Our new rival at the training camp is FC Samgurali from Tsqaltubo, a city in Imereti.
The club was founded in 1945. The team from Tsqaltubo achieved the most significant victories in the Championship of the Georgian SSR in the 80s. Samgurali won the tournament three times (1983, 1985 and 1989), and also took second place (1986) and third in the 1987/88 season. In 1988 and 1989 the club won the Georgian SSR Cup.
Becoming a participant in the independent championship of Georgia in 1990, Samgurali spent 8 out of 10 first seasons in the major leagues, but then faced a crisis and ceased to exist until 2004.
During the 2010s, Samgurali played in the second and third strongest divisions of the country. At the end of the last decade, the team made a breakthrough. Achieving success in two seasons in a row, the club rose in status and returned to the elite league after an 18-year break.
In 2021, Sergo Kukhianidze became the first Samgurali player to be invited to the Georgia national team.
In 2022, the club repeated the highest achievement in the championship, as in the 1992/93 season, placing fourth. Moreover, during the whole tournament Samgurali fought for bronze, but missed the chance to win a medal in the last round.
Three times in recent history, the club has played in the final of the Georgian Cup, in 1999, 2020 and 2021.
The most matches in the history of the team (144) were played by midfielder Varlam Pestvenidze. Forward Merab Megreladze, who scored 41 goals in the 1992/93 season, is Samgurali's top scorer and league record holder of the season since its refoundation in 1990.
Several players of the team have taken part in the European Youth Championship, which is currently taking place in Georgia and Romania. In the home tournament, the Georgians became one of the main discoveries, and the central midfielder of Samgurali Nodar Lominadze played in all group stage matches.
9 legionnaires from different countries play for the club. In the current season, Georgian forward Giorgi Nikabadze is the most valuable player with 9 goals and 3 assists. At the moment, Samgurali placed third in the main championship of the country.
