Vladyslav Shovkovskiy, President of the Ukrainian Association of Electronic Football, talks about what the UAEF has achieved for the development of electronic football in Ukraine over the past year, comments on the appearance of a national team in FIFA 22, and the creation of the Ukrainian Cyber League — eUPL.

— Two years ago, cyber football was an activity for a narrow audience. Recently, many fans of traditional football have learned that you can play football online as well. What is the secret to the popularity of electronic football?

— The fact that the development of electronic football began at an official level within national and international football systems. In Europe and around the world, cyber football has received support from FIFA and UEFA, while in Ukraine — from the UAF. Before the creation of the Ukrainian Association of Electronic Football and its acceptance as a collective member of the Ukrainian Football Association, cyber football did not have an official status, strategy, or development plans. Now all that is in the past.

Photo courtesy of UAF

— A cyber football player — a profession that was little known until recently. In the understanding of an ordinary person, this is a gamer who spends hours playing games and at the same time manages to win cash prizes. How do you explain to a large audience of traditional football fans that this is a promising occupation worth learning?

— First, show people the prize pools and formats of major cyber football tournaments. Currently, the prize pools amount to several hundred thousand dollars, while the format and organization of competitions are approaching classical esports.

This is no longer just friendlies but serious competitions where people compete for large prizes and official titles as national and international champions. Europe and America have had national cyber football championships for a long time now, with football clubs participating. They have significant prize pools, while cyber football players, in turn, — professional contracts and official salaries. The presence of the latter is the main marker that a cyber football player is already a profession.

— In November 2019, there was a selection contest for Ukraine's first national team in PES, and since then interest in electronic football has been growing. What are some of the most significant events that have taken place in Ukrainian cyber football during this period?

— Since then, we have participated twice in the UEFA eEURO tournament in PES. In the first edition, our team failed to qualify for the final stage of the tournament. After that, the UAEF was created and as an organization, we initiated national tournaments with PES and changed our approach to preparing the national team. Exactly one year later, at the UEFA eEURO 2021, we reached the quarter-finals, defeating the reigning European champion Italy three times.

Also, a first national team for FIFA was created, which was supposed to participate in the FIFAe Nations Cup 2020 under the auspices of FIFA. The tournament was canceled due to the difficult situation around the world with coronavirus. At the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021, unfortunately, the boys did not qualify due to a rather specific format of the competition. If our team competed only on PlayStation in PES, then in FIFA they had to play both on PlayStation and Xbox. And the latter console is not as popular and even does not have an official representative or distribution in Ukraine.

In 2020, together with our partners, we launched the first national championship with FIFA. In September 2021, the UAEF, under the patronage of the Office of the President of Ukraine, held the European Nations Cup 2021 in PES in Kryvyi Rih. Twelve countries participated in the tournament, and it became the first official international tournament with cyber football organized in Ukraine.

Photo courtesy of UAF

— Since the summer of 2020, the development and promotion of electronic football in the country have been handled by the UAEF. What goals did the association set at that time, and what has it managed to achieve?

— There are two main directions — creating and organizing national and international competitions as well as the national team and its results on the international stage.

Regarding the first point, we are moving more confidently. In two disciplines, regular competitions have appeared that allow players to improve their level, which directly affects the results of the teams. We also held a major international tournament. And all this happened in just one year of work by the UAEF.

As for the second point, we reached the quarter-finals at two European championships in PES (UEFA eEURO 2021 and European Nations Cup 2021), which is an excellent indicator considering the difference in results of our cyber football players before the work of the UAEF.

The national team with FIFA will soon start participating in the qualification stage for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022, and our goal — to qualify for the final stage of the tournament.

Overall, we have three strategic goals. These are getting the Ukrainian team into the FIFA eNations Cup, recognizing electronic football as a sport and a subcategory of football at the legislative level, and launching a cyber football championship among football clubs — eUPL.

Photo courtesy of UAF

— Is there any statistical evidence that the Ukrainian audience interested in spending time on football simulators has grown recently? And what caused this?

— First, it is the number of viewers during cyber football broadcasts. This indicator grows by an average of 10-15% from tournament to tournament. International matches attract up to 20 thousand views. Show matches between real footballers and cyber players gather over 100 thousand views. The dynamics are favorable for us.

The reason for this is the regularity of tournaments and events related to electronic football. People start getting used to both competitions and the format of entertainment in general. Electronic football has become a more frequent topic among football communities as well as in media outlets.

— In autumn, it became known that Ukraine's national team would be represented in FIFA 22 by EA Sports. What does this mean for electronic football in Ukraine?

— First of all, finally, fans of the game FIFA will now have an official chance to play for the Ukrainian national team.

Secondly, we won't be playing in neutral uniforms and under a neutral flag at international tournaments anymore. This is an important image component of our team and all of Ukrainian cyber football.

Thirdly, this marks the start of the development of cooperation between the UAEF and UAF with developers that will lead to even greater Ukrainian representation in football simulators. The next step may be the appearance of Ukraine's Premier League (UPL) in FIFA.

— What cyber football activities does the UAEF plan for the near future?

— Launching new and improving existing tournaments, as well as expanding the competitive environment in regions together with regional football associations. We aim to build a full-fledged national competition system.

A separate direction of work for the UAEF is establishing cooperation with developers of the new football simulator — UFL. Perhaps, soon there will be a third cyber football discipline in Ukraine.

Photo courtesy of UAF

— What tournaments and competitions in FIFA and eFootball (formerly  — PES) should Ukrainian cyber football players look forward to in 2022?

— For the season-2021/2022, we have planned two major innovations — a championship of Ukraine with eFootball similar to the one that already exists, together with our partners from FIFA. And also in collaboration with UPL, developing eUPL — a cyber football league among clubs of the Ukrainian Premier League.

If everything is fine with the second project and we are at the final stage of approving all regulations, then organizing the first one has been challenging.

Unfortunately, the game released by KONAMI as a replacement for PES turned out to be technically unready for release. And it currently lacks tools for creating tournaments and playing matches between players. This is precisely why we could not launch the championship on time. Everything now depends entirely on how quickly KONAMI improves its product.

— What does electronic football need to become more widespread in Ukraine, so that the country becomes increasingly competitive and successful in cyber football?

— We need just two things. First, a system of national championships and leagues. With an emphasis not on the number of tournaments but on their quality (broadcasts, locations, formats, prize pools, etc.). Each competition and broadcast gives us new experience and helps us reach a higher level.

Secondly, regular numbers of participants and viewers. I once again call out to the cyber football audience — play and watch tournaments. Without your active participation, it is difficult for us to gather data and understand where and how to move forward.

Ultimately, time is needed. For 28 years in Ukraine, no one seriously worked on developing electronic football. And in a year, you cannot do everything at once. We will gradually build a clear and transparent system so that players understand how to develop and where to go, while partners and viewers — what and how it works, and why money and time should be invested.