The 2019–20 Ukrainian First League was the 29th since its establishment.
The competition began on 27 July 2019 with eight matches of Round 1, and went into recess for a winter break which started after the completion of Round 19 on 24 November 2019. The competition was to be resumed on 22 March 2020 and was expected to end 23 May 2020. However, on 17 March 2020 the Ukrainian Association of Football adopted the decision to pause all football competitions in the country since 18 March 2020 for unspecified period of time (until adoption of the next decision to resume all football events) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Vsevolod Mazur. The UAF paused all football competitions in Ukraine (УАФ приостановила все футбольные соревнования в Украине). Sport Arena. 17 March 2020
On 11 June 2020, the PFL Extraordinary Conference decided to resume the competition starting from 24 June with the conclusion on 11 August 2020. Additionally, the league will be expanded to 18 teams starting from the next season. Later the last day of competition was extended due to some unforeseen circumstances (see below for details).
The Video assistant referee (VAR) position was implemented in the league starting from the round 25, with the game between Obolon-Brovar Kyiv and Rukh Lviv the first to use it on 20 July 2020.
Summary On 6 June 2019 the PFL Council of leagues presented its plan draft ("contours") for the next season for both its First and its Second leagues. The final decision for the season was to be adopted at the next 27th PFL Conference which was scheduled for 27 June 2019.
For the next from 2020 to 2021 season, Ukrainian First League will expand to 18 teams. The bottom two team from Ukrainian First League will battle relegation play-off to Ukrainian Second League. The top two teams of each group from Ukrainian Second League will gain promotion to Ukrainian First League next season. However, the third place team from Ukrainian Second League of each group will battle promotion play-off to Ukrainian First League.
Revival of competitions and administrative crisis On 21 May 2020, the PFL council of leagues at its open-air session at Obolon Arena adopted decision to end competitions in the Second League, while competitions in the First League were placed on hold as some clubs were against to renew the season and no consensus was reached.The Second League championship has ended early (Чемпионат Второй лиги завершен досрочно). Sport Arena. 21 May 2020 In addition to issues with restart of competitions in the First League, FC Inhulets Petrove accused the Professional Football League in wrong interpretation of the season's regulation in placement of teams with the same number of points ("head-to-head tiebreak")."Inhulets" considers invalid decision of the PFL Council of Leagues of 21 May in regards to its first and second divisions ("Інгулець" вважає недійсними рішення ради ліг від 21 травня по першому і другому дивізіонах). Footboom. 30 May 2020 Earlier the president of Inhulets expressed its thoughts that the Ukrainian PFL should be dissolved and both its First and Second leagues added to the Ukrainian Premier League.Oleh Semenchenko. Oleksandr Povorozniuk: "The PFL should be dissolved" (Олександр Поворознюк: "ПФЛ треба ліквідувати"). Footboom. 25 May 2020 While some clubs insisted to continue the competitions from where they were left off, there were clubs that recommended to abandon the competitions and reset them by starting anew without rotation of teams between tiers. Among the latter clubs was MFC Mykolaiv.Artur Malkin. "Why for the sake of this championship undermine the next", a statement of MFC Mykolaiv on the situation with completion of the season ("Зачем в угоду этого чемпионата подрывать следующий" - заявление МФК "Николаев" по ситуации с завершением сезона). Footboom. 1 June 2020
On 29 May 2020, an information has leaked that competitions are expected to resume on 23 June 2020.Yuriy Samotkan. The First League could resume its games on 23 June (Первая лига может возобновить игры 23 июня). Footboom. 29 May 2020The PFL Council of Leagues will take place in Kyiv on 5 June (Рада ліг ПФЛ пройде у Києві 5 червня). Footboom. 29 May 2020 On 5 June 2020 another meeting of the PFL council of leagues approved resuming competitions in the First League (Persha Liha) starting on 23 June 2020 and made some adjustments to its season regulations among which it was decided to expand the league for the next season to 18 teams (from 16 currently) and therefore the relegation zone was removed, but the last two teams are expected to play-off with the two third placed teams out of the Second League (Druha Liha).The council of leagues adopted its decision to finish season in the First League in originally adopted format (Совет лиг принял решение доиграть сезон Первой лиги в привычном формате). Sport Arena. 5 June 2020 The final decision in that regard is expected to be adopted at the next UAF Executive Committee meeting on 7 June 2020.On 7 June in Lviv will take place the 23rd Ukrainian Association of Football congress and a session of the UAF Executive Committee (7 червня у Львові відбудеться ХХIІІ Конгрес Української асоціації футболу та засідання Виконавчого комітету УАФ). Ukrainian Association of Football. 6 June 2020Oleg Solomakho. The UAF Executive Committee will decline finishing off season in the First League, Burbas (Исполком УАФ отклонит доигрывание сезона Первой лиги — Бурбас). Sport Arena. 6 June 2020 The UAF Executive Committee postponed with its decision and asked the PFL to call for its conference on 11 June where it is expected to confirm the PFL's decision about next season and check if it is possible to resume competitions in both its divisions.Vlad Vlasenko. The UAF confirmed its recommendation to the PFL about urgent meeting to define the First League future season (УАФ подтвердила рекомендацию к ПФЛ о неотложном собрании для определения будущего сезона Первой лиги). Sport Arena. 7 June 2020Official. The Ukrainian Association of Football Executive Committee decision (Офіційно. Рішення Виконавчого комітету Української асоціації футболу). Ukrainian Association of Football. 7 June 2020There will be "viche". The history with the First League will end with a grandeur gathering (Буде віче. Історія з Першою Лігою закінчиться грандіозним зібранням). Football Hub. 7 June 2020 The UAF Executive Committee also confirmed that the First League junior tournament is discontinued. The UAF President Pavelko also urged referee to prepare for the current season.Pavelko: personal position? We gave authorization for referees to get prepared to the PFL competition current season (Павелко: особиста позиція? Дали доручення готуватися арбітрам змагань ПФЛ до поточного сезону) . Professional Football League.7 June 2020
On 27 July 2020 24 out of 34 PFL clubs expressed their vote of no confidence to the PFL president Serhiy Makarov.24 PFL clubs expressed their vote of no confidence to the League's president Makarov (24 клуба ПФЛ выразили недоверие президенту Лиги Макарову). Sport Arena. 27 July 2020 On 5 August 2020 took place another PFL Council of leagues which ended in scandal and resignation of the PFL president Makarov.Statement of the PFL administration in regards to decision of the Council of leagues (Заява Адміністрації ПФЛ щодо рішення Ради ліг). Professional Football League. 5 July 2020 In opinion of the PFL, the meeting's main task was a deliberate disruption of the First League (Persha Liha) competitions.
