Sepidrood Rasht Sport Club (Persian: باشگاه ورزشی سپیدرود رشت, Bashgah-e Varzeshi-ye Sepidrod Resht) is an Iranian football club based in Rasht, Iran. They currently compete in League 2.
Sepidrood competes against Malavan in the El Gilano[citation needed] and also has a friendly rivalry with cross-city rival Damash Gilan. Sepidrood is now the only Iranian existing club that has won the Aga Khan Asian Gold Cup.
Sepidrood Rasht Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in northern Iran founded in 1968 and is the first sports club to be based in Rasht. The team was named after the Sefīd-Rūd river which runs through the area. Sepidrood became champions of the Gilan Provincial League after the revolution three times, in 1983, 1986 and in 2003.
On 15 May 2010, Sepidrood secured promotion and thus played in the Azadegan League in the 2010–11 season for the first time in eleven years, however, the club was relegated at the end of the season.
In 2014 Despite relegating to 3rd Division, Sepidrood bought Shahrdari Langarud license and remained in Second Division. After a good 2015–16 season in which Sepidrood made the last round of the 2nd Division, the team were promoted after finishing first in Group B.
Sepidrood started the 2016–17 season in the Azadegan League excellently, and at the halfway point of the season they were leading the league. On the second last match day of the season, Sepidrood lost to third place team Gol Gohar Sirjan 3–2 and their promotion to the top flight came into serious danger. However, on 1 May 2017 Sepidrood defeated Nassaji Mazandaran 3–2 and were promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League and the top flight of Iranian football for the first time in their 49 year history.
Since its founding, the club colors have been red and white. Sepidrood is known by its fans as the Red Army.
The owner of the club is Javad Tanzadeh (an Iranian businessman).
The match between Sepidrood or Damash and Malavan is known as The Derby Of Gilan or El Gilano.[citation needed] This derby is one of Iran's most important and heated derbies.[citation needed]
As of 31 July 2020Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
For details on seasons, see List of Sepidrood Rasht F.C. seasons