On Tuesday, February 21, as part of the preparation for resuming matches in the Ukrainian Premier League championship season 2022/2023, a training seminar for delegates of the UAF took place.

The event was attended by First Vice President of the UAF Vadim Kostyuchenko, Chairman of the UAF Committee on Stadiums and Safety of Matches Gennady Prokopovich, Director of the UPL Department for Stadiums and Safety of Matches Serhiy Bukalenkov, as well as delegates of the UAF who were certified for the 2022/2023 football campaign using video conferencing.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

"We began this special championship, the season 2022/2023, under conditions of full-scale Russian aggression and uncertainty about the future, at the request of President Volodymyr Zelensky and with the initiative of UAF President Andriy Pylypchuk, a UEFA Executive Committee member. This was extremely important then — to revive football in our country and demonstrate to the world the unbreakable nature of our football family and the entire state. And despite all difficulties, we successfully conducted the first part of the matches, and soon the second round will start in the UPL."

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

The UAF constantly consults with military, law enforcement, and local authorities regarding the situation in each region, as it can change due to aggression from occupiers and terrorist shelling. We continue working towards improving the safety of matches and are confident that we will honorably conclude this difficult football season," — Vadim Kostyuchenko noted at the beginning of the seminar.

Gennady Prokopovich reminded participants about key functions for delegates of the UAF before, during, and after the conduct of matches in the UPL under martial law. Specifically — strict adherence to all safety measures, including procedures for moving all match participants to shelters during air alerts, etc.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In turn, Serhiy Bukalenkov drew attention to the mandatory adherence of match participants to regulatory norms regarding the conduct of matches in the Ukrainian championship without spectators and compliance with the limit on the presence at matches of accredited persons of certain categories.

The seminar participants also discussed a number of organizational issues related to preparing football infrastructure and services responsible for organizing matches for the resumption of the 2022/2023 season.