Ukrainian Amateur Football Championship


Ukrainian Amateur Football Championship is an annual association football competition in Ukraine among amateur teams.
The championship replaced the Soviet competitions among collectives of physical culture.

Competition organization

Current format

Majority participating teams compete in the Ukrainian Amateur football competition while competing in their regional football championships. There are no requirements or restrictions on amount of representation from each region and is on voluntary basis. There is no relegation. The pool of teams, competition organization, and season regulations are reviewed on annual basis.
Since 2014, there is an intention to integrate the amateur competitions in the national football league system, so there would be systematic and well understood promotion and relegation process. The number of groups was reduced and their size was increased, yet to the point for the participating teams still be able to compete in their respective regional competitions. Since the recent reorganization, the competition format still preserved its two phases: the first being several multi-team groups divided by geographic principle, the second is a play-off among the groups leaders to identify the season champion.
There is also an idea to reform the competition as a semi-pro regional league competitions, possibly combining with the existing professional Druha Liha. As the effort to reintegrate the competition into the national league system, the competitions changed back again to fall-spring calendar in 2016 synchronizing the competition's calendar with professional-level championship.
All participating teams may apply to be admitted to Druha Liha irrelevant to their placement in a given season of the amateur championship.
During the 2017–18 Ukrainian Football Amateur League, 26 teams were split into three groups with top teams advancing to the league's playoffs starting at quarterfinals.
Previously in 2016–17 Ukrainian Football Amateur League, 24 teams were split into two groups with winners advancing to the final game on a neutral field.

Competitions in Soviet Ukraine (competitions among KFK teams)

Created in 1964, the championship originally consisted of 5 to 6 groups based on geographic principle. Each group consisted of about 8-10 teams and later grew to around 16. All teams within own groups played each other home and away games as per round robin principle. Each group winners were advancing to finals which were conducted at predesignated location with a single game round robin tournament.
Since 1973 the winner of that final tournament was granted an opportunity to advance to the Soviet Second League.

Competitions in independent Ukraine

The Soviet format stayed until 1997, when there was created the Association of Amateur Football of Ukraine.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, amateur competitions were shifted to the fall/spring calendar. The group winners, however instead of continuing to the final pool as before, were actually promoted to intermediate level, so called "Transitional League" which existed for just several years as a semi-professional tournament.
In 1996 and 1997 there took place a reorganization of all competitions under auspices of the Football Federation of Ukraine. Clubs that were competing at professional level, in 1996 organized the Professional Football League of Ukraine. The national amateur competitions were reorganized as AAFU. In 1997 the competition format also changed and there was reintroduced the final pool to identified the national winner of the amateur competition. The new format basically consisted of two stages with a final tournament chosen in the preselected city as previously in the Soviet competition. The size of groups was reduced as the number of teams decreased. In 1999, the competition calendar changed back to spring-fall competition so called all-summer event from the "european" fall/spring calendar.
In 2000 the league competitions changed again introducing extra stage to avoid sudden withdrawals and eliminate financially suffering teams. In 2005 it was decided to eliminate the final game while still continue with the final tournament. In 2008 another change followed, which reduced the format back to two stages, however that did not solve the problem to increase the number of teams in the competition.
In 2010 there was an idea to incorporate the Amateur Association into the PFL as the Third League, eliminating the national amateur competition. The 2010 season also saw a record low number of participants in the competition, a pattern that might eliminate the association naturally in any case, due to poor management.
In 2016 it was decided to change back to fall-spring calendar with intention to reincorporate the amateur tier back to the Ukrainian football league structure. The competition in 2016 was shortened and later that year there started new season 2016-17. Number of groups has been reduced and number of teams in each group was increased, thus turning competitions into a true league competitions. Also the PFL announced that all clubs will be required to participate in the amateur tier before being admitted to professional level. Yet the declaration was left to be as empty and some teams were allowed to skip the amateur tier on various dubious excuses. Another declaration of the PFL stating that the league will expunge the last placed teams has been consistent, yet more than often teams relegated from professional level were simply liquidated by owners.

Notable clubs

There are former amateur and KFK teams that eventually made it to the Ukrainian Premier League.
FC Mariupol, Stal Kamianske, Nyva Ternopil, Torpedo Zaporizhia, Naftovyk Okhtyrka, Vorskla Poltava, Kremin Kremenchuk, Stal Alchevsk, Kolos Kovalivka

Winners

In bold are identified clubs that were granted professional status and were promoted to the Ukrainian Second League.

Association of Amateur Football of Ukraine">Ukrainian Football Amateur Association">Association of Amateur Football of Ukraine (AAFU)

FFU Amateur Football League

Decrease in number of participants trifold in 1995 and introduction of final tournament instead of simple single final group in 1996.

KFK competitions of Ukraine

Competitions shifted to fall–spring system instead of spring-fall system and missed half of the season. There was no final group of six group winners as in previous season and all group winners were announced as champions.

