The Football Championship of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukraine) (, ) was a top competition of association football in the Ukrainian SSR in 1921-91. Few Ukrainian clubs competed in the championship, such as Dynamo Kyiv.
The competitions were organized by the Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSRProdan, A., Novi?chii, S., Kiriazov, M. History of one provincial team (Part 2) (История одной провинциальной команды (часть 2)). MoldFootball.com. 29 December 2010. that was created in 1959 in place of the Football Section.
Before 1980, selected teams of Moldavian SSR participated in the championship.
Historical outlook Established as the All-Ukrainian inter-city competition in 1921, it was later included in a number of All-Ukrainian Olympiads and Spartakiads. During several seasons, the competitions were suspended due to football being identified as a "non-proletariat sport". Also, because of a difficult social cataclysm in 1933 (Holodomor), there were no competitions as well.
With the establishment of the All-Union competitions in 1936 (united competitions), the republican football competitions in Ukraine were degraded to the regional level. Since then and before the Great Patriotic War, the champion of Ukraine title was awarded to a team that would place first in the First Group (Persha Hrupa) of the championship among sports societies and agencies. In 1960, those competitions were suspended, and the republican title was awarded to the top team of the Ukrainian Zone in the Class B (Soviet Second League). The consistent and uniform All-Ukrainian Soviet competition took its beginning from 1960, when the first All-Ukrainian league was formed as part of the Soviet Second League, better known back then as the Klass B, with the UkrSSR zone. In 1964, there were also established lower-level republican competitions among collectives of physical culture (KFK). In 1970 the Soviet Second League was named as the second group of Klass A for the season, before changing to simply the Soviet Second League. For the 1990 and 1991 seasons, this competition was moved further down the Soviet league levels into the newly formed Soviet Second League B, also earlier known as the G group or simply the Third League.
Until World War II up to 11 clubs competed in the Soviet championship. Nine clubs from Ukraine participated in the first season of the Soviet competition: Dynamo Kyiv (I Division); Dynamo Dnipropetrovsk and Dynamo Kharkiv (II Division); Dynamo Odesa, Spartak Kharkiv, Ugolschiki Staline, Lokomotyv Kyiv (III Division); Traktor Plant Kharkiv, Stal Dnipropetrovsk (IV Division). Later other clubs has entered the competition: Silmash Kharkiv, Frunze Plant Kostiantynivka, Sudostroitel Mykolaiv, and Dzerzhynets Voroshylovhrad.
The Ukrainian club competition in the Second League had existed prior to 1963, but was not such an exclusive and consistent part of the Soviet League system. In 1970 and 1990 there were few reforms. In 1970, the First League was reduced to a single group and, because of that, the Second League extended into upper and lower (B) divisions. The lower division was named the Second League B and, for the next season, was liquidated. In 1990, a similar reform was taken upon the Second League. Its 10 regional groups were reduced to just three, still by the regional principle, while the league was renamed the Buffer League (West, Center, and East). This reform also introduced what was planned to be a fourth level of professional competition, allowing each republic to have its own professional league. That fourth level competition was named the Second League, the former name of the Buffer League.
Republican competitions before 1936
Championship of cities
The first nationwide football competitions in Ukraine were established in 1921 as an inter-city competition of the Ukrainian SSR. The city teams consisted of different players from various teams of a particular city. Until 1930 the competition took place in Kharkiv, in 1931 it was conducted in Kyiv, and in 1932 – in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia.
In 1936, the competition was consolidated into the Soviet competitions, with some of its teams qualifying for the Soviet Top League. The championship itself became a republican level competition, with its best team qualifying for the Soviet competitions.
