2022–23 Ukrainian First League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2022–23 Ukrainian First League was the 32nd since its establishment. The league competition consisted of 16 teams.[1] The competition took place during the ongoing war with the Russia since late February 2022. It was decided to conduct competitions in two groups.[2]
8 April – 14 May 2023 (second stage)
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 27 August – 27 November 2022 (first stage) 8 April – 14 May 2023 (second stage) |
| Champions | Polissya Zhytomyr |
| Promoted | Polissya Zhytomyr Obolon Kyiv LNZ Cherkasy |
| Relegated | Skoruk Tomakivka (withdrew) |
| Matches | 152 |
| Goals | 369 (2.43 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Pylyp Budkivskyi (14 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Kremin 7–0 Hirnyk-Sport (18 September 2022) |
| Biggest away win | Dinaz 0–5 Polissya (1 October 2022) |
| Highest scoring | Kremin 7–0 Hirnyk-Sport (18 September 2022) Kremin 4–3 Poltava (11 November 2022) Prykarpattia 6–1 Hirnyk-Sport (6 May 2023) |
| Longest winning run | Polissia (10 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Polissia (14 games) |
| Longest winless run | Mariupol (13 games) |
| Longest losing run | Mariupol (5 games) |
| Total attendance | 0 |
| Average attendance | 0 |
← 2021–22 2023–24 →
All statistics correct as of 8 May 2023
| |
Format
Due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, the league competitions changed its usual format. The Professional Football League of Ukraine (PFL) Conference adopted changes to the 2022–23 season after some 24 PFL teams were forced to suspend their activities or dissolve. It was decided to keep the same number of participants at 16 but split them in two groups of 8. Previously the split group competition in the second tier were only conducted once back in 1992.
The competitions are scheduled to consist of two stages. At the first stage two groups of 8 would conduct a usual double round-robin tournament. At the second stage, the top four from each group form the promotion group, while the bottom four from each group – the relegation group. Points earned at the first stage will be kept for the second, while teams would only be playing with participants of the group. So, in total each team is expected to play 22 games. The top two teams of the promotion group receive direct promotion to the Ukrainian Premier League (UPL), while the 3rd and the 4th would play promotion relegation play-off with the 14th and the 13th teams of UPL, respectfully. In case if Desna and Mariupol would decide to return, play-off games will be canceled and the UPL will be expanded. The bottom team of the relegation group will be relegated directly, while the second to the last will contest its place in the second tier with the 2022–23 Ukrainian Second League runner-up.
Teams
This season, Ukrainian First League consisted of 16 teams.
Promoted teams
Ten teams have been promoted from the 2021–22 Ukrainian Second League.[3] While originally it had been expected that MFA Mukachevo would be promoted, in less than a month it was confirmed that the club will not participate in the season. Later along with VPK-Ahro, it was replaced with Bukovyna and Chernihiv.
- Karpaty Lviv – first place in Group A (returning after 17 seasons, last competed in the 2005–06)
- LNZ Cherkasy – second place in Group A (debut)
- Dinaz Vyshhorod – fourth place in Group A (debut)
- Epitsentr Dunaivtsi – fifth place in Group A (debut)
- Bukovyna Chernivtsi – ninth place in Group A (returning after 5 seasons)
- Chernihiv – tenth place in Group A (debut)[4][5]
- Metalurh Zaporizhzhia – first place in Group B (returning after 2 seasons, last competed in the 2019–20)
- Skoruk Tomakivka – second place in Group B (debut)
- Poltava – sixth place in Group B (debut)
- Mariupol – eleventh place in Group B (debut)
Relegated teams
Eight clubs withdrew from the league due to the Russian aggression.
Renamed teams
- FSC Mariupol is a successor of Yarud Mariupol.
- Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi has officially moved from Dunaivtsi to Kamianets-Podilskyi.
- FC Chernihiv-ShVSM is a successor of FC Chernihiv by merging with the local School of Higher Sports Mastery, hence the acronym.[6]
Location map
The following displays the location of teams. Group A teams marked in red. Group B teams marked in green.
Stadiums
The following stadiums were used as home grounds for the teams in the competition.
