From 1934 to 1960, friendly matches were played between football fans of Leninakan and Dilijan. and later, the team of the “Lori” sports club (of the chemical factory “Khimik”) became the champion, prise-winner and trophy winner of Armenia many times. In 1960-1974 and 1987-1991, the “Lori” team in Kirovakan (since 1994 in Vanadzor) participated in the USSR Championship in Class B and the second league. In 1967, “Lori” took 2nd place and won the right to participate in the transition tournament in Minsk – for the right to enter Class A of the USSR Championship, but took 2nd place among 12 teams.
Over the years, “Lori” football players were recruited and successfully played for Yerevan “ARARAT” – champion and two-time winner of the USSR Cup 1973-75. – Haykaz Gevorkyan, Hmayak Mkhoyan, father and son Mikhail and Radik Baratyan (Radik also played in the USSR youth national team with famous players A. Banishevsky and E. Malofeev), Albert Tamaryan, Leva Movsesyan, Henrikh Shahbazyan, Arayik Kazanchyan, Edik Harutyunyan, Vrezh Poghosyan, Rafik Nerkararyan, Andranik Khachatryan, Alexander Keropyan, Hovhannes Kirakosyan and Sergey Zakaryan. In 1975-86, “Lori” did not participate in the USSR championship.
In 1978-84 youth teams (U-16) of Kirovakan became Champions and prize-winners of the USSR “Leader Ball”.
In 1986, through the efforts of the former chairman of the Sports Committee Arshak Varyan and the former 1st secretary of the city committee of the Communist Party of Armenia Hayk Ohanyan, the team of masters “Lori” was restored and declared to participate in the USSR championship in the 2nd league in the strongest southern zone in which the teams of masters played Leninakan, Yerevan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Novorossiysk, Pyatigorsk, Nalchik, Grozny, Orel, Novo-Shakhtinsk… and among 22 teams “Lori” took 14th place.
In January 1988, “Lori” acquired the status of a professional club (1st in Armenia and 6th in the USSR). In the same year, FC “Lori” was in the top three in the southern zone and the city of Adler won the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions Cup of the USSR 2nd League, winning the Azerbaijani FC “Kyapaz” (Kirovabad, now Ganja) with a score of 2:0. The founder and 1st president of the FC “Lori” is Norayr Zuloyan, who at the end of 1989 was invited by the 1st Secretary of the Spitak region of Communist Party of Armenia Norik Muradyan, coachs Garnik Asatryan and Norik Mkrtchyan – to the FC “SPITAK” as president, and since August 1990 he left active work in football and founded the Charity Center “INTERKAP” of Armenia.
After 1991, futsal teams “INTERKAP”, “TSALKUT”, “TALGRIG” and “MANKAVARZH” successfully participated in the Armenian championship and became prize winners, grateful to football Norik Mkrtchyan, Dr. Robert Mkhitaryan, Vardan Kharatyan, Harutyun Izmiryan, Zaven Evoyan and Armen Pirumyan, thanks to businessmen Seyran Aghabekyan and Tovmas Grigoryan, with the support of Lori Marz Governor Henrik Kochinyan and President of “INTERKAP-DEUTSCHLAND” Honorary Citizen of Vanadzor “KNIGHT OF LORI” Mr.Reiner Christian Kosel.
In the first football championship of Armenia, FC “Lori” took 19th place in 1992. In the 1993 season, the team won small gold medals for winning the second group of the First League, as well as a ticket to the major league. The following season the team was relegated to the first league from 13th place. The club spent the next three seasons in the first league. In the next season in the Premier League, the team again fell into the relegation zone (last, 10th place). It took three seasons to return again. Only once was a team able to stay in the elite for more than a season – in 2001 and 2002. Gradually the club took places lower and lower already in the First League. In the last season of 2005, the team took 11th place, and in 2006 it was completely disbanded. In 2017, the FC “Lori” (owner T. Grigoryan, president R. Grigoryan, manager A. Pirumyan) was restored and entered the First League for the 2017-18 season, following which it took 1st place and received the right to play in the Premier League for the 2018-19 season. In 2021, the FC “Lori” announced its withdrawal from the Armenian championship.
In February 2023, “Lori” FC was restored through the efforts of the founder of the 1st professional club (1988) in Armenia, Norayr Zuloyan, together with leaders of FC “Lori” 1988-90: Sergey Zakaryan (former forward of Yerevan “ARARAT”, best forward of Kirovakan football of all time with 72 goals) and Garegin Sargsyan (one of the best defenders in Armenia, who played for the master teams “SHIRAK”, “SPITAK” “SPARTAK” and the Russian “AMUR” Blagoveshchensk, “SKA” .Khabarovsk). Club was registered under the name “Lori-Vanadzor” FC and with the financial support of the Administration of Lori region and the city of Vanadzor, representatives of the investor (TRAKTOR GROUP, RF) Alexander Nikulin and Ivan Kuznetsov – in the 2023-24 season participated in the Armenian Youth Championship with 4 teams – under the auspices of the FFA (Football Federation of Armenia).
On May 5, 2024, club received a License from FFA and UEFA to participate in the Armenian 1st League Championship.
