Etar (Bulgarian: Етър) is a Bulgarian sports football club based in Veliko Tarnovo, that plays in the Bulgarian Second League, the second level of Bulgarian football.
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| Full name | Sports Football Club Etar Veliko Tarnovo | |||
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| Nickname | Болярите (The Bolyars) | |||
| Founded | 2013 | |||
| Ground | Stadion Ivaylo Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria | |||
| Capacity | 15,000 | |||
| Chairman | Lyubomir Filipov | |||
| Head coach | Ivan Ivanov | |||
| League | Second League | |||
| 2025–26 | Second League, 7th of 17 | |||
| Website | etarvt | |||
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Etar was established in 2013, shortly after the folding of Etar 1924, which was dissolved for financial reasons after the 2012–13 season. Etar 1924, on the other hand, was established as a result of the dissolution of the historical FC Etar (Veliko Tarnovo). Although the three clubs share similar names and colors, the Bulgarian Football Union considers them separate entities and records are not shared between the three. The current Etar quickly ascended from the amateur leagues, eventually promoting to the Bulgarian First League at the end of the 2016–17 season. The club's home ground has been Ivaylo Stadium since 2013. Etar plays in all-violet kits and their nickname is 'The Bolyars'.
History
editFoundation and Amateur League (2013–2016)
editThe club was founded as OFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo in 2013[1] with the license of FC Botev Debelets.[2] In their first season they finished in 5th position in V Group.
In January 2016, Boncho Genchev became the new manager of the team which was in 3rd place at the halfway point in the season, only two points behind the 1st place team.[3] The selection included Lyubomir Genchev coming from A Group team Montana, Stefan Hristov from Spartak Pleven and the leading goalscorer in the first part of 2015–16 season in B Group, Petar Dimitrov.[4] The team eventually won all its matches, winning the league and being promoted to B Group.[5]
Professional Football (2016–present)
editOn 9 June 2016 Etar were officially approved for the new 2nd division — Second League, with the club changing its abbreviation to "SFC Etar". Ferario Spasov remains in his position as manager and with a good selection team made promotion to First League.[6] Etar were promoted as champions of the 2016–17 Second League, sealing their title on the final day of the season with a 2–2 away draw against Nesebar, coupled with Septemvri Sofia's 2–0 away defeat to Oborishte.[7][8]
Etar's first season into the elite was difficult. The team finished 13th in the regular phase, with only four wins. This placed Etar as one of the candidates for relegation. In the relegation phase, Etar finished last in their group and had to play playoff/play out matches in order to remain in the elite. In the first round, Etar beat Pirin Blagoevgrad 3-1 aggregate and advanced to the second round. There, the violets faced Dunav Ruse. Two strong matches resulted in a 4-1 aggregate win, and Etar secured their status as a member of the top tier.
On 4 January 2018 Krasimir Balakov was announced as the new manager in the club with Stanislav Genchev, Iliyan Kiryakov and Kaloyan Chakarov as first team coaches.[9]
After 4 seasons in the First League, Etar was relegated to the Second League at the end of the 2020-21 season.[10] Back into the second tier, Etar managed to finish in fourth place during the 2021–22 season, qualifying for promotion playoffs. Etar, however, lost against Botev Vratsa and did not manage to return to the First League immediately. Next season (2022–23), Etar managed to finish in second place, securing promotion to the First League after two years of absence.
League positions
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Nickname, shirt and colors
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Honours
editDomestic
edit- Second League:
- Winners (1): 2016–17
- Third League:
- Winners (1): 2015–16
Players
editCurrent squad
editAs of 2 July 2026[update][11][12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2025–26 and Transfers summer 2026.
Foreign players
editUp to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First Professional League however only three can be used in a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.
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EU Nationals |
EU Nationals (Dual citizenship) |
Non-EU Nationals |
Reserve team
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| Full name | SFC Etar Veliko Tarnovo II | ||
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| Nickname | Болярите (The Bolyars) | ||
| Ground | Trifon Ivanov Stadium, Veliko Tarnovo | ||
| Chairman | Lyubomir Filipov | ||
| Manager | Iliyan Trifonov | ||
| League | Third League | ||
| 2025–26 | Third League, 7th | ||
| Website | https://etarvt.bg/etar-ii/ | ||
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Etar II (Bulgarian: Етър II) is a Bulgarian football team based in Veliko Tarnovo. It is the reserve team of Etar Veliko Tarnovo, and currently plays in Third League, the third level of Bulgarian football.