KFK competition of Ukrainian SSR

In bold identified teams that were admitted to professional level the following season.
‡ – winners of the Ukrainian football cup among KFK

Top scorers

Statistics

Winners by club

ClubWinnersRunners-upThird place
Region
Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka221Kherson Oblast
HPZ Varva211Chernihiv Oblast
Avanhard Rovenky210Luhansk Oblast
KZEZO Kakhovka210Kherson Oblast
Metalist Sevastopol200Sevastopol
Dnipro Heronymivka200Cherkasy Oblast
Novator Mariupol200Donetsk Oblast
Balkany Zoria200Odesa Oblast
Shakhtar Sverdlovsk121Luhansk Oblast
Nyva Berezhany120Ternopil Oblast
Rukh Vynnyky120Lviv Oblast
Yednist-2112Chernihiv Oblast
Sokil Lviv112Lviv Oblast
Mayak Kharkiv111Kharkiv Oblast
Druzhba Buchach110Ternopil Oblast
Kolos Nikopol110Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Karpaty Mukacheve110Zakarpattia Oblast
Shakhtar Stakhanov110Luhansk Oblast
Torpedo Zaporizhia110Zaporizhia Oblast
Kremin Kremenchuk110Poltava Oblast
Khimik Kalush110Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Tavriya Novotroitsk110Kherson Oblast
Elektron Romny110Sumy Oblast
Advis Khmelnytskyi110Khmelnytskyi Oblast
Zoria Khorostkiv110Ternopil Oblast
Viktoriya Mykolaivka110Sumy Oblast
ODEK Orzhiv105Rivne Oblast
Pokuttia Kolomyia102Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Khimik Chernihiv102Chernihiv Oblast
Vorskla Poltava101Poltava Oblast
Luzhany101Chernivtsi Oblast
Obolon-Zmina Kyiv101Kyiv
Ocean Kerch101AR Crimea
Myr Hornostayivka100Kherson Oblast
Nove Zhyttia Andriyivka100Poltava Oblast
Karpaty Kolomyia100Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Bastion Illichivsk100Odesa Oblast
Ivan Odessa100Odesa Oblast
Molniya Sieverodonetsk100Luhansk Oblast
Shakhtar Luhansk100Luhansk Oblast
Dniester Ovidiopol100Odesa Oblast
Dynamo Lviv100Lviv Oblast
Enerhetyk Burshtyn100Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Paperovyk Malyn100Zhytomyr Oblast
Avanhard Kramatorsk100Donetsk Oblast
Haray Zhovkva100Lviv Oblast
Sportinvest Kryvyi Rih100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dynamo Sloviansk100Donetsk Oblast
Portovyk Illichivsk100Odesa Oblast
LAZ Lviv100Lviv Oblast
Transimpeks Vyshneve100Kyiv Oblast
Metalurh Novomoskovsk100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Beskyd Nadvirna100Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Khutrovyk Tysmenytsia100Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Hart Borodianka100Kyiv Oblast
Sirius Zhovti Vody100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Oskil Kupyansk100Kharkiv Oblast
Surozh Sudak100AR Crimea
Avtomobilist Sumy100Sumy Oblast
SKA Kyiv100Kyiv
Naftovyk Okhtyrka100Sumy Oblast
Dynamo Irpin100Kyiv Oblast
Kolos Pavlohrad100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Metalurh Dniprodzerzhynsk100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Shakhtar Makiivka100Donetsk Oblast
Shakhtar Kirovsk100Luhansk Oblast
Ahrobiznes Volochysk100Khmelnytskyi Oblast
VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka100Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

;Note:
RegionWinnersRunners-upThird placeWinning clubs
Luhansk Oblast751Avanhard Rovenky, Shakhtar Sverdlovsk, Shakhtar Stakhanov, Molniya Sieverodonetsk, Shakhtar Luhansk, Shakhtar Kirovsk
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast710Kolos Nikopol, Sportinvest Kryvyi Rih, Metalurh Novomoskovsk, Sirius Zhovti Vody, Kolos Pavlohrad, Metalurh Dniprodzerzhynsk, VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka
Kherson Oblast641Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka, KZEZO Kakhovka, Tavriya Novotroitsk, Myr Hornostayivka
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast612Khimik Kalush, Pokuttia Kolomyia, Karpaty Kolomyia, Enerhetyk Burshtyn, Beskyd Nadvirna, Khutrovyk Tysmenytsia
Odesa Oblast600Balkany Zoria, Bastion Illichivsk, Ivan Odessa, Dniester Ovidiopol, Portovyk Illichivsk
Lviv Oblast533Rukh Vynnyky, Sokil Lviv, Dynamo Lviv, Haray Zhovkva, LAZ Lviv
Donetsk Oblast500Novator Mariupol, Avanhard Kramatorsk, Dynamo Sloviansk, Shakhtar Makiivka
Chernihiv Oblast425HPZ Varva, Yednist-2 Plysky, Khimik Chernihiv
Sumy Oblast420Elektron Romny, Avtomobilist Sumy, Naftovyk Okhtyrka, Viktoriya Mykolaivka
Ternopil Oblast340Nyva Berezhany, Druzhba Buchach, Zoria Khorostkiv
Poltava Oblast311Kremin Kremenchuk, Vorskla Poltava, Nove Zhyttia Andriyivka
Kyiv Oblast301Transimpeks Vyshneve, Hart Borodianka, Dynamo Irpin
Kharkiv Oblast221Mayak Kharkiv, Oskil Kupyansk
Khmelnytskyi Oblast210Advis Khmelnytskyi, Ahrobiznes Volochysk
AR Crimea201Okean Kerch, Surozh Sudak
Kyiv201Obolon-Zmina Kyiv, SKA Kiev
Cherkasy Oblast201Dnipro Heronymivka
Sevastopol200Metalist Sevastopol
Zaporizhia Oblast111Torpedo Zaporizhia
Zakarpattia Oblast110Karpaty Mukacheve
Rivne Oblast106ODEK Orzhiv
Chernivtsi Oblast101Luzhany
Zhytomyr Oblast100Paperovyk Malyn

Championship winners that never turned professional