On March 18, the first meeting of the Regions Assembly of the Ukrainian Football Association took place at the House of Football. Participants included President Andriy Shevchenko, First Vice-President Pavlo Boychuk, General Secretary Ihor Gryshchenko, and heads of all regional football associations.

"On January 25 at the Congress of the UFA, I spoke about my initiative to create an assembly. Less than two months later, we brought this idea to life. On March 13, the executive committee approved it, and I immediately ratified the Regulations on the Regions Assembly of the UFA. And today, we officially begin our work."

Thank you for supporting my initiative, for your productive work during this preparatory period! I am confident that the assembly will be just as effective in the future.

This is a very important body in the strategy of developing football in our country, and you can always rely on my support. In turn, I expect professionalism, experience, and initiative from you," said President Andriy Shevchenko addressing those present.

During the first assembly meeting, participants discussed the possibility of holding and format for the Regions Cup. Additionally, Andriy Shevchenko reminded about the initiative to organize summer football camps for Ukrainian children in countries with which the UFA has signed or will sign cooperation memorandums. The head of the national association asked regional representatives to be very meticulous when forming lists so that only children who actually need help are included.

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

Also, the president of the UFA shared with those present plans for digitalizing Ukrainian football in the context of interaction with regional associations: "We are now completing the formation of a team that will implement our digitalization strategy. We will provide you with a modern tool that will help take management and development of football to a new level."

Photo by Pavel Kubanov

In addition, during the meeting, the Council of the Regions Assembly of the UFA was elected. This governing body will be elected for a year (the first term - until the end of 2024), and this time it includes the head of the Zakarpattya Football Association Ivan Duran, the head of the Kirovohrad Oblast Football Association Viktor Bezsmertnyi, and the first deputy head of the Kharkiv Oblast Football Association Viktor Kovalevsky.