The Ukrainian Association of Football (, ; UAF) is the governing body of football in Ukraine. Before 2019, it was known as the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU; ). As a subject of the International Olympic Movement, UAF is a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.National Olympic Federations (Subjects of the Olympic Movement . National Olympic Committee of Ukraine UAF is also member of international football organizations such as UEFA and FIFA.
The Ukrainian Football Association governs all sport events and organizations associated with the game of football including irregular competitions of beach football, mini-football, street football and others. Its main features include football competitions including the Ukrainian Professional League, the Ukrainian Cup, the Amatory, the competitions among the youth (under-18), and also the Ukraine national football team. It also sets the regulations to the Premier League and the Professional Football League.
It is headquartered in the national capital, Kyiv near the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex at the House of Football.
The organization was established in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union when Ukraine was still a union republic of the Soviet Union. The creation of the organization compared with similar organizations of other former union republics of the Soviet Union was among last. Previously between 1932 and 1991 with the Football Federation of the Soviet Union there existed its direct predecessor, Football Federation of Ukraine (Ukrainian SSR). The Soviet federation of Ukraine also conducted own championship, cup competitions, competitions among amateur teams (collectives of physical culture), as well as had own national team which participated exclusively in Soviet competitions such as the Spartakiad of Peoples of the USSR.
History
Organizations' names All-Ukrainian Football Union (1918) Football Section of the Ukrainian SSR (1932–1959) Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR (1959–1991) Football Federation of Ukraine (1991– May 2019) Ukrainian Football Association (May 2019 – present)
First steps in football sport administration The first governing body was created in summer of 1918 in Kharkiv as All-Ukrainian Football Union by its constituent assembly. The chairman of the Union became V. Agiton, while a secreatary-treasurer – B. Shifrin.
After the Bolshevik's occupation, in 1932 there was created the All-Ukrainian Football Section in Kharkiv and was part of the Ukrainian Council of Physical Culture that administered all types of sports.Kolomiyets, A. Is it true that Football Federation of Ukraine is only 25 years? (Чи правда що Федерації футболу України лише 25 років?). Football Federation of Kyiv. The first elected president was a Kharkiv football referee Oleksandr Yakovych Levitin who published a book "Game rules of football in questions and answers" (). In 1934 after the capital of the Ukrainian SSR was transferred from Kharkiv to Kyiv, there was moved the Council of Physical Culture along with its football section. Levitin was replaced for not being not really a correct person with another Kharkiv football specialist Ivan Serhiyovych Kosmachov.
On 27 December 1934, on resolution of the All-Union Council of Physical Culture (VSFK) of the Soviet Union, there was established Football-Hockey section as the higher public organization in administration of football in the country and had to help the VSFK. During that period there started a struggle between people's commissariats and trade union for the right to lead the physical culture movement. Trade unions started actively create volunteer sports societies (the first were "Spartak" and "Lokomotiv"). However, already in 1936 took place big changes when the VSKF that existed at the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union was liquidated and instead at the Council of People's Commissariats (Sovnarkom) was created the All-Union Committee in affairs of Physical Culture and Sports (VKFK) which also contained a department of football and hockey as well as the public Football Section. In Ukraine was created the Ukrainian Committee in affairs of Physical Culture and Sports (UKFK) at the Ukrainian Council of People's Commissars and quartered in Kyiv. The committee supervised 15 oblasts committees along with the Committee of Moldavian ASSR quartered in Tiraspol.
At the end of February 1937, at the Ukrainian Committee in affairs of Physical Culture and Sports was established the Football-Hockey Section which in mass media was better known as Football Section. The head of the section was appointed Samuyil Izepilyovych Khavchyn. With the Nazi Germany invasion of the Soviet Union, all Soviet government institutions were evacuated or liquidated. The Football-Hockey Section was reinstated in 1944 and headed by Stepan Dmytrovych Romanenko. In 1946 the VKFK was renamed into the Goskomsport (State Committee in affairs of Physical Culture and Sports) and a similar analogy took place in the Ukrainian SSR. In 1946 there took place a huge event when the Football-Hockey Section of Goskomsport of the Soviet Union was finally admitted to FIFA. In 1947 the Football Section separated from the Football-Hockey Section. In 1953 the Goskomsport was transferred to the Ministry of Healthcare as the Main Administration of Physical Culture and Sports, but the next year was reinstated once again. Due to such rapid changes, almost none of union republic were able adopt them therefore no changes ever took place at republican level.
