The initiative of the Ukrainian Football Association and the UAF Foundation saw an international amputee football seminar take place, which was not only a learning opportunity but also a symbol of community cohesion, changing perceptions about the possibilities and role of adaptive sports.

From July 15 to 18 in Lviv, a significant event for Ukrainian adaptive sports took place—the first international amputee football seminar. Over 40 participants from all over Ukraine had the unique opportunity to learn from leading experts of Turkey's national team—current world champions and one-time European champions.

Photo: Dan Balashov

This seminar was an important component of the "League of Strengths" initiative—a social project by the Ukrainian Football Association and the UAF Foundation, which in 2025 was awarded the UEFA FootbALL Awards in the category of "National Association." This once again underscores the international recognition and high level of development of the project.

Photo: Dan Balashov

For four days, Ukrainian coaches and players learned from the true legends of amputee football:

— Head coach of Turkey's national amputee football team Gazi Ismail Temiz;

— Assistant head coach of Turkey's national amputee football team Omer Duran;

— Goalkeeper trainer for Turkey's national amputee football team Unsal Cankelik;

— Physical preparation coach for Turkey's national amputee football team Joskun Peker;

— Vice president of the Turkish Federation of Sports for Persons with Disabilities Ramazan Ozcelik.

Photo Vitaliy Shulga

These experts, whose team is an example of systematic development, unwavering team philosophy and a winning spirit, shared their knowledge and practical experience. The sessions took place at the Bosco Center in Lviv, where over 21 hours of intensive training (12 hours of theory and nine hours of practice) participants delved into the intricacies of the training process, honed technique and tactics, as well as worked on physical preparation.

Photo Vitaliy Shulga

Bohdan Melnyk, manager of the "League of Strengths," noted: "This seminar is a new page for amputee football in Ukraine. We are building a system: preparing experts, uniting the community, learning from the best. And most importantly—we show that our amputee football is not lagging behind but at the forefront of the fight for dignity, strength and inspiration."

Photo Vitaliy Shulga

In turn, Gazi Ismail Temiz emphasized: "Ukrainian amputee football has great potential for the future because your players are warriors, very strong and hardworking. Also, I want to add that I had a wonderful and fulfilling time, in addition to receiving many positive emotions, your players took me back 20 years."

This seminar laid the foundation for further development of the "League of Strengths," uniting representatives from all regional centers.

The Ukrainian Football Association thanks Lviv City Council for its partnership!