Ukrainian football league system
Encyclopedia
Ukrainian football league system has developed over the years. If the top two tiers have developed a fixed number of participants, the number of competitors in the tiers below the second has been changing almost every year.
The first three levels of the football League system in Ukraine
are the professional level competitions, the rest are the amateur and sometimes inconsistent. The first four levels are the national type competitions and divided among three independent football organizations:
There is also national youth competition
that is consisted of the youth teams from all of the professional clubs as well as some of the amateurs and schools of Olympic Reserve. The competitions are divided among several age group of participants between ages of 14 and 17. Each professional club is obliged to be represented with at least one team in those competitions.
Regional
The regional competition primarily organized by the football organizations of their respective regions. The regional organizations form the FFU Council of Regions
that provides a some degree of uniformity between the competitions of different regions and answers to the Executive Committee of FFU. There are 27 members of the council including representatives from the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol. Similar to the national each regional organization also have a leagues system, but usually do not exceed two levels. There are also cup competitions of each region. The regional youth competitions are organized consequently with the senior competitions and each round of those takes place usually a day prior. Each regional football association has the right upon conclusion of a season recommends the best club or clubs of their choice to the Ukrainian Football Amateur Association
.
Student
There also is the Student Football League. This league is less famous and is completely apart of the league system. The players of the league represent Ukraine in Universiadas as a national team. There were some discussions to spread similar type of competition through Europe. The student national team sometime is composed of professional level players and can be considered as type of a B-team.
. Since the 2008 the Premier League has split from the PFL and reorganized as the independent organization guided by FFU. From 1993 to 1995, for three seasons, the league system consisted of four levels of the non-amateur football. At the end of the 1995 the Tretia Liha
, the fourth level, was merged with the Druha Liha
which in turn was split into two groups based on the regional principal (A is western part, B - eastern). Later for sometime the Druha Liha
consisted of three regional groupes: A (west/north), B (center/south), C (big east).
League system
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | P/R | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukrainian Premier League Ukrainian Premier League The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed... Premyer Liha 16 teams |
Ukrainian Premier Reserve League Ukrainian Premier Reserve League The Ukrainian Premier Reserve League is the top league for the top Ukrainian football reserve team, the parent clubs of which compete in the Ukrainian Premier League.... Premyer Liha Reserves 16 teams |
2 |
||||
| 2 | Ukrainian First League Ukrainian First League The Persha Liha or Ukrainian First League is a football league in Ukraine and the second tier of national football competitions. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup... Persha Liha 18 teams |
2 2-3 |
|||||
| 3 | Ukrainian Second League A Ukrainian Second League The Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of... Druha Liha A 12 teams |
Ukrainian Second League B Ukrainian Second League The Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of... Druha Liha B 12 teams |
Ukrainian Second League V Ukrainian Second League The Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of... Druha Liha V discontinued |
2-3 |
|||
| X | Ukrainian Third League Ukrainian Third League The Ukrainian Third League, also known as the Transitional League, was part of the Ukrainian professional football clubs competition.The League as the fourth tier was created after the reorganization once the first championship was completed in 1993... Tretya Liha discontinued |
||||||
| 4 | National Amateur Level Competitions Ukrainian Football Amateur Association The Amateur Football Association of Ukraine was established March 2, 1998. Under the agreement between the Football Federation of Ukraine and the Association, it is authorized to organize the All-Ukrainian National Championship and Cup tournaments amongst amateur football teams... Amatory |
||||||
| 5 | Regional(Oblast) First Level Senior competition 27 Leagues |
Regional(Oblast) First Level Youth competition |
|||||
| 6 | Regional(Oblast) Second Level Senior competition ~30-40 Leagues |
Regional(Oblast) Second Level Youth competition |
|||||
| X | Regional(Oblast) Third Level Senior competition ~10 Leagues |
||||||
| 7 | District/City Level Senior competition |
District/City Level Youth competition |
|||||
Explanation to organization
NationalThe first three levels of the football League system in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
are the professional level competitions, the rest are the amateur and sometimes inconsistent. The first four levels are the national type competitions and divided among three independent football organizations:
- Premier League of Ukraine regulates Ukraine Premier League and its Reserve LeagueUkrainian Premier Reserve LeagueThe Ukrainian Premier Reserve League is the top league for the top Ukrainian football reserve team, the parent clubs of which compete in the Ukrainian Premier League....
