New book reveals history of local football in Sillamäe
A new book called "With a Love for Football" created by football enthusiasts in Sillamäe, Ida-Viru County features a selection of rare archive photos, as well as numerous stories of local players and coaches.
"With a Love for Football," tells the full story of football in Sillamäe from 1949 to the present day,
According to co-author Yevgeniy Medvedev, the book is dedicated to local coaches and players, who brought glory to the city in Ida-Viru County with their achievements on the pitch.
There is also a story about the legendary Sillamäe Kalev team, which twice won the Estonian Cup – in 1977 and 1978.
"This is a legendary team for our city. In the book, we also show how the champions grew up from being first-graders," Medvedev said.
"There is a famous photo in there by American photographer Bill Eppridge, who in 1967 received permission to make a photo album about the life of Soviet youth. Among other things, he filmed our team at the "Leather Ball" tournament in Rostov-on-Don. This photo appeared in the American magazine 'Life,'" he added.
The book's cover contains a photo of a fragment of a sculpture of football players that once stood proudly in front of the local stadium.
"The sculpture was about three meters high including its pedestal and stood in front of the stadium. When we boys used to run by, we would always jump on that ball. But then it disappeared somewhere," said the book's co-author Alexander Fyodorov.
Fedorov said the book also includes facts about the sporting life of his three granddaughters.
"All three of my granddaughters have been Estonian champions and medalists in their junior teams and one of them still plays in Flora," he said.
The year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of organized football in Sillamäe. On November 1, the new book will be officially presented at the Sillamae Museum.
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Editor: Olga Zvjagintseva, Michael Cole