Ukrainian Premier League Reserves and Under 19


The Ukrainian Premier League youth competitions is a complex of youth competitions within the Ukrainian Premier League and is part of youth competitions in Ukraine. The events include championship among two age categories under 19 and under 21 years old.

History

First steps

Soon after establishing the Professional Football League of Ukraine in 1996, a discussion arose about developing younger generation of football players. In 1998 in Ukraine started competition of academies of football clubs which participate in competitions of PFL. In 2001 there was established a separate organization, Ukrainian Youth Football League, that took over administration of youth competitions. Originally, competitions were conducted in four age groups between 14 and 17. In 2002 in coordination with the PFL there was introduced competition among youth under 19 years of age.

Ukrainian Youth Football League championship among junior teams (Unofficial competitions)

Reserves competitions

In 2004 the PFL introduced competition among the Vyshcha Liha clubs' double teams. The reason for introduction of the Vyshcha Liha competitions among doubles was partly connected with necessity to free the PFL lower league competitions from the Higher League clubs' second teams. With introduction of the double competitions in 2004, professional clubs started to remove their second teams from the 2004-05 Ukrainian Second League and even more in the following season. The age restriction for the Vyshcha Liha double teams at first was conditional. In 2006 the PFL discontinued joint youth competition among under-19 teams conducted along with the Youth Football League.

Conversion of reserve competitions and addition of other UPL junior competitions

In 2008 there was established the Ukrainian Premier League which took the administration over the Higher League clubs' competitions including the competitions among doubles. Those competitions were renamed as the UPL championship and the UPL youth championship. The UPL youth competition became age restrictive and involved players of under-21 years of age.
In 2012 now as part of the Ukrainian Premier League, there was reestablished competitions among under-19 teams. To avoid ambiguity, the UPL youth championship was renamed as the UPL U-21 championship, while the other competition received the name of UPL U-19 championship.

Plans of establishing separate professional junior league competitions

In 2016 the competitions among youth teams with age category under 19 years of age were reintroduced in the Professional Football League now for teams of the Persha Liha and Druha Liha, as well as amateur level youth football-oriented institutions, i.e. youth football clubs, sports schools. The competitions received the name of Persha Liha U-19 competitions. In 2017 discussions were taking place to expand the UPL to include competitions of the Persha Liha as well as the Persha Liha U-19 competitions and allowing exchange between Premier League and First League among the youth teams.
The UPL youth competitions are considered as a development league and therefore its participants' performance does not result in the team's relegation from it. The relegation occurs only based on their final league position of their respective senior teams in the Ukrainian Premier League. If the senior team is relegated from the Ukrainian Premier League, then its reserve team is relegated from the Premier Reserve League and replaced by a reserve team of another newly promoted club from the Ukrainian First League.

Laureates

Top League championship among reserve teams

Ukrainian Premier League youth's (U-21) championship

Top three

ClubWinnerRunner-upWinning years
Dynamo U-21742005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2019
Shakhtar U-21452009, 2011, 2012, 2018
Zorya U-21112013
Dnipro U-21102015
Mariupol U-21102014
Karpaty U-21102010
Metalist U-2103
Oleksandriya U-2101
Metalurh U-2101

All-time table

RankTeamSeasonsPWDLGFGAPtsAchievementOther names used
1Dynamo Kyiv1544427682761059430940champions
2Shakhtar Donetsk1544426079105971521859champions
3Vorskla Poltava15444201801637025736833rd
4Dnipro1338019072118691475642champions
5Metalist Kharkiv1234817959110587436596vice champions
6Karpaty Lviv1338417474136632536596champions
7Chornomorets Odesa14414168751716326365793rd
8FC Mariupol1235616468124569497560champions
9Zorya Luhansk1338416064160534550544champions
10Metalurh Zaporizhia1131912668125470456446vice champions
11Metalurh Donetsk11322119571464894954145th
12Arsenal Kyiv1030290511613435373216th
13Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih927082471413134732938th
14Volyn Lutsk926079431383775782809th
15Tavriya Simferopol10297696016832759726710th
16FC Oleksandriya5152534257185187201vice champions
17Obolon Kyiv41205024461651681743rd
18FC Kharkiv41204418581682221506th
19Olimpik Donetsk51484123841742811464th
20Hoverla Uzhhorod8228343915517959714112th
21Stal Kamianske3903125341331661184th
22Stal Alchevsk260171132721066214th
23FC Sevastopol25619532891266210th
24FC Lviv26214840641405011th
25Zirka Kropyvnytskyi26481442541433812th
26Naftovyk Okhtyrka1301061438463611th
27Borysfen Boryspil130791429413014th
28Desna Chernihiv132842041812810th
29Veres Rivne132691731602710th

Under-19 winners

Premier League junior (U-19) championship

Top three

All-time table

RankTeamSeasonsPWDLGFGAPtsAchievementOther names used
1Dynamo Kyiv71881392029495168437champions
2Shakhtar Donetsk71881282832472171412champions
3Karpaty Lviv718810426583622563383rd
4Zorya Luhansk71857637722642462655th
5Chornomorets Odesa71887334812542652534th
6Vorskla Poltava71846844722592712485th
7FC Mariupol6157603067228260210vice champions
8Volyn Lutsk61576118782492692014th
9Dnipro51366020562322202004th
10Metalurh Zaporizhia51345613672152251757th
11Olimpik Donetsk5132462858171188166vice champions
12FC Oleksandriya4108432045141140149vice champions
13Metalist Kharkiv4110431552162166144champions
14Skala Stryi41083822481301781366th
15Arsenal Kyiv51303221671682741177th
16Metalurh Donetsk3783210361221391066th
17Stal Kamianske382271639106152975th
18Hoverla Uzhhorod41042211711032637712th
19Tavriya Simferopol2511510266493559th
20Veres Rivne12614664932484th
21FC Lviv126941330503110th
22Zirka Kropyvnytskyi2526937301242714th
23Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih128681432562616th
24FC Sevastopol120441218431615th
25Desna Chernihiv126102516124314th

Notable players