On September 27 and 28 at the "Centro Bosco" stadium, the second round of the Ukrainian amputee football championship (football on prosthetics) is taking place. The Ukrainian Football Association officially launched this project as part of its social initiative called "League of Greats" in August.

Over two days, 10 teams from across the country will compete on the football fields: "MSC Dnipro" (Cherkasy), "Pokrova AMP" (Lviv), "Shakhtar Stalevi" (Donetsk), "Burievoye" (Kyiv region), "Crusaders" (Lutsk), "Vinnitsa AMP" (Vinnytsia), "Invincible" (Kharkiv), "Titans" (Zhytomyr), FC "Bartka" (Ivano-Frankivsk), and "Vikings" (Ternopil).

Photo: Dan Balashov

Most of the players are war veterans who returned to their beloved sport—football—after rehabilitation.

Honored guests attended the official opening ceremony of the second round of the Ukrainian championship.

"Thank you to everyone involved in developing amputee football and supporting this cause—you are people with big hearts. Rehabilitation through sports is the best way back. On behalf of Mayor Andriy Ivanovich, I convey greetings to each of you. Lviv is proud to host this championship and meet such incredible people. We are with you; we are captivated by you," — noted Anton Nikulin, Head of the Sports Office at the Lviv City Council.

Photo: Dan Balashov

"I sincerely thank the organizers, athletes, and coaches. It's great to see you at such a wonderful tournament. We are with you—you are with us! Glory to Ukraine!" — said Mariusz Boguszyński, Director of the Polish League Ekstraklasa for amputee football.

"It was hard to believe that we would gather in such numbers so quickly. I want to thank the Polish league where we gained invaluable experience and learned new things. We are grateful to the Ukrainian Football Association for developing this sport. We are happy that 'Centro Bosco' has become a home for an amputee football team and FC Pokrova. We are always glad to see you here. I wish everyone success, peace to us all next year," — emphasized Father Mykhailo Chaban, the provincial of the Salésiens de Saint Jean Bosco UGCC.

Photo: Dan Balashov

"I want to assure you that this championship will be extraordinary and full of events. Seeing your development is a great inspiration for us. I wish everyone good matches today and tomorrow, and further development of amputee football next year!" — Olena Balbek, CEO of the UAF Foundation and member of the UAF President's Board.

Military personnel undergoing rehabilitation at the Superhumans center also attended the match.

The championship will run until December 2025. Matches will take place in Kyiv, Kyiv region, Lviv, Cherkasy, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

The tournament is supported by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, and the Agency for Mass Sport of Ukraine.

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

Photo: Dan Balashov

Championship matches will be broadcast live on MEGOGO's media service and the UAF YouTube channel.

*Amputee football is a sport for people with amputations or congenital limb deficiencies. The game follows these main rules. On the field, there are 7 players (6 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 on prosthetics without using 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 standard football fields (60x40 m). Adapted rules of football are used with an emphasis on player safety. There are women's, men's, and mixed teams. This dynamic and exciting sport promotes inclusion and inspires with its spirit of struggle and teamwork.

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

Photo: Dan Balashov

*«League of Greats» is a social project by the Ukrainian Football Association that helps people with amputations or limb deficiencies return to an active life and 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 sporting equipment. UAF also develops the competitive component by holding cups and initiating championships. Official partners of «League of Greats» include Mastercard and Oschadbank.

Within a 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 has spurred the creation of 20 teams that are rapidly developing, contributing to the popularization of amputee football throughout Ukraine. In total, over 500 players have been recruited who actively train, develop their skills, and participate in competitions.

In January 2025, the Winter Cup "League of Greats" took place with five teams participating. In March, the "League of Greats" team played an historic match against Red Flamingos in Belgium, winning 1-0. And already in May, the Spring Cup "League of Greats" was held, featuring eight teams.

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

*UAF Foundation is a charitable foundation established by the Ukrainian Football Association to implement social projects and fundraising aimed at developing football in Ukraine. The main areas of activity 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.