DUFLU: the first championship since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was held

In the 2023/24 season, the UAF held a unique final part of the Ukrainian Football Championship among teams of children's and youth sports institutions in all age categories.

Four decisive mini-tournaments among the U-17, U-16, U-15 and U-14 teams took place in June and July in Lviv. The main part of the competition started in September last year. It was the debut full-fledged children's and youth championship of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. The organizers managed not only to preserve the fundamental competitions for our football, but also to make a significant step in their development and popularization.

The tournament was hosted by four football venues: SKIF Stadium, Bohdan Markevych Stadium, NTB Rukh FC and Arena Lviv. For the first time in their careers, the young players played at a stadium of the elite European category, which, in particular, hosted the Champions League and European Championship matches.

"I congratulate all the players and coaches on the end of the championship. I am very pleased that young players were able to get a taste of big stadiums at this tournament. For me personally, it was a very big event to play at the Dynamo Stadium as a child. I am glad that even in wartime, Ukrainian children have the opportunity to experience such unforgettable emotions and develop their football talent," said UAF President Andriy Shevchenko.

"The stadiums where professional teams play and train were used for the matches. This is a great experience and a lesson for all young players, they were able to feel the pressure of a big stadium and the responsibility for their game. Playing in big stadiums is a completely different level of motivation for each of them, a unique experience. I would like to thank everyone involved who helped organize our matches at such arenas. I would also like to thank FC Rukh for free access to the best football infrastructure and professional assistance in organizing tournaments.

We felt a great responsibility, as this is the first full-fledged championship since the full-scale invasion, and we set ourselves the task of making it on a new level.

The main emphasis is on the most professional approach to all the details of the competition. Special attention is paid to proper and high-quality food and accommodation for the athletes. I would like to note that all the matches were played with the best Puma balls. And the main feature is professional broadcasts of the matches. This is a breakthrough experience unique for Ukraine and a huge step in children's football," said Bohdan Gorodnyuk, Head of the UAF Children's and Youth Football Department.

All 24 matches of the final tournaments in the DUFLU Premier League were shown live on UPL TV. The matches were broadcast on a YouTube channel with 100,000 subscribers and a linear channel with a coverage of 2 million viewers across Ukraine. On YouTube alone, the broadcasts garnered about 200,000 views. The UAF's official Instagram channel published colorful promotional videos for each age category, showing the path to the championship for each team. These emotional videos received half a million views. Media support for the tournament was aimed at popularizing children's and youth football even in wartime.

"Let's thank our defenders - the Armed Forces of Ukraine! They are the ones who give us the opportunity to hold such tournaments and allow children to play football and live more or less peacefully.

I would also like to thank every player, coach and referee who participated in this DUFLU Championship. A special thank you to the parents who sent their children to this sport. Your children are the future of our Ukrainian football. And we are waiting for them in professional football. Guys, judging by the level of your game, I am sure we will see you there soon! Glory to Ukraine!" said Oleksandr Shevchenko, UAF Vice President, addressing the participants of the competition.

The DUFLU is made up of 437 football teams from all over Ukraine, with more than 10,000 players. The final part was attended by 560 young football players. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian Football Association has fully funded the DUFLU final tournaments for the first time in recent years. Individual awards went to 35 players. The best players received autographed T-shirts of the Ukrainian national team as a souvenir to motivate them to strive to reach the level of the national team.

"The final part of the competition in the first DUFLU league was also held at a high level, with all matches played at the Viktor Bannikov National Sports Complex and the teams staying at the National Hotel in Kyiv. Everything was at the highest level, and I am sure that these were unforgettable emotions for the participants, "said Valery Zolotukhin, Deputy Head of the UAF Children's and Youth Football Department.

As a result, three final tournaments were won by Shakhtar Donetsk (U-16, U-15 and U-14 categories) and one by UFC Karpaty Lviv (U-17 category).

The winners of the DUFLU championship of the 2023/2024 season in the first league are: Dynamo Kyiv in the U-19 category, Vyshneve in the U-17 category, and Niva-2 Vinnytsia in the U-15 category.

The next DUFLU championship is scheduled to start on September 7. The game continues.