FC Ararat

What FC Ararat does

FC Ararat is an Armenian professional football club founded in 1935 in Yerevan, currently competing in the Armenian Premier League (Fastex Premier League). The organization operates a first team, a reserve squad (FC Ararat-2), and runs an official multilingual e-commerce store selling jerseys, scarves, watches, and apparel at modest price points ranging from 7,000 AMD (fan flags) to 172,800 AMD (AWI watches). The club's revenue mechanics are anchored in matchday ticket sales at Hrazdan Stadium, modest merchandise e-commerce, and a small set of commercial partnerships (AWI, Fastbank, Best-Life, Ohanyan, ME).

The club's primary asset is intangible: a 90-year brand legacy built around the 1973 Soviet Championship and Cup "golden double," the 1974/75 European Cup quarter-final run that included a 1-0 home victory over Bayern Munich, and a deep cultural connection to Armenian football identity. It serves Armenian football fans, sports enthusiasts, and the Armenian diaspora through matchday entertainment, official merchandise, and youth development pipelines. The club is privately held with no disclosed parent company or institutional investors; ownership is reportedly tied to Vartan Sirmakes with Hratch Kaprelian serving as president.

The current operational setup is lean — 15 employees across coaching staff, medical personnel, and administrative roles for both teams. There is no proprietary technology platform, no data or AI capability disclosed, and no mobile applications. The distribution footprint is domestic-only, with digital channels (Armenian, Russian, English-language website and store) serving as the primary global touchpoint. On-field performance has deteriorated materially: in 2025/26, FC Ararat finished 9th in a 12-team league with 3 wins, 4 draws, and 20 losses across 27 matches, conceding 63 goals. The club has initiated a leadership reset, with Ricardo Dionisio's contract expiring and Karen Barsegyan appointed as head coach in June 2026 ahead of the 2026/27 season.

Name

FC Ararat

Legal name

«Արարատ» ՖԱ (FC Ararat)

Website

https://fcararat.am

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FC Ararat is a historic Armenian professional football club founded in 1935 in Yerevan, competing in the Armenian Premier League. It serves fans and the Armenian diaspora through matchday entertainment at Hrazdan Stadium, official merchandise e-commerce, and a small set of commercial partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Football Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Football (Soccer) Leagues (MPAKAAAA)

Keywords

• Professional football club
• Armenian Premier League
• Football merchandise
• Sports entertainment
• Matchday ticketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Yerevan

HQ country

Armenia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FC Ararat is an Armenian professional football club that competes in the Fastex Armenian Premier League, the Armenian Cup, and UEFA competitions. The club operates a first team and a reserve team (FC Ararat-2), and sells official merchandise including jerseys, training gear, scarves, and accessories through its own online store at store.fcararat.am. Home matches are played at the Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan.

Product overview

FC Ararat is an Armenian professional football club. The organization operates its primary team (FC Ararat), a reserve team (FC Ararat-2), and maintains an official e-commerce store for merchandise. The club participates in the Armenian Premier League (Fastex) and various competitions including the Armenian Cup and UEFA Conference League.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Official FC Ararat Merchandise Store Online storefront selling official FC Ararat merchandise including jerseys, training gear, scarves, flags, and branded accessories for supporters and consumers worldwide, with multilingual support (Armenian, Russian, English).
• Professional Football Matchday Attendance Live professional football matches played by FC Ararat's first team in the Armenian Premier League, Armenian Cup, and European competitions, accessible to fans via tickets at the Hrazdan Stadium in Yerevan.
• FC Ararat-2 Reserve Team Competition Reserve team (FC Ararat-2) participating in lower-tier Armenian football leagues with its own dedicated coaching, medical, and administrative staff, focused on developing players for the first team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Return to European competitions after 15 years following 2020/21 Armenian Cup victory

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AWIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor
• Best-LifeminorOthers
• OhanyanminorOthers
• MEminorOthers

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FC Noah: Armenian Premier League club that has invested heavily in squad and infrastructure in recent seasons. Direct competitor in the Armenian top flight and a relevant comparable for squad-building and commercial strategy.
• FC BKMA: Armenian Premier League club that finished directly below Ararat in the 2025/26 standings per the source. Directly comparable as a same-league, same-tier Armenian football operation.
• FC Van: Yerevan-based Armenian Premier League club currently leading the league table per the source data. Direct sporting competitor and a relevant benchmark for what a well-run contemporary Armenian football business can achieve on the pitch.
• FC Shirak: Historic Armenian Premier League club from Gyumri, multiple-time Armenian champion. A directly comparable domestic football business with similar historical pedigree and current top-flight participation.
• FC Alashkert: Yerevan-based Armenian Premier League club with a track record of cup and league titles. Competes in the same league and cup competitions and is a directly comparable mid-to-top-tier Armenian football business.
• FC Gandzasar: Armenian Premier League club from Kapan. Competes in the same domestic league and is a directly comparable small-market Armenian football business with similar structural constraints.
• FC Ararat-Armenia: Yerevan-based Armenian Premier League club that carries the 'Ararat' name and is one of the league's rising sides. Directly competes in the same league and shares the 'Ararat' brand association in the Armenian market.
• FC Pyunik: Yerevan-based, multiple-time Armenian Premier League champion and the country's most decorated modern club. Directly competes with FC Ararat in the same domestic league and cup, and is the main benchmark for Armenian football commercial value.
• FC Urartu: Top-tier Armenian Premier League club based in Yerevan. Direct sporting competitor in the same domestic league and cup, and one of the clubs above Ararat in the league table.

Regional players

• Dinamo Tbilisi: Historic Georgian top-flight club from the Caucasus. Comparable as a regional football institution with Soviet-era pedigree, similar market-size and broadcast-revenue constraints, and a parallel post-Soviet commercial trajectory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fcararat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FC Ararat