FC Kuban () was a Russian professional football club based in Krasnodar, which now only plays on a regional level. The team began playing in the Russian Premier League in 2011, having for won the Russian First Division a year prior. By then, it was one of the oldest professional football clubs in the country, with its foundation being linked to the Soviet NKVD as Dynamo Krasnodar. It changed its name at a time of political change in the USSR. Club members and fans were called "Kubantsy" () (because of its location) or "yellow-greens" (the club colours). The team was also known as the "Cossacks" by fans. Other nicknames associated with the club colours were "The Canaries" (analogous to the similar colours of the French FC Nantes and the English Norwich City F.C.) and "The Toads" (primarily by opponents and the Kuban Ultras). On 17 May 2018 it was announced that FC Kuban had dissolved because of bankruptcy. It was resurrected by fans and former footballers on a local level a few months later and the team played its first official match in the Krasnodar Krai Regional League. The club is not officially linked to the new PFC Kuban Krasnodar, which is often seen to be the successor to the club on a professional level. Chronology of club names Dynamo (1928–53) Neftyanik (1954–57) Kuban (1958–60) Spartak (1960–62) Kuban (1963–2018) History Origins Football first appeared in Kuban during the early 20th century, when a number of sports clubs were created in Ekaterinodar. The first matches were intra-club, and football competed with other sports; however, interest gradually grew and friendly matches were played between clubs in different cities. The first intercity football match was played in Ekaterinodar on 6 August (or 9 August) 1912 when the Achilles club (or an Ekaterinodar city team with Achilles players) defeated Novorossiysk Olympia 5–0. Since 1913, when the first city championship was played, matches between city teams (Achilles, Sport and Victoria) have become common. Founding According to the club, its history began in 1928 with the organization in Krasnodar of Dynamo NKVD. According to some reports the team was founded a year earlier, but documentary evidence of that club does not exist. The team came into existence in 1928, according to documents in the archives. Dynamo: 1928–1953 Before there was a national championship, Dynamo played friendly matches with the best teams in Russia, Ukraine and the