Current squad
edit- As of 14 April 2026 [13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
editHad international caps for their respective countries, held any club record, or had more than 100 league appearances. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.
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Goalscoring and appearance records
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Most domestic league appearances for the club
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- Players in bold are still playing for Etar.
Past seasons
editAs of 24 May 2026[update]
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Bulgarian Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | 3 | V Group | 5th | DNP |
| 2014–15 | 3 | V Group | 2nd | DNP |
| 2015–16 | 3 | V Group | 1st↑ | DNP |
| 2016–17 | 2 | Second League | 1st↑ | Round of 32 |
| 2017–18 | 1 | First League | 11th | Quarter-finals |
| 2018–19 | 1 | First League | 7th | Quarter-finals |
| 2019–20 | 1 | First League | 10th | Round of 32 |
| 2020–21 | 1 | First League | 14th↓ | Round of 16 |
| 2021–22 | 2 | Second League | 4th | Round of 16 |
| 2022–23 | 2 | Second League | 2nd↑ | Preliminary round |
| 2023–24 | 1 | First League | 16th↓ | Round of 16 |
| 2024–25 | 2 | Second League | 7th | Preliminary round |
| 2025–26 | 2 | Second League | 7th | Preliminary round |
- Seasons in First League: 5
- Seasons in Second League: 5
- Seasons in V Group (now Third League): 3
Managers
edit| Dates | Name | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| 2013–2014 |  Sasho Angelov |
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| 2014–2015 | Kaloyan Chakarov (interim) |
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| 2015–2016 | Georgi Vasilev |
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| 2016 | Boncho Genchev |
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| 2016 | Ferario Spasov |
1 V Group title |
| 2017–2018 | Stanislav Genchev |
1 Second League title |
| 2018–2019 | Krasimir Balakov |
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| 2019 | Rosen Kirilov |
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| 2019 | Kaloyan Chakarov (interim) |
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| 2019–2020 | Petko Petkov |
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| 2020 | Kaloyan Chakarov (interim) |
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| 2020–2021 | Aleksandar Tomash |
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| 2021–2022 | Veselin Velikov |
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| 2022–2023 | Emanuel Lukanov |
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| 2023 | Marin Stefanov (interim) |
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| 2023–2024 | Svetoslav Petrov |
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| 2024–2025 | Zhivko Zhelev |
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| 2025–present | Ivan Ivanov |
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Club officials
editBoard of directors
edit| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Lyubomir Filipov | |
| Board Member | Deyan Kuzdov | |
| Board Member | Georgi Markov | |
| Board Member | Georgi Tsingov | |
| Board Member | Momchil Ivanov | |
| Board Member | Miroslav Markov | |
| Board Member | Svetoslav Totev | |
Current technical body
edit| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Sports Director | Stefan Atanasov | |
| Administrative Director | Stratsimir Tinchev | |
| Youth Academy Director | Stefan Angelov | |
| Head coach | Ivan Ivanov | |
| Assistant coach | Iliyan Kiryakov | |
| Assistant coach | Ivaylo Dimitrov | |
| Goalkeeper coach | Aleksandar Aleksandrov | |
| Conditioning coach | Stefan Ivanov | |
| Analyst | Denislav Georgiev | |
| Youth Academy Coach | Marin Stefanov | |
| Youth Academy Coach | Iliyan Trifonov | |
| Physiotherapist | Preslav Nikolaev | |
| Kinesiotherapist | Hristiyan Tsonev | |
| Housekeeper | Miroslav Chernev | |
References
edit- ↑ "Новият "Етър В. Търново" е вече факт!". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
- ↑ "Етър Велико Търново започва на чисто във В група". gong.bg.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Бончо Генчев: Ще върнем Етър в професионалния футбол". Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
- ↑ "Етър хвърли трансферна бомба – привлече голмайстора на "Б" група". Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- ↑ "Етър се завърна в професионалния футбол пред хиляди боляри на стадион "Ивайло"". 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ↑ "Официaлнo: "Етъp" във Втopa лига". 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- ↑ "Nesebar vs. Etar 2–2". soccerway.com. 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ↑ ""Етър" влезе в елита!". 27 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
- ↑ "Революция в Търново: Балъков е новият мениджър на Етър, Генчев остава, Деко е аут". Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- ↑ ""Етър" е първият изпадащ, "Славия" оцеля" (in Bulgarian). btvnovinite.bg. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ↑ "Първи отбор". etarvt.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "На 24 футболисти ще разчита Етър за пролет-2026". etarvt.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ↑ "Етър II". etarvt.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 14 April 2026.