad F.C. in various competitions since 2009.
| Season | League | Position | Hazfi Cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 3rd Division | 1st | did not qualify | Promoted |
| 2009–10 | Azadegan League | 8th | Final | |
| 2010–11 | 3rd | 3rd Round | ||
| 2011–12 | 9th | Round of 32 | ||
| 2012–13 | 1st | did not qualify | Promoted | |
| 2013–14 | Persian Gulf Pro League | 10th | Round of 16 | |
| 2014–15 | 11th | Round of 16 | ||
| 2015–16 | 9th | Round of 16 | ||
| 2016–17 | 8th | Quarterfinals | ||
| 2017–18 | 9th | Quarterfinals |
Since its establishment Gostaresh has played a number of European friendlies. Their biggest result came on 3 July 2016 after defeating Turkish runners upFenerbahçe.
Win Draw Loss Postponed
| DateRound | Home | Score | Away | Location |
Eskişehirspor vGostaresh Foolad| 8 January 2016 (2016-01-08) | Eskişehirspor | 0–2 | Gostaresh Foolad | Turkey |
| [4] | Ebrahimi Ebrahimi |
Hannover 96 vGostaresh Foolad| 13 January 2016 (2016-01-13) | Hannover 96 | 2–0 | Gostaresh Foolad | Turkey |
Fenerbahçe vGostaresh Foolad| 3 July 2016 (2016-07-03) | Fenerbahçe | 0–3 | Gostaresh Foolad | Turkey |
| [5] | Shojaeian Seyedi Seyedi |
Voluntari| 7 July 2016 (2016-07-07) | Gostaresh Foolad | 0–0 | Voluntari | Turkey |
Beşiktaş U23 vGostaresh Foolad| 8 July 2017 (2017-07-08) | Beşiktaş U23 | 0–2 | Gostaresh Foolad | Turkey |
| Manager | Years |
|---|---|
 Hossein Khatibi | Jan 2009 – Mar 2010 |
| Farhad Kazemi | Mar 2010 – Dec 2010 |
 Luka Bonačić | Dec 15, 2010 – Jun 25, 2011 |
| Engin Firat | Jul 1, 2011 – Sep 30, 2011 |
| Mohammad Hossein Ziaei | Oct 2011 – Feb 2012 |
| Hadi Bargizar | Feb 2012 – Jul 2012 |
| Rasoul Khatibi | Jul 1, 2012 – Jan 2, 2014 |
| Mehdi Tartar | Jan 2, 2014 – Oct 3, 2014 |
| Faraz Kamalvand | Oct 4, 2014 –May 4, 2017 |
| Luka Bonačić | May 10, 2017 –Sep 29, 2017 |
| Firouz Karimi | Sep 29, 2017 –Jul 1, 2018 |
| Current Rank | Country | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 81 | | Gostaresh Foulad |
| 82 |  | Gwangju FC |
| 83 |  | Vegalta Sendai |
| 84 |  | Persib Bandung |
| 85 |  | Adelaide United |
| League competitions | |
|---|---|
| Cup competitions | |
| Defunct competitions | |
| National teams | |
| Lists and categories | |
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