The director of "Rodina" ended up in the chair from the podium.

      "I got into the director's chair straight from the stands. In my youth, I was involved in athletics, was the champion of the city and region, but I trained at the sports school 'Rodina.' I would walk past the stadium after winter training, and the lights would be on, making me want to see what was happening. Once, I stayed, I was about fourteen. I fell in love with this sport immediately and forever.

      Since then, I have missed only a few matches; I was at the stadium for all seasons except for two when I served in the army. After that, I worked but continued to travel for away games and live with the team. At the end of 2018, I received an offer to head the club. It was so unexpected that I thought about it for a long time. But I agreed," recalls Lazutkin about the beginning of his career as a sports official.

      Analyzing the results of the past season, when 'Rodina' made it to the playoffs for the first time in many years, Lazutkin says: "If someone had told me before the start of the season that we would make it to the playoffs, I would have been very happy; that was our main goal. We achieved it. The thing is, during the season, we were at the top for a while, and our appetite grew."

      The director of 'Rodina' also touched on the current topic of reserve preparation. "We are following a standard path: there is a sports school funded by the budget, where everyone is working hard to attract as many kids as possible. And the more you attract, the more output you get. Our current conditions do not allow us to keep all the shining stars. For that, fundamental changes in the approach and infrastructure of children's bandy are needed," quotes the website rusbandy.ru the director of Kirov's 'Rodina.'

      Commenting on the information that the bandy federation is discussing the construction of modular ice arenas in the regions, Sergey Lazutkin says:

      "The idea of covered ice has been floating around for a couple of decades. There have been attempts to build an ice palace; even places were allocated for it, but each time something fell through: either a change of power or other circumstances. We need covered ice; we have always wanted this. In Kirov, bandy is loved, understood, and appreciated, and people attend the games. I think the appearance of such a facility would give a surge of activity; there would be real excitement.

      So if the federation comes up with a program for regions where this sport is truly loved, including ours, we will fully support it. We have been lacking such initiatives."

      In less than a month, the first official tournament of the season will start – the group stage of the Russian Cup. Here’s what the director of 'Rodina' says about the preparation for it.

      "I think all teams view the Cup as preparation for the championship. But this is an official competition, and we want to perform successfully in it.

      For the last two seasons, our task has been the same – to reach the final part, and this season it will not change. It has only become more difficult because instead of four teams, now three will qualify. But we will be given a task, and we will strive to fulfill it.

      Right now, we are training on small rinks, and ten days before the Cup starts, we will go to Ulyanovsk to get ready. We will play for the maximum result in every match," summarized Sergey Lazutkin."