One of the key strategic directions of the activities of the Ukrainian Football Association is the development of social projects that change society and create opportunities for everyone. The development of football on prosthetics (amputee football) is one such project, as there are over 100,000 people with amputations in Ukraine.

For the first time in the history of national football, the UFA launches the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship — a large-scale event in adaptive sports. 

The championship will take place from August to December and will be held in Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk, with the first round-robin stage taking place from August 29-31 in Kyiv. The champion of the tournament will represent Ukraine at the EAFF Amputee Football League (European Association of Football for Amputees) in 2026.

“We are happy that full-scale all-Ukrainian amputee football competitions are starting in the country. I saw how the boys play, and I want to say that amputee football is truly spectacular and dynamic. I was impressed by the speed and technique of the players. 

This tournament is an important step in developing adaptive sports in the country. I wish the teams bright matches, new achievements, and unforgettable emotions!”— noted Andriy Shevchenko, President of the Ukrainian Football Association.

Among the participants of the championship – teams from all over Ukraine: "MSK Dnipro" (Cherkasy), "Pokrova AMP" (Lviv), "Shakhtar Stalevi" (Donetsk), "Burievoy" (Kyiv Oblast), "Crusaders" (Lutsk), "Vinnytsia AMP" (Vinnytsia), "Invincible" (Kharkiv), "Titans" (Zhytomyr), FC "Bartka" (Ivano-Frankivsk), "Vikings" (Ternopil).

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“After an injury, you look at life differently. A challenge appears that needs to be overcome. This is a call to yourself: prove that you can do it, that you are alive and moving forward. Football gives this strength.”— shared veteran player.

“Sport has always been both a rest and a breath of fresh air for me. Without it, I couldn't imagine life. Already a month after the injury, I returned to training — first with a rehabilitation specialist, and then found myself in amputee football. This helped me recover physically and psychologically.”— another veteran shared.

The tournament is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Agency for Mass Sports of Ukraine. 

Official partners of the Ukrainian Amputee Football Championship are Mastercard and Oschadbank. Project partners also include match broadcaster MEGOGO, Ukrzaliznytsia, "Lvivske", adidas, and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

Together we are uniting efforts towards a common goal — adapting sports to meet current needs and bringing veterans back into active life. 

Matches of the championship will be broadcast live on MEGOGO media service and on UAF's YouTube channel.

*Amputee football  — is a sport for people with amputations or congenital limb deficiencies. The game follows these main rules. Seven players are on the field (six outfield and one goalkeeper). Outfield players must have an amputation or lower limb deficiency, while the goalkeeper must have an upper limb deficiency. Outfield players move around using prosthetics without them, while goalkeepers play without prosthetics. The game consists of two halves of 25 minutes each with a 10-minute break in between. The pitch is smaller than a standard football field (60x40 m). Adapted football rules are used with an emphasis on player safety. There are women's, men's and mixed teams. This is a dynamic and spectacular sport that promotes inclusion and inspires with its fighting spirit and teamwork.

Over 100,000 people live in Ukraine with amputated limbs. For many of them, amputee football opens the path to physical and psychological recovery, returning to active life and joining a community of like-minded individuals. 

*Strong League — is a social project of the Ukrainian Football Association that helps people with amputations or limb deficiencies to return to active life, find inspiration through sports. The project covers a wide range of tasks: recruiting new players, creating teams in cities, organizing training sessions, preparing professionals (coaches and managers), as well as equipping teams with full-fledged sports equipment. UFA also develops the competitive component: conducting cups and initiating championships. Official partners of the Strong League are Mastercard and Oschadbank.

Over the year, amputee football centers were established in 18 cities across Ukraine: Boryspil, Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhya, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lutsk, Lviv, Odesa, Rivne, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv. The project encouraged the creation of 20 teams that are dynamically developing, contributing to the popularization of amputee football throughout Ukraine. In total, about 300 players have been involved in these teams, actively training, improving their skills, and participating in competitions.

In January 2025, the first tournament — Winter Cup of the Strong League with five team participation took place. In March, the league's national team played an historic match against Red Flamingos in Belgium and won 1-0. And already in May, the Spring Cup of the Strong League was held, which eight teams participated in.

Less than a year after its inception, the Strong League became a laureate of the prestigious UEFA Football Awards 2025 in the category "National Association".

*UFA Foundation — is a charitable foundation established by the Ukrainian Football Association that implements social projects and fundraising aimed at developing football in Ukraine. The main areas of activity of the foundation include adaptive football, mass children's football, women's football, social support, and restoring sports infrastructure. The Foundation also initiates projects related to overcoming war consequences, using the unifying power of football for positive changes in society.