Personnel and sponsorship
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bukovyna Chernivtsi |  Yuriy Kyslytsia (acting) |
End of interim | 31 July 2022[13] | Pre-season | Andriy Melnychuk |
31 July 2022[13] |
| Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | Oleh Naduda |
Change of role | 2 September 2022[14] | 3rd | Serhiy Nahornyak |
2 September 2022[14] |
| LNZ Cherkasy | Yuriy Bakalov |
Dismissed | 6 September 2022[15] | 5th | Oleksandr Kovpak (acting) |
6 September 2022[15] |
| Nyva Ternopil | Andriy Kuptsov |
Resigned | 14 September 2022[16] | 6th | Serhiy Zadorozhnyi (acting) |
14 September 2022[16] |
| LNZ Cherkasy | Oleksandr Kovpak (acting) |
Change of role | 2 December 2022[17] | 1st | Oleksandr Kovpak |
2 December 2022[17] |
| Hirnyk-Sport | Ihor Zhabchenko |
End of contract | 25 December 2022[18][19] | 16th | Serhiy Diryavka |
30 January 2023[20] |
| Nyva Ternopil | Serhiy Zadorozhnyi |
Change of role | 20 April 2023[21] | 7th | Serhii Atlasiuk (acting) |
20 April 2023[21] |
| Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | Serhiy Diryavka |
Fired | 30 May 2023[22] | 16th | Valeriy Kutsenko |
19 June 2023[23] |
| Karpaty Lviv | Andriy Tlumak |
Resigned | 1 June 2023[24] | 5th | Myron Markevych |
1 June 2023 |
Group A league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polissya Zhytomyr | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 6 | +28 | 40 | Qualified to the Promotion group |
| 2 | Karpaty Lviv | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 13 | +9 | 28 | |
| 3 | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 27 | |
| 4 | Nyva Ternopil | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 20 | |
| 5 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 22 | −11 | 15 | Qualified to the Relegation group |
| 6 | Dinaz Vyshhorod | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 10 | |
| 7 | Bukovyna Chernivtsi | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 21 | −12 | 9 | |
| 8 | Mariupol | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 25 | −13 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[25]
Results
Group A goalscorers
As of 27 November 2022[update][26]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clean sheets
As of 27 November 2022[update][27]
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleh Kudryk |
Polissia Zhytomyr | 8 |
| 2 | Maksym Mekhaniv |
Nyva Ternopil | 7 |
| 3 | Serhiy Chernobay |
Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 5 |
| Roman Lyopka |
Karpaty Lviv | ||
| 5 | 2 players | 3 | |
| 7 | 1 players | 2 | |
| 8 | 5 players | 1 | |
Group B league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LNZ Cherkasy | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 30 | Qualified to the Promotion group |
| 2 | Obolon Kyiv | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 29 | |
| 3 | Kremin Kremenchuk | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 21 | |
| 4 | Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 20 | |
| 5 | Chernihiv | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 16 | Qualified to the Relegation group |
| 6 | Poltava | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 15 | |
| 7 | Skoruk Tomakivka | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 14 | |
| 8 | Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 25 | −17 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[25]
Results
Group B goalscorers
As of 27 November 2022[update][26]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denys Halata |
Kremin Kremenchuk | Chernihiv | 3–0 |
27 November 2022[31] |
Clean sheets
As of 27 November 2022[update][27]
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Samoylenko |
LNZ Cherkasy | 9 |
| 2 | Nazariy Fedorivskyi |
Obolon Kyiv | 7 |
| 3 | Nazar Baida |
Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | 4 |
| Oleksandr Shyray |
Chernihiv | ||
| Yan Vichnyi |
SC Poltava | ||
| 6 | 2 players | 2 | |
| 8 | 5 players | 1 | |
Promotion group league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polissya Zhytomyr (P) | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 32 | Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League |
| 2 | Obolon Kyiv (P) | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 29 | |
| 3 | LNZ Cherkasy (O, P) | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 22 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 21 | |
| 5 | Karpaty Lviv | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 18 | |