; - Professional Football League of UkraineProfessional Football League of UkraineProfessional Football League of Ukraine is a sport organization that represents the Union of all professional level clubs in Ukraine. The League organizes the football competition for football clubs in the second and the third level of the Ukrainian league system...
regulates the First LeagueUkrainian First LeagueThe Persha Liha or Ukrainian First League is a football league in Ukraine and the second tier of national football competitions. Members of the league also participate in the Ukrainian Cup...
and the Second LeagueUkrainian Second LeagueThe Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of...
; - Association of Amateur Football in Ukraine regulates the National Amateur Championship and CupUkrainian Football Amateur AssociationThe Amateur Football Association of Ukraine was established March 2, 1998. Under the agreement between the Football Federation of Ukraine and the Association, it is authorized to organize the All-Ukrainian National Championship and Cup tournaments amongst amateur football teams...
.
There is also national youth competition
Ukrainian National Youth Competition
The Ukrainian National Youth Competition is split into four age groups which in turn has the Supreme and the First Leagues. The Supreme Leagues consists out of four regional groups and the First have eight...
that is consisted of the youth teams from all of the professional clubs as well as some of the amateurs and schools of Olympic Reserve. The competitions are divided among several age group of participants between ages of 14 and 17. Each professional club is obliged to be represented with at least one team in those competitions.
Regional
The regional competition primarily organized by the football organizations of their respective regions. The regional organizations form the FFU Council of Regions
FFU Council of Regions
FFU Council of Regions was founded on August 16, 2000. It is the Committee that is dedicated to the development of football in the regions throughout the country...
that provides a some degree of uniformity between the competitions of different regions and answers to the Executive Committee of FFU. There are 27 members of the council including representatives from the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol. Similar to the national each regional organization also have a leagues system, but usually do not exceed two levels. There are also cup competitions of each region. The regional youth competitions are organized consequently with the senior competitions and each round of those takes place usually a day prior. Each regional football association has the right upon conclusion of a season recommends the best club or clubs of their choice to the Ukrainian Football Amateur Association
Ukrainian Football Amateur Association
The Amateur Football Association of Ukraine was established March 2, 1998. Under the agreement between the Football Federation of Ukraine and the Association, it is authorized to organize the All-Ukrainian National Championship and Cup tournaments amongst amateur football teams...
.
Student
There also is the Student Football League. This league is less famous and is completely apart of the league system. The players of the league represent Ukraine in Universiadas as a national team. There were some discussions to spread similar type of competition through Europe. The student national team sometime is composed of professional level players and can be considered as type of a B-team.
History
Until 1996 all competitions in the country were organized exclussively by the FFU. The participants of today's professional type competitions were considered to be as the non-amateurs. In 1996 all clubs were required to get incorporated and form professional entities. From 1996 to 2008 PFL officially took over the control for all of the professional level competitions including the today's Vyscha LihaUkrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...
. Since the 2008 the Premier League has split from the PFL and reorganized as the independent organization guided by FFU. From 1993 to 1995, for three seasons, the league system consisted of four levels of the non-amateur football. At the end of the 1995 the Tretia Liha
Ukrainian Third League
The Ukrainian Third League, also known as the Transitional League, was part of the Ukrainian professional football clubs competition.The League as the fourth tier was created after the reorganization once the first championship was completed in 1993...
, the fourth level, was merged with the Druha Liha
Ukrainian Second League
The Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of...
which in turn was split into two groups based on the regional principal (A is western part, B - eastern). Later for sometime the Druha Liha
Ukrainian Second League
The Ukrainian Second League is a professional football league in Ukraine which is part of the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The league is lower than the Ukrainian First League and the lowest level of professional football competitions in the country. Druha Liha is the third level of...
consisted of three regional groupes: A (west/north), B (center/south), C (big east).