In recent years, financial and ownership difficulties have repeatedly threatened their professional status and they have played mostly in lower regional leagues.
However they bounced straight back as champions of the First League in 1991, thus becoming founder members of the new Russian Top Division after the USSR collapsed.
The club's owner Vladimir Goryunov, a member of the Duma and head of the parliamentary sports committee, explored options to save Rotor from relegation, such as expanding the Premier League to 20 teams.
Russia had officially launched its bid for the FIFA World Cup 2018 and Volgograd city was in line for a new stadium – provided they had a professional club to fill it after the tournament.
In fact, Rotor managed to co-exist with the new FC for the first half of the 2009 season, before Mikheev suspended operations and the government took ownership of the club and stadium from him.
The two clubs were merged into one, and the new Rotor Volgograd were promoted to the second-level Russian Football National League thanks to teams above them withdrawing.
[2] The regional Ministry of Sport invested 150 million roubles ($4.9m) in the club's playing budget for the 2010 campaign, but it ended in failure as Rotor were relegated in 17th place.
Former club player Sergei Nechay took over management and steered the team to promotion as champions of their Second Division zone in 2011–12.
A Ministry of Sport investigation found evidence of financial misconduct by club management along with substantial overspending,[3] and regional Governor Andrey Bocharov announced after the 2013 season that government support for Rotor was being withdrawn.
[4][5] In the 2015 season Rotor won the Amateur League Chernozemye (South-West Region) division at the first attempt by 11 points, suffering only one defeat in 22 games.
As Rotor was in the 1st position in the standings, they were promoted to the Russian Premier League for the 2020–21 season, returning to the top level after a 16-year break.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.