| 6 | Epitsentr Kamianets-Podilskyi | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 15 | |
| 7 | Nyva Ternopil | 14 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 17 | −7 | 8 | |
| 8 | Kremin Kremenchuk | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 31 | −20 | 7 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[25]
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Results
Promotion group goalscorers
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Samoylenko | LNZ Cherkasy | 11 |
| 2 | Oleh Kudryk | Polissia Zhytomyr | 10 |
| 3 | Nazariy Fedorivskyi | Obolon Kyiv | 9 |
| 4 | Maksym Mekhaniv | Nyva Ternopil | 7 |
| 5 | Nazar Baida | Metalurh Zaporizhia | 6 |
| 6 | 2 players | 5 | |
| 8 | 1 players | 3 | |
| 9 | 2 players | 2 | |
| 11 | 4 players | 1 | |
Relegation group league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 11 | +10 | 24 | |
| 10 | Skoruk Tomakivka[a] | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 23 | Suspended its operations for the next season. |
| 11 | Bukovyna Chernivtsi | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 21[b] | |
| 12 | Dinaz Vyshhorod | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 21[b] | |
| 13 | Chernihiv | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 19 | |
| 14 | Poltava | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 22 | −6 | 16 | |
| 15 | Mariupol | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 12 | Qualification to relegation play-off |
| 16 | Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 22 | −10 | 11 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[25]
Notes:
- Skoruk will not participate the next season due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam by the Russian occupation forces and depletion of water for agrarian and economical needs in Nikopol Raion.[32]
- Head-to-head goal difference: Bukovyna +4, Dinaz -1
Note:
- Relegation was canceled, and both Hirnyk-Sport and Mariupol has been left in the league.
Results
Relegation group goalscorers
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ihor Vartsaba | Skoruk Tomakivka | 6 |
| 2 | 3 players | 5 | |
| 5 | 2 players | 3 | |
| 7 | 2 players | 2 | |
| 9 | 8 players | 1 | |
Relegation play-offs
The relegation–promotion play-off games are scheduled to take place between the 7th placed team in the Relegation group of the First League with the second place of the Second League. On 18 May 2023, there took place a draw of the PFL play-offs in two legs format (each team plays at home and away) with games scheduled to take place on June 3 and 10.[33]
First leg
Second leg
Khust won 2–1 on aggregate and was promoted to the 2023–24 Ukrainian First League. Mariupol was relegated to the 2023–24 Ukrainian Second League. Mariupol's relegation was reversed following withdrawals of Lviv and Skoruk Tomakivka.
Awards
Monthly awards
Since 2022 the award is given by PFL together with the website Ukrfootball ("Ukrainian football") switching from another information partner ua-football.com.
| Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | ||
| September 2022 | Oleksandr Batalskyi |
Obolon Kyiv | [34] |
| October 2022 | Oleksandr Mishurenko |
Skoruk Tomakivka | [34] |
| November 2022 | Denys Halata |
Kremin Kremenchuk | [34] |
| April 2023 | Illya Skrypnyk |
Bukovyna Chernivtsi | [34] |
| May 2023 | Vasyl Hrytsuk |
Polissia Zhytomyr | [35] |
Round awards
- Fall half
- Spring half
| Round | Player | Coach | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Reference | Coach | Club | Reference | |
| winter break | ||||||
| Round 1 | Oleksiy Sydorov (2) |
Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | [50] | Volodymyr Mykytyn |
Metalurh Zaporizhzhia | [50] |
| Round 2 | Dmytro Shcherbak |
SC Poltava | [51] | Andriy Melnychuk |
Bukovyna Chernivtsi | [51] |
| Round 3 | Semen Datsenko |
Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | [52] | Valeriy Ivashchenko (2) |
Obolon Kyiv | [52] |
| Round 4 | Bohdan Orynchak |
Dinaz Vyshhorod | [53] | Yuriy Kalitvintsev (4) |
Polissya Zhytomyr | [53] |
| Round 5 | Vasyl Tsyutsyura |
Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | [54] | Yuriy Kalitvintsev (5) |
Polissya Zhytomyr | [54] |
| Round 6 | Vitaliy Hrusha |
Obolon Kyiv | [55] | Oleh Krasnopyorov (2) |
FSC Mariupol | [55] |
| Round 7 | Artem Perebora |
Skoruk Tomakivka | [56] | Oleksandr Kovpak |
LNZ Cherkasy | [56] |
| Round 8 | Stanislav Morarenko |
Dinaz Vyshhorod | [57] | Yuriy Kalitvintsev (6) |
Polissya Zhytomyr | [57] |
