The 2024/25 Armenian children’s and youth championships have come to an end. That was a season, which we started with the preliminary round matches of the Youth Champions League. The Pyunik U18 team, Pyunik 2007, which had won the Armenian U18 Championship and the Cup a year earlier, got the right to participate in the tournament. As a result of a draw, Pyunik got Dinamo Minsk as a rival, and in both legs (2:4, 1:2) our boys lost to their Belarusian peers in a hot struggle. Nevertheless, participating in such a tournament was a great experience for them and a good start to the season.
Another joyful thing was that during the season, our academy players Zhirayr Ashikyan, Hamlet Aleksanyan, Tigran Gevorgyan, Aram Aharonyan, Artyom Aleksanyan, Davit Davtyan, Marat Asatryan, Ruben Karapetyan and Vardan Melikyan made their debuts in the main team of Pyunik.
We have summarized the performances of the most outstanding teams from the Pyunik academy in the Armenian children’s and youth championships, as well as in international tournaments.
Pyunik 2011-1
Pyunik 2011-1 headed by David Grigoryan once again stood out with their consistent performances, as in previous years. This season, the boys played again in an age group one year older than them and became the winners of the Armenian U15 championship Group A.
The team also participated in the IV International Youth Memorial Tournament dedicated to Konstantin Sarsania in Moscow in December, where it showed quite an impressive game. Artur Manukyan and Narek Avetisyan received special awards in the Best Player nomination in the group stage. Artur was awarded for the match against Forward and Narek for the match against Irkutsk. Our team came second in the group and ended the tournament with the match for the 7th place, defeating Akron of 2:1. It is noteworthy that Artur Manukyan was named the best player of our team, and Hayk Martirosyan took the Young Hope award as the youngest participant in the tournament. The team’s defender Alex Mkrtchyan, who had shone during the game against Akron, was recognized as the best player of the match.
In May, Davit Grigoryan's team also participated in the Simon Cup tournament dedicated to the memory of the hero of the Artsakh 44-day war Simon Israelyan, held at the sports school of the Urartu club. Our boys confidently performed during the entire tournament, defeating on their way all the rivals and becoming the winners of the U14 group. Moreover, two of the team's players received individual awards. Aren Sargsyan was named the best player, best forward and best scorer, and Gevorg Abajyan was named the best goalkeeper.
Pyunik 2011-2
This year the Pyunik 2011-2 team, led by Sargis Nazaryan, brought the Armenian U14 Cup to Pyunik.
Pyunik 2010
The Pyunik 2010 team led by Stepan Harutyunyan took 2nd place in the Armenian U16 Junior Championship, improving the previous year’s result by one position. Instead, our boys performed excellently in the cup competition, where they defeated Ararat 2009 (2:0) in the final and won the cup.
An important challenge for our team was the annual international tournament Elite Neon Cup held in Ayia Napa, Cyprus in March of this year.
Pyunik 2010 started the group stage with a confident victory over the Greek Atromitos (2:0), then on the same day played a goalless draw with the local PAEEK team. In the last match of the group stage, our boys lost 0:2 to the Danish Midtjylland. As a result, our team took 2nd place in the group.
In the race for the 9th-16th places of the tournament, Pyunik-2010 first lost to the Cypriot Pafos 0:2, then won 3:0 over another Armenian team participating in the tournament, the junior team of Urartu. Stepan Harutyunyan's team also participated in the Simon Cup tournament, where it came 2nd while the team's goalkeeper Daniel Gevorgyan was named the best goalkeeper of his age group.
Pyunik 2009
The team led by Aram Gyulbudaghyan, which had been the winner of their age group last season, finished the championship in the third position this time. However, in April, participating in the Elite Neon Cup international tournament held in the Greek capital Athens, they managed to achieve impressive results.
Our team was only half a step away from winning the silver cup, but Pyunik 2009 lost the decisive match to the Greek Panionis in a penalty shootout (4:5).
In the tournament, the team recorded 4 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat suffered in a penalty shootout.
Pyunik 2008
Pyunik 2008, which had been the winner of their age group last year, became the second prize-winner of the championship this year.
Instead, our boys managed to repeat the previous year's cup success and won the U18 Cup. In the decisive match, Pyunik 2008 got a win 4:2 over the Urartu 2007-1 team.
It is noteworthy that the teams of the Pyunik academy have asucceeded in the U18 Cup in the last 4 years.
2021/22: Pyunik 2006
2022/23: Pyunik 2006
2023/24: Pyunik 2007
2024/25: Pyunik 2008
Our scorers
According to the results of the season, three players from the Pyunik academy were named top scorers in different age groups.
Pyunik 2010 player Hayk Grigoryan became the top scorer of the Armenian U16 Championship with 26 goals.
Pyunik 2009 player Andranik Yervandyan became the top scorer of the Armenian U17 Championship with 18 goals.
Pyunik 2008 player Artyom Aleksanyan became the top scorer of the Armenian U18 Championship with 24 goals. Artyom deserved the title for the second year in a row.
Our students in age group teams
Armenia U19 national team: Friendly matches against Lithuania: Karen Hovakimyan, Sergey Harutyunyan, Hamlet Aleksanyan, Artur Manukyan and Samson Hakobyan.
Armenia U19 national team: European age group qualifying mini-tournament held in Croatia: Artur Petrosyan, Karen Hovakimyan and Samson Hakobyan.
Armenia U19 national team: Friendly matches against Georgia U19 national team, Moldova U19 and U20 national teams: Karen Hovakimyan, Sergey Harutyunyan, Aram Aharonyan, Vahe Karapetyan, Artak Galstyan, Sedrak Movsisyan and Martin Galstyan.
Armenia U17 national team: Friendly matches against Latvia and qualification round of the UEFA Europe age group tournament held in Slovenia: Artur Petrosyan and Ruben Karapetyan.
Armenia U17 national team: Second round mini-tournament of the UEFA U17 Championship: Artur Petrosyan, Hamlet Karapetyan, Ruben Karapetyan, Artyom Aleksanyan, Davit Davtyan and Armen Sukiasyan.
Armenia U16 national team: UEFA Development Tournament in Malta: Seryozha Harutyunyan, Narek Melikyan, Seryozha Petrosyan, Artyom Hakobyan, Andranik Yervandyan.
Armenia U15 national team: Development Tournament in Moldova: Robert Hovakimyan, Shant Khachatryan, Hayk Grigoryan, Ruben Matevosyan, Narek Davtyan and Khachatur Gevorgyan.
Armenia U15 national team: UEFA Development Tournament: Robert Hovakimyan, Artyom Hartenyan, Gagik Grigoryan, Grigor Harutyunyan, Hayk Grigoryan and Khachatur Gevorgyan.
Armenia U14 national team: UEFA Development Tournament in Armenia: Daniel Gevorgyan, Artyom Shekikyan, Sargis Aghayan, Vahagn Yeghyan, Narek Avetisyan, Aren Sargsyan and Gevorg Malkhasyan.
It is also noteworthy that our student Narek Avetisyan was recognized as the best player of the U14 Development Tournament. Narek was presented with the award by the head coach of the Armenia national team, John van't Schip.
Our student and the captain of his age group team scored a goal in the first match of the tournament against the Uzbekistan national team, besides after his pass the opponent scored an own goal.
Narek became the only goal scorer for the Armenia national team in the second match of the tournament against the Latvia national team while in the match against the Lebanon national team he scored an impressive brace.
We wish our students good luck in the upcoming season as well.
