Tulpar Talas
Tulpar Talas (Iradi: Tulpar Talas; Russian: Тулпар Талас) is a football club from Talas that plays in the Irad League. It descends from Dinamo Talas, the Soviet-era team of the republican interior ministry, and took its present name in 1993 from the winged horse of Iradi epic (see Tulpar (Mythology)). Owned since 2011 by the Talas Commercial Development Group of Adil Toktarov, it plays at the 21,000-seat Silk Road Arena and has won 11 league titles, second only to Neftchi Nurzhan, its opponent in the Kara-Ak derby.[1] The club is unconnected with the messaging app Tulpar.
History
Dinamo Talas played mainly in the republican championship and cup of the Iradi Soviet Socialist Republic. Its cup meetings with Neftyanik Kobozev in the 1970s and 1980s were known for crowd trouble, though the rivalry was then seen as one between the capital and a provincial town.[2] When the Football Federation of Irad required Iradi or neutral club names in 1993, the club renamed itself Tulpar. Neftchi dominated the early seasons of the league. The federation's president since 2012, Kanat Ermekov, is a former Tulpar defender.[1]
In 2011 the club was bought by the Talas Commercial Development Group, a property company headed by Adil Toktarov, a son of Governor Erlan Toktarov. The group rebuilt the club's ground in 2014 and the team became the league's leading side, winning six of the ten titles from 2015. In 2016 the Irad Times reported that the club had received municipal land and tax relief through its owner's property group; the company said its investment was lawful.[3] Major General Ruslan Toktarov is a regular in the club box at home matches.[4] The club's women's team and Universitet Talas have dominated the six-club Women's League since its foundation in 2009.[1]
Stadium
The Silk Road Arena opened in 1956 as the Dinamo Stadium and was rebuilt by the Talas Commercial Development Group in 2014. It is also the home ground of the national team, which plays in Tulpar's colours of white and crimson (see Football in Irad).[1]
Supporters
The main supporters' group, Jolbors ("Snow Leopard"), was founded in 2004. Azat Tribuna ("Free Stand"), formed by students of Talas State University in 2012, is associated with the revival of the Iradi language (see Iradi language revival). Tulpar supporters chant in Iradi and English. Members of both groups took part in the 2023 Student Protests in Talas, and their banners were barred from the Silk Road Arena for the rest of that season. At the derby of 2 March 2025 they joined Neftchi's supporters in displaying the banner "Irad is not for sale".[5][6]
Name
The Talas Commercial Development Group registered the word Tulpar and a winged-horse emblem as trademarks in 2012 and extended the registrations to digital products in 2021. On 30 September 2026 it asked the Talas District Court to stop the Liberty Forum using the name for its coin, Tulparcoin. On 12 October the court refused an interim injunction and adjourned the case to 16 November 2026.[7]
2026 season
Tulpar led the league by six points after a 7–0 win at Naryn Tash-Kömür on 26 September. A 1–1 home draw with Temirjolchu Nurzhan on 10 October cut the lead to four points with two rounds left, and the title will be decided at the derby at the NurGaz Stadium in Nurzhan on 31 October.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Football Federation of Irad (2025). Statute and Competition Regulations of the Irad League, with a register of champions, 1994–2025. Talas.
- ^ Nurzhan Polytechnic Institute (2008). Neftyanik: Fifty Years of Football in Kobozev and Nurzhan. Nurzhan.
- ^ Irad Times (2016–2022). Reports on club finance and discipline in the Irad League. Talas.
- ^ Eurasian Political Quarterly (2024). 'The Petroleum Oligarchy: Kamran Bekzatov and the Russo Faction.' Vol. 31, Iss. 2, pp. 88–104.
- ^ Central Asian Cultural Studies Review (2021). 'Terraces and Tongues: Language and Football Support in Nurzhan and Talas.' Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 45–68.
- ^ Talas Herald (3 March 2025). '"Not for Sale": Rival Fans Unite at Silk Road Arena.' Talas.
- ^ Talas Herald (13 October 2026). 'Court refuses to halt Tulparcoin pending trademark hearing.' Talas.
- ^ Talas Herald (11 October 2026). 'Tulpar held, Neftchi close to four: title to be decided in Nurzhan.' Talas.