Description

In this extraordinary book, you will find a story primarily about “Start” from Orsha and “Temp” from Baran, which competed successfully for a long time in the championships of Belarus and other tournaments. It is also packed with data, statistics, and stories about other teams that defended the honor of the Orsha region on football pitches: “Lakamatyu”, “Stankabudaunik”, “Dynama”, “Spartak”, “Lyanakambinat”, “AviaDar”, and “Kolas” from Vuscia.

Inside the book:

• how football in Orsha evolved from the very first sports societies to the present day;

• how Orsha locals almost won the first unofficial championship of Belarus;

• which Orsha team participated in the first match at the new “Dynama” stadium in Minsk;

• in which seasons a relative of the classic of Belarusian literature, Uladzimir Karatkevich, played for “Start”;

• which men’s team in the Orsha region was headed by a woman;

• where the first self-financing club in Belarus appeared;

• how coaches made a deal with the referee and filled out a match report for a game that never actually happened;

• fascinating coincidences and records of Orsha footballers;

• rare photographs, many of which are published for the first time;

• a dictionary of authentic Belarusian sports terminology.

Arciom Sizincau graduated from the Institute of Journalism of BSU in Minsk and holds a Master’s degree in Belarusian Philology from the University of Warsaw. He has worked for newspapers such as “Vsyo o Futbole” and “Pressball”, on Radio “Stalitsa”, and for numerous other publications. He is a long-time sports blogger and frequently appears as a sports expert in the media.

He began writing the book “Na ‘Start’ i u ‘Tempie'” in 2011: painstakingly collecting information from various sources, working in archives and libraries, and interviewing former and current players, fans, journalists, and statisticians.

Uladzimir Khilmanovich, journalist and football statistician: “Arciom Sizincau’s book, dedicated to the history of regional football, likely has no analogues in domestic book publishing. At least, I have never seen a similar publication in Belarus, and even more so — in the Belarusian language.”

Vitaut Rudnik, journalist and coach: “Many interesting historical facts and findings, good language, diligently collected statistics, work with many sources — all written from a Belarus-centric perspective. I believe this will be one of the best works on the history of Belarusian football.”