Oleh Ratii, director of the academy of the Left Bank football club, told us how the Kyiv club was on its way to the Premier League.
Oleg Ratiy- At first, the owner built a small football field measuring 20 by 40 meters so that children could play football. Since then, step by step, brick by brick, the infrastructure has been continuously built, and we dream of making it the best in Ukraine. Our pearl is the main modern stadium with a capacity of 4,700 spectators. Last season, it hosted many home games of Shakhtar, Metalist 1925 and Zorya, and this season, Luhansk Bereg and Shakhtar will play their home games in the league.
Previously, the club built a 60-by-40-meter artificial turf stadium with stands and all the necessary facilities. We also have a standard-sized stadium, where our U-19 team will play its matches and which meets the requirements of the First League - with stands, scoreboard, VIP box and other amenities. An artificial field with automatic irrigation was also built near the new arena. I don't know if there is anything like it anywhere else in Ukraine. Nearby, there is a mini-stadium where the first team holds training sessions and friendly matches, two training fields with natural turf, and we are building a third. We are also in the process of building a club academy with a gym and a swimming pool, which will accommodate up to 80 children. This will allow us to attract not only local talent, but also children from other cities.
Our task is to maintain our registration in the UPL. We are realists and do not set sky-high goals for the debut season. After all, the team was not preparing for the UPL, but for the First League, because the relegation of Dnipro-1 took us by surprise. Of course, we will think about strengthening. We already have our own circle of fans. Approximately 50 fans selflessly travel even to away games. And we need to win the hearts of the fans with high results and a great game," said Ratiy.
