Kārlis Villerušs has been re-elected as President of the FK Lielupe

Today, the Association “Futbola Komanda “Lielupe”” held a General Meeting which, due to a state-wide emergency declared due to the spread of COVID-19, was conducted remotely by video-conference.

Elections to the Board of the Society were also on the agenda, with seven candidates applying for the nine possible seats on the Board: Kārlis Villerušs, Jevgenijs Jenats, Anna Lauskiniece, Marija Voronova, Maksims Bočarņikovs, Dainis Sondors and Aleksandra Belaja. Voting took place using the online voting program. 22 of the 23 voting members of the Society took part in the elections. Following the vote, all seven candidates were successfully elected as members of the Management Board.

There was much discussion at the General Meeting on the current state of emergency in Latvia. Until all workouts are canceled, players will have an individual workout plan with the tasks that players can do at home so that they can maintain their physical condition. Players were also encouraged to go on run workouts in forests and parks, choosing routes where people were less likely to encounter them.

The team’s board also introduced the team’s new jerseys and training suits that are scheduled to be booked before the season. All jerseys will be presented shortly before the season in a special way.

FK Lielupe participation in the Latvian 3rd League Championship 2020 was decided in favor of Kurzeme/Zemgale region, if at least 5 teams, not including FK Lielupe, can gather there. Such a decision was based on the fact that in other regions it is not such a problem to gather enough teams to complete a championship, and it would be very sad if such a large region did not have a full-fledged 11×11 amateur football championship this year. According to the 2020 LFF 3rd League Rules, there must be a minimum of 6 teams in the region to qualify for the LFF 3rd League final tournament. FK Lielupe management hopes that there will be at least 7 teams in the region, so there is a sense of security that there will be no fewer than six teams at the end of the championship, remembering that two teams did not finish the Rietumu Zone championship last year.

Immediately after the General Meeting, the meeting of the new board was also held. Kārlis Villerušs was unanimously elected as the President of the FK Lielupe, while Jevgenijs Jenats was elected as 1st Vice-president and Marija Voronova as 2nd Vice-president.

Kārlis Villerušs (FK Lielupe President):
“It is a great honor for me to be re-elected President of FK Lielupe. Thanks to everyone who supported not only me but also the rest of the board as we all do our part to grow and develop our club. I see that each of the candidates wants this season to be the best in team history. We have a great team right now, a lot of new faces ready to go in battle, who comes on the pitch with their eyes lit. I am convinced that with the right attitude we can all achieve the highest goals together, both the board, the players and the coaching stuff.

But I am very sorry that this is all happening at a time when a state of emergency has been declared throughout the country. The whole training plan has been put on hold, the whole preparation process will have to be restarted, and there will be very little time for it. Besides, no one really knows what will happen and how it will be in a week, two, a month. There is no certainty that Riga’s stadiums will resume their work after a month. Of course, no one forbids you to continue preparing for the season individually, so I look forward to a professional approach from our players who will have an individual training plan.

We are all awaiting the decision of UEFA on March 17, as I have heard information that UEFA could suspend all football events until September. It would be a real disaster for all football clubs. Yes, most of the seasons in Europe were coming to an end, but in this scenario they would not be completed, while we spent one season off in Latvia. I very much hope that these are purely rumors. Of course, we are all ordinary football fans, and we are all concerned about the fate of UEFA Euro 2020 and what will happen with the European cups as Champions League and Europa League.

Therefore, our board of directors in the new composition will be tested for strength right away. What is more, at the moment there is no doubt that we are on the verge of a new financial crisis. In principle, all the work done since September last year to stabilize the club’s financial position could be in vain. How we will negotiate with our supporters, with whom we have an agreement, after the end of this emergency – no one knows.

But this is the right time for each of us to devote more time to our family, to doing what was delayed all the time because of our other daily worries. Take care of your health and the health of your loved ones. And as my good friend says – “болейте только футболом” (“if you get sick, only with football” – translation from Russian language).“