Situation with promotions On 9 July 2020, the president of Ahrobiznes Oleh Sobutskyi announced that his club will not apply on certification for the Ukrainian Premier League due to inadequate conditions of the club's stadium.Oleh Sobutskyi, "Ahrobiznes will not apply on certification for the UPL, the stadium in Volochysk is not ready (Олег Собуцкий: «Агробизнес» не будет подаваться на аттестацию в УПЛ – стадион в Волочиске не готов»). Tribuna. 9 July 2020 Similarly, back in the 2012–13 and 2013–14 FC Oleksandriya and FC Stal Alchevsk were also refusing to be promoted on various pretenses. Yet, back in the 2016–17 NK Veres Rivne was promoted ahead of FC Desna Chernihiv, because supposedly the Chernihiv club did not have adequate home stadium, yet Veres that is based in Rivne after promotion played in Lviv. On 9 July 2020 on the Sobutskyi's announcement, the Ukrainian PFL sports director Yevhen Moroz commented not to jump to conclusion considering that the UAF awards certifications depending on situation recalling couple of other examples.The PFL sports director, "The situation with Ahrobiznes may yet change, we ought to wait for the final issue of certifications (Спортдиректор ПФЛ: «Ситуация с «Агробизнесом» еще может поменяться, нужно дождаться окончательной выдачи аттестатов»). Tribuna. 9 July 2020 On 24 July 2020, the UAF Control and Disciplinary Committee (CDC) issued an official warning to the PFL sports director for his comment which "damages image of the Association and the Ukrainian football in general".Vlad Vlasenko. The UAF CDC issued a warning to the PFL sports director Moroz (КДК УАФ вынес предупреждение спортдиру ПФЛ Морозу). Sport Arena. 24 July 2020
Teams Promoted teams The following teams have been promoted from the 2018–19 Ukrainian Second League: FC Mynai – first place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Second League Group A (debut) Cherkashchyna-Akademiya Biloziria – second place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Second League Group A, play-off win (returning after a season, previously competed as Cherkaskyi Dnipro competed in the 2017–18 season) Kremin Kremenchuk – first place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Second League Group B (returning after a season) Metalurh Zaporizhya – second place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Second League Group B, play-off defeat, but later promoted (debut, however another club named as Metalurh Zaporizhya competed in the 2011–12 season)
Relegated teams The following teams have been relegated from the 2018–19 Ukrainian Premier League: Chornomorets Odesa – 11th place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Premier League, play-off defeat (returns after 8 seasons)
Reformed/reorganized teams FC Rukh Vynnyky has officially relocated to Lviv and reformed as FC Rukh Lviv. Those changes were approved by the 27th PFL Conference.Resolution of the next 27th Professional Football League Conference (ПОСТАНОВА ЧЕРГОВОЇ ХХVІІ КОНФЕРЕНЦІЇ ПРОФЕСІОНАЛЬНОЇ ФУТБОЛЬНОЇ ЛІГИ) . Professional Football League. 27 June 2019 FC Cherkashchyna-Akademiya Biloziria was reorganized again as FC Cherkashchyna and moved back to Cherkasy. During winter break the senior team was abandoned by its owners and taken over by Football Federation of Cherkasy Oblast to avoid withdrawal of the club mid season.FC Cherkashchyna is transferred to the domain of local football federation, with the intention to save the team (ФК Черкащина передан во владение местной Федерации футбола – из-за желания сохранить команду). UA-Football. 6 January 2020Bondarenko answered to appeal of Lashkul in regards to helping FC Cherkashchyna (Бондаренко відповів на звернення Лашкула щодо порятунку ФК Черкащина). Tablo Cherkasy. 21 February 2020
Withdrawn teams Arsenal Kyiv – 12th place of the 2018–19 Ukrainian Premier League, was originally relegated, but later withdraw from the First League.Arsenal-Kyiv will continue its existence, but without its professional team (Арсенал-Киев продолжит существование, но без профессиональной команды). UA-Football. 23 July 2019 Arsenal Kyiv was replaced by Metalurh Zaporizhya that lost promotional play-offs to Ahrobiznes.Official: Metalurh of Zaporizhya will replace Arsenal–Kyiv in the First League (Официально: Запорожский Металлург заменит Арсенал-Киев в Первой лиге). UA-Football. 24 July 2019
Location map The following displays the location of teams.
Stadiums The following stadiums are considered home grounds for the teams in the competition.