In 1954, the Football Section became a founding member of the Union of European Football Associations. Within the Goskomsport, the football department was renamed into the Football Administration. In 1955 to the presidium of Football Section from the Ukrainian SSR was admitted Mykola Balakin.
Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR
Foundation in independent Ukraine On 6 March 1991, thanks to Viktor Maksymovych Bannikov, the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) was established as part of the Football Federation of the Soviet Union (FFSU).History. Football Federation of Ukraine. However, it was still fully controlled and subordinated to Moscow's main governing body.
On 24 August 1991, the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) by its Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine expressed its intent of casting away from Soviet Union and create a sovereign state – Ukraine. After these events, the executive committee of Football Federation of the Ukrainian SSR decided to have a plenum at the beginning of December where the future of the growth of the national sport would be defined.
However, until then, the following events took place that contributed to a certain degree of confusion. At the beginning of September, a joint conference of the governing body of the federation and the national football society took place where it was announced that internal institutes would subordinate to Moscow. In October a meeting between Viktor Bannikov and the president UEFA, Lennart Johansson, took place. The president of the European Football Union promised to fully support Ukraine in joining the European football organization. About the fact that a new nation appeared on the world map, the world society recognized it on 1 December 1991 after the conduct of the All-national referendum. After all that, on 13 December in the big hall of the State Committee of Physical Culture and Sport (also later known as Ministry in affairs of the Youth, Sport, and Tourism), the Council of Federations in one voice accepted the following declaration:
13 December is the day when the Football Federation of Ukraine was established.
Some time at the end of February 1992, the Agence France-Presse spread information that the FIFA, without waiting for its congress, granted the status of provisional members to national federations of Ukraine, Georgia, Slovenia, and Croatia.. Komanda newspaper (by Fanat). According to its commentary, that was made for the associations of those four countries in advance build their relations with football unions of other countries, and their footballers participate in friendlies of national team levels. Soon at address of the Football Federation of Ukraine arrived relevant official documents not only from FIFA, but from UEFA that were signed by general secretaries of those organizations, Sepp Blatter and Gerhard Aigner. In his interview in that regard the FFU first president Viktor Bannikov noted, "The relate to the powers of our federation on implementing of all transferring rights and participation of national and club teams in international competitions. Questions about such powers were placed before the relevant authorities during my stay in Zürich in mid February. On 24 February we sent a request to the FIFA asking for an answer. The returning fax did not make us wait long."
On 16 February 1992 there kicked off the 1992 Ukrainian Cup, which became the first football tournament among professional teams since Ukraine revived its independence.1992 Ukrainian Cup. Ukrainian Football from Dmitriy Troshchiy The first round of the 1992 Higher League was scheduled for 6–7 March 1992.1992 Vyshcha Liha. Ukrainian Football from Dmitriy Troshchiy. On 29 April 1992, the FFU scheduled its first international friendly with the Hungary national football team.
The head coach of the national team was originally planned to be Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who at that time headed the UAE national football team. Viktor Bannikov did not fail to inform that to the shores of the Persian Gulf was sent an invitation on the address of the Maître of the domestic coaching corps, and Lobanovskyi gave prior agreement. But he will be ready to lead the Ukraine national football team only at the end of the term of the current contract, which at that time remained about a month. Thereby, the first coach of the national team had to be picked from the members of the coaching council that included Anatoliy Puzach (Dynamo), Yevhen Kucherevskyi (Dnipro), Yevhen Lemeshko (Torpedo), Yukhym Shkolnykov (Bukovyna), Viktor Prokopenko (Chornomorets), and somewhat later they were joined by Valeriy Yaremcheko (Shakhtar).
As mentioned by Yevhen Kotelnykov (vice-president at that time), the Ukrainian diaspora played a key role in helping the federation and the national team in particular from the very beginning.. Komanda newspaper (by Fanat) It was the diaspora that made it possible for the national team to play games in the United States.
In 1992, the FFU delegation received an invitation to participate in the 48th FIFA Congress that was scheduled to take place in Zürich at the beginning of July. At that forum, in particular, was to be reviewed an issue of accepting Ukraine and some other newly created countries as permanent members of the International federation. The relevant documents had already been reviewed at the FIFA headquarters and approved with minor remarks on four points. Sometime later, a personal invitation arrived for Viktor Bannikov to participate in an extraordinary session of the UEFA Executive Committee along with the committee on conducting continental tournaments. It was about granting our country a possibility already in the next season to present one team in each of the Eurocups, subject to the terms presented by the European Union, creation of an own league, availability of appropriate infrastructure to hold games of such levels, ensuring security while they are being held.