From friendly matches to championship titles: the history of Kyiv futsal

Futsal appeared in Kyiv in the early 1990s, but at that time it was mostly played ‘for fun’ because there was no single city league. In order to move from friendly matches to full-fledged competitions, an organisation was needed to control the amateur movement and develop personnel. The solution was to create the Kyiv Futsal Federation in 1997, initiated by the Interkas and KIJ clubs.

In the 1997/98 season, the first open Kyiv futsal championship was held.

Interestingly, this tournament was officially equated with the Ukrainian championship (Second League, Central Zone). Competitions in this format existed for ten seasons, until 2007/08.

Due to the fact that for many years Kyiv futsal held many similar competitions, there was a need for unification. The Kyiv Futsal Federation and the Ukrainian Umbro League joined forces to establish a single official city championship. This created a powerful tournament base, which included the capital’s leading halls and specialised committees (in particular, refereeing and children’s competitions).

Key teams

Among the men’s teams, the following have achieved significant success:

Interkas: one of the most successful clubs in the capital. The team is a three-time champion and three-time winner of the Ukrainian Cup, as well as a six-time silver medallist in the national championship.

Sled: winner of the golden double: champion and winner of the Ukrainian Cup.

Unisport-Budstar: Champion of Ukraine.

Manzana: winner of the Ukrainian Cup. This team went down in history as the only amateur Ukrainian futsal team to win this trophy.

‘HIT’: has won medals in the championship: silver and two bronze medals.

The main achievements of the capital’s women’s futsal teams:

IMS-NUHT: four-time Ukrainian champion, three-time Ukrainian Cup winner and Ukrainian Super Cup winner. In addition, the team has won three silver and one bronze medals in the championship, as well as the Belarus Open Cup.

Dragomanov University: Champion, winner of the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup. It also has bronze medals in the Ukrainian championship and the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Obolon: two-time winner of the Ukrainian Cup. The club has also been a three-time silver and one-time bronze medalist in the Ukrainian championship.

The history of Kyiv futsal is a history of successes and achievements that were made possible thanks to the support of the city authorities and the activity of local clubs. The capital remains one of the strongest futsal centres in the country.

Earlier, fans learned all about the Kyiv Sports Palace.