Timur Turlov’s Football Initiatives

Football holds a special place in Timur Turlov’s projects. Turlov is a member of the executive committee of the Kazakhstan Football Federation, and he views sports as an important social instrument capable of uniting people, strengthening the values of teamwork, and opening new opportunities for children and young people to grow and develop.

One of the key areas of his work has been participation in the development of football in the Karaganda region. In August 2025, Timur Turlov was elected President of the Karaganda Regional Football Association. This position opens the way for the implementation of a large-scale program aimed at making football more accessible to tens of thousands of residents and helping the local club Shakhter regain its place in the elite of Kazakhstani football.

The program foresees investments of 18.5 billion tenge (USD 34.4 million) and includes:

• construction of a football academy and a new stadium for 3,500 spectators (USD 22.3 million);
• development of two indoor arenas in Karaganda and Temirtau (USD 3.7 million), enabling year-round training and matches;
• installation of 10 small football pitches for schools and universities in the region (USD 3.1million );
• support for local coaches and specialists, as well as development of a systematic infrastructure for youth football.

The main goal is to engage up to 50,000 residents of the region in sport. Special attention is given to grassroots children’s and youth football, since a systematic approach to nurturing future players creates the foundation for long-term success.

This work continues another major initiative by Timur Turlov — the QJ League, which is already operating successfully and has become one of the largest and fastest-growing youth football leagues in Kazakhstan. The league brings together thousands of children, providing them with professional conditions for training, competition, and growth. Today, it serves not only as a platform for the game, but also as a school of discipline, teamwork, and healthy living.

The experience gained through the QJ League is forming the basis for new initiatives in the Karaganda region. In this way, a unified system is being created that covers different regions of the country and builds a strong foundation for the future of Kazakhstani football.

“We fully understand that sport is not about quick results. It is work measured in years, sometimes decades. That is why we are creating a comprehensive program that will cover every level — from children’s football to the professional game,” Turlov notes.

Timur Turlov’s football projects are not just about investment in infrastructure and organization, but also about restoring the social significance of sport, especially in industrial regions.

“Historically, football flourished in industrial centers. The working-class neighborhoods of Manchester and London gave the world Manchester United, Arsenal, and West Ham — clubs that grew out of ordinary people who, after a hard day’s work, took to the pitch to experience the spirit of the game and unity. Karaganda is of the same tradition. Shakhter has always been and remains a symbol of the region, and our goal today is to help it return to the elite of Kazakhstani football — not through one-off efforts, but by building a sustainable system of development,” Turlov says.

Key Milestones

2023 — Launch of the QJ League, a youth football league featuring 12 teams in the U-18 age category.

2024 — Expansion of the league to include additional age groups and divisions, increasing to 32 teams from 18 regions.

2025 — Ongoing expansion, with a projected 54 teams (including a new girls’ competition) and participation of over 1,600 young players.

2025 — Timur Turlov elected President of the Karaganda Regional Football Association.

2025 — Launch of a 18.5 billion tenge (USD 34.4 million) investment program in the development of regional football: academy, stadium, indoor arenas, and school pitches.

Future plans— Engagement of up to 50,000 residents of the Karaganda region in football and return of FC “Shakhter” to the elite of Kazakhstani football