SeasonChampionRunner-up3rd Position1921KharkivOdesaMykolaivTaganrog1922KharkivOdesaKyivMykolaiv1923KharkivYuzivkaOdesa1924KharkivOdesaStalino1925 no competitions1926 no competitions1927KharkivMykolaivOdesa1928KharkivHorlivkaMykolaiv1929 no competitions1930 no competitions1931KyivKharkivKadiyivkaMykolaiv1932KharkivDonbasDnipropetrovsk1933 no competitions1934KharkivKyivVinnytsiaOdesa1935DnipropetrovskKyivKharkiv
Championship of the Proletarian Sports Society Dynamo Parallel to the championship of cities there also existed separate tournament that was played among teams of Dynamo society (Proletarian Sports Society (PST) Dynamo) located throughout the Ukrainian SSR.Banyas, V. "Dynamo" is a power in movement («Динамо» — сила в русі) . Ukrainian Premier League. 13 November 2017 The first tournament was conducted as part of the All-Ukrainian Dynamo Festival which was organized on the orders of the top OGPU official in Ukraine Vsevolod Balitsky. The tournament was also known as the Dynamiada of Ukraine. There existed some degree of confusion due to great number of tournament at that time.Banyas, V. "... it would be logical to merge in organization cup and championship competitions..." («…Логічно об’єднати в розіграші Кубка й чемпіонату…») . Ukrainian Premier League. 9 February 2018 SeasonChampionRunner-up3rd Position1929Dynamo KharkivDynamo KyivDynamo DnipropetrovskDynamo Stalino1931Dynamo KyivDynamo KharkivDynamo OdesaDynamo Stalino1932Dynamo KharkivDynamo KyivDynamo OdesaDynamo Stalino1933Dynamo KyivDynamo KharkivDynamo OdesaDynamo Stalino1934Dynamo KharkivDynamo KyivDynamo StalinoDynamo Dnipropetrovsk1935Dynamo KyivDynamo DnipropetrovskDynamo Kharkiv
Republican competitions after 1936 Football Championship among teams of sports societies (non-professional level) The competitions were considered to be amateur. In Soviet Union officially all sports players were amateur athletes, however to differentiate level of teams, there were teams of sports societies and agencies (amateurs) and teams of masters (professionals).
Nonetheless in 1936 and in 1938 there were played games of one more tournament called the Season's Cup of the Ukrainian SSR to which qualified the cup holder and the champion.Banyas, V. About the Season's Cup in Ukraine (Про Кубок сезону в Україні) . Ukrainian Premier League. 14 July 2017 Those tournament were discontinued and there only were two games. SeasonGroupChampionRunner-up3rd Position1936Ordzhonikidze Factory KramatorskPetrovsky Factory DnipropetrovskUDKA Kyiv1937Spartak DnipropetrovskZenit StalineStalinets Kharkiv1938Dzerzhynets VoroshylovhradStal DniprodzerzhynskDynamo Mykolaiv1939Lokomotyv ZaporizhzhiaKharchovyk OdesaLokomotyv Kharkiv1940Lokomotyv ZaporizhzhiaStakhanovets OrdzhonikidzeAvanhard Kramatorsk1941–1945 no competitions World War II1946Spartak UzhhorodBO KyivDzerzhynets Kharkiv1947Bilshovyk MukacheveAvanhard KramatorskLokomotyv Kyiv19481Torpedo OdesaDynamo UzhhorodDynamo Vinnytsia2Stal KostiantynivkaMilitary Unit 25750 (Kyiv)Stal DniprodzerzhynskPlay-offTorpedo OdesaStal KostiantynivkaDynamo Uzhhorod19491Metalurh DniprodzerzhynskMetalurh KostiantynivkaTraktor Kirovohrad2BO KyivSpartak StanislavLokomotyv TernopilPlay-offBO KyivMetalurh Dniprodzerzhynsk1950Spartak Uzhhorod ‡Labor Reserves VoroshylovhradBO Kyiv1951BO KyivODO LvivMashynobudivnyk Kyiv1952Metalurh Zaporizhzhia ‡Chervonyi Styah MykolaivIskra Mukacheve1953Spartak UzhhorodSpartak KhersonTorpedo Kharkiv1954Zenit KyivSpartak StanislavBudivelnyk Mykolaiv1955Spartak StanislavSpartak KhersonTorpedo Kirovohrad1956Shakhtar KadiivkaMashynobudivnyk KyivODO Odesa1957SKVO Odesa ‡Lokomotyv ArtemivskMashynobudivnyk Kyiv1958Mashynobudivnyk KyivMetalurh NikopolNaftovyk Drohobych1959Avanhard Zhovti VodyTorpedo KharkivSKVO Odesa
‡ – winners of the Football Cup of the Ukrainian SSR
Football Championship among teams of masters (professional level) While many Ukrainian teams competed in the Class B before 1960, it was not until then when they were organized into own republican competition which was officially considered as the one among teams of masters (professional teams).
For 1990 and 1991 the Soviet Second League was again restructured and degraded farther into the fourth division of the competition yielding to the newly formed Buffer League. Buffer League (a.k.a. Second League) covered much bigger area for the competition, while the Second League (a.k.a. Lower Second League) was assigned specifically for most of the Soviet republics including Ukraine.
Soviet Class B (Ukraine) Official name of the established competition was the Class B, UkrSSR (). Originally reestablished soon after the World War II as the Second Group (1945-1949), the Class B football competitions succeeded it in 1950 as part of the Soviet second tier. As part of the Ukrainian championship, Class B existed in 1960-1970.
Note: until 1963 Class B was the second division of the Soviet football competition, analog of the First League with several zones formed by territorial principle. Since then it was degraded into the third and later renamed as the Soviet Second League.
Ukrainian competitions consisted of two zones until 1970, when it was restructured into two hierarchical leagues. After 1971 teams of the lower league lost their professional status (teams of masters).
Soviet second-tiered competitions SeasonGroupChampionRunner-up3rd Position19601Sudnobudivnyk MykolaivLokomotyv VinnytsiaArsenal Kyiv2Metalurh ZaporizhzhiaSKA OdesaTrudovi Rezervy LuhanskPlay-offMetalurh ZaporizhzhiaSudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv19611Chornomorets OdesaLokomotyv VinnytsiaZirka Kirovohrad2SKA OdesaTrudovi Rezervy LuhanskAvanhard Zhovti VodyPlay-offChornomorets OdesaSKA OdesaLokomotyv Vinnytsia1962Trudovi Rezervy LuhanskChornomorets OdesaAvanhard Simferopol
Soviet third-tiered competitions
SeasonGroupChampionRunner-up3rd Position19631Lokomotyv VinnytsiaSKA LvivZirka Kirovohrad2SKA OdesaAzovstal ZhdanovTorpedo KharkivPlay-offSKA OdesaLokomotyv VinnytsiaAzovstal Zhdanov1964Lokomotyv VinnytsiaSKA KyivPolissya Zhytomyr1965SKA LvivSKA KyivAvanhard Zhovti Vody19661Dynamo KhmelnytskyiDesna ChernihivSKCF Sevastopol2Avanhard Zhovti VodyLokomotyv KhersonDnipro KremenchukPlay-offAvanhard Zhovti VodyDynamo KhmelnytskyiLokomotyv Kherson19671Avtomobilist ZhytomyrDnipro CherkasyDnipro Kremenchuk2Khimik SeverodonetskTorpedo KharkivShakhtar KadievkaPlay-offAvtomobilist ZhytomyrKhimik SeverodonetskDnipro Kremenchuk19681Avanhard TernopilBukovyna ChernivtsiDynamo Khmelnytskyi2Lokomotyv DonetskSpartak SumyDesna ChernihivPlay-offAvanhard TernopilBukovyna ChernivtsiShakhtar Kadiyevka19691Spartak Ivano-FrankivskPrometey DniprodzerzhynskKarpaty Mukacheve2Spartak SumyShakhtar HorlivkaShakhtar SverdlovskPlay-offSpartak Ivano-FrankivskShakhtar HorlivkaSpartak Sumy
Soviet fourth-tiered competitions SeasonChampionRunner-up3rd Position1970Khimik SeverodonetskLokomotyv VinnytsiaLokomotyv Donetsk
Soviet Class A, Second Group (Ukraine, Soviet third tier) SeasonChampionRunner-up3rd Position1970Metalurh ZaporizhzhiaTavriya SimferopolAvtomobilist Zhytomyr
Second League (Soviet third tier)