Ukrainian U-19 Championship: this time - without representatives of lower leagues

21.08.2020 12:02

Photo by shakhtar.com

Following the Ukrainian U-21 championship, which started yesterday, August 20, a new season begins in the Ukrainian U-19 championship.

The 2020/2021 season in the U-19 Championship, the winner of which will receive a pass to the UEFA Youth League, is planned to be held simultaneously with the matches of the main teams and U-21 teams. This became possible due to the complete identity of the participants. Last season it was difficult to imagine, because "Olympic" U-19 was disqualified for a year and a half, and the first-league teams "Volyn" and "Metallurg" declared their U-19 teams to the elite.

This summer there are no representatives of the lower leagues, "Olympic" is back, "Minai", "Rukh" and "Ingulets" have been added. Unfortunately, the Carpathians, which have always been a serious combat unit, dropped out. Four times in eight seasons, Lviv was among the top three winners. "Volyn" also performed well (4th place in the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons).

However, only four matches out of seven will take place in the first round. The fact is that none of the three UPL newcomers had a U-19 team and the clubs are currently forming them. In 2019, by the way, the then newcomers of the Premier League - "Dnipro-1" and "Kolos" - entered the elite, including junior teams, which had previously won gold and bronze medals of the season in the Final Four in Uman in accordance. 

In the 2019/2020 season, juniors from many PFL clubs played in the first league of the U-19 championship. For example, Niva (Vinnytsia), Prykarpattia (Ivano-Frankivsk), Bukovyna (Chernivtsi), Podillya (Khmelnytskyi), Zmina-Obolon (Kyiv), Polissya (Zhytomyr), and Girnyk "(Kryvyi Rih)," Vanguard "(Kramatorsk). But "Minai", "Rukh" and "Ingulets" are not in this register.

Due to the fact that the season in the first league ended only on August 13, a week ago, the UPL newcomers postponed their matches of the starting round in the U-21 and U-19 championships to a later date. 

Thus, on August 21, the season will open with matches between U-19 Shakhtar and Kolos, as well as Olimpik and Dynamo. On Saturday, August 22, Desna - Zorya and Oleksandriya - Mariupol will play.

Winners of the Ukrainian U-19 Championship

* - The 2013/2014 season was not completed due to the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

** - The 2019/2020 season was not completed due to quarantine.