The Extra-Liga ( uk, Екстра-ліга) is an association of futsal clubs of Ukraine and the top men's

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

league in

the country ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. It is organized by the Association of Mini-Football of Ukraine which is a collective member of the Ukrainian Association of Football (formerly Football Federation of Ukraine). The Ukrainian Association of Mini-Football is not part of the Olympic movement, but is a collective members of the Ukrainian Association of Football.

History

In early 1990s futsal competitions along with other alternative types of association football such as

beach football Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or beasal, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand. Whilst football has been played informally on beaches, the introduction of ''beach soccer'' was an a ...

, football among women, others started to gain wider popularity worldwide and since 1996 there appeared continental competitions among European futsal clubs under auspices of

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

. The original Ukrainian championship among futsal clubs was founded in 1993 as a descendant of the general futsal movement among students in the Soviet Union. Prior to this, the Ukrainian teams played in the Soviet competitions that has been developing in late 1980s. The first Soviet competitions in 1990 and 1991 were conducted primarily in Ukraine. Among notable Ukrainian clubs of the Soviet period were Mekhanizator from Dnipropetrovsk, Syntez from Kremenchuk and others. Following

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, the official Ukrainian competitions were reorganized after some pause in late 1993 as the Top League. In 2011 a new Ukrainian futsal super league was formed, ''Extra-Liga'', beginning in the 2011–12 season. Previously, the 8 highest finishing teams in the league advanced into the playoffs. The winner of the Championship playoffs gained qualification for the

UEFA Futsal Cup The UEFA Futsal Champions League is an annual futsal competition for European club teams organized by UEFA. It was founded as the UEFA Futsal Cup in 2001 and replaced the Futsal European Clubs Championship, an unofficial competition held since 1984 ...

. Some regular association football clubs of Ukraine are fielding also their futsal squads, including both male and female. Other futsal clubs exist independently, while some such as MFC Interkas Kyiv originally competed in amateur competitions of association football before switching to futsal (indoor). Among notable footballers who competed in competitions of association football and later switched to futsal competitions is

Stanislav Honcharenko Stanislav Honcharenko ( uk, Станіслав Олександрович Гончаренко; 1 November 1960) is a former Soviet football forward and coach. Although started as an association football player, most notable he has become a coach ...

Winners

Performance by club

External links

extra-liga.org.ua

futsal.in.ua
{{Top sport leagues in Ukraine Futsal competitions in Ukraine Football leagues in Ukraine

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Sports leagues established in 