Noah setting new benchmark for Armenian football in Conference League campaign

After successfully navigating all four rounds of qualification to make it into the inaugural league phase, FC Noah representatives would have noted down one fixture from the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League draw with particular delight.

A trip to Stamford Bridge to take on two-time UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea is the next step for the Armenian team in their European journey, which already includes an upset against AEK Athens in qualifying and a victory against Czech side Mladá Boleslav in their opening league phase match in Yerevan.

For Noah's owner Vardges Vardanyan and development director Anna Ohanyan, the match against Chelsea is just the latest chance to make the most of taking part in one of Europe's most prestigious club competitions.

As well as capitalising on the learning opportunities from playing against Conference League clubs, there is also the desire to set a new benchmark for football in Armenia.

Rising standards at Noah

Noah's participation in the Conference League has contributed to a dramatic rise in standards at the club.

"It has been a very interesting experience for us, as a young football club [Noah were founded in 2017], to organise matches to meet UEFA standards," Ohanyan explained.

"Not only do we learn from UEFA's standards, but also from the smaller and bigger clubs that we interact with throughout our journey, who have already gone through all of these processes before."

Noah before their first qualifying round match against Shkëndija

Competing in UEFA competition also offers Noah the chance to engage more fans with domestic football in Armenia.

"People seem to only have an interest in club football if there are significant achievements; otherwise, it doesn't play a role in people's everyday lives," Ohanyan said. "It's important to make club football part of their daily conversations. We're striving to fill stadiums and to make matches more interesting for the community."

Defender Sergey Muradyan believes the forthcoming fixture against Chelsea could create the necessary spark of interest in Armenian football. "Chelsea are the biggest club in the Conference League," he said. "It will be interesting for our fans. I think everybody in Armenia will watch this game."

Noah fans during the team's league phase away match against Rapid Wien

Planning for the future

With football in Armenia on an upward trajectory, Vardanyan is determined to capitalise on this by improving infrastructure.

"There is a lot of investment and construction planning going on at the club," Vardanyan said. "We're trying to create a world-class, fully equipped, state-of-the-art training ground. In parallel, there's a lot of work being done to build a 20,000-seat stadium that meets the UEFA Category 4 stadium standards.

"This would allow us to host matches of all types from all competitions. This is a big part of our dreams. We hope we'll all be able to enjoy that stadium someday."

No matter how Noah fare against Chelsea or their other Conference League opponents this season, their European journey is set to leave a legacy of rising standards, increased interest in the domestic game and potential infrastructure investment for football in Armenia.