FC Odishi 1919

History

The story of organized football in Zugdidi begins on May 20, 1919, when two gymnasium students, Leo Chedia and Pier Kobakhidze, arranged the city’s first match. The local side was called Mertskhali, meaning Swallows, and that date is still recognized as the birth of football in the town. Over the decades, the city’s main club has gone by many names—Dinamo Zugdidi, Odishi, Zugdidi, Baia, and Mglebi—and has appeared in the top-flight Umaglesi Liga under several of those identities.

The direct forerunner of today’s Odishi 1919 was Lazika Zugdidi, which played in the lower leagues during the early 2010s. In the 2012/13 season, Lazika led the third division for most of the campaign but missed out on promotion at the finish. The following year, the team was unstoppable and secured a place in the Pirveli Liga. As newcomers to the second tier, they performed strongly enough to challenge for another promotion.

Once again, though, they stumbled at the final hurdle, losing three of their last five matches. That allowed Locomotive Tbilisi to snatch second place and a playoff spot. Still, the third-place finish in Liga 2 during the 2014–15 season remains the best result Lazika ever achieved.

Aiming for promotion again, the club began the next season poorly. The manager and several key players were let go, and Ukrainian coach Sergey Zhitski along with forward Levan Kutalia were brought in. That same season, Lazika was rebranded as Odishi 1919. According to the manager, the name change was meant to honor the history of football in Zugdidi.

But a steep decline followed, leading to two consecutive relegations. For the first time, the club found itself outside the national league system. In 2018, Odishi finished second in its regional league group and then joined the newly created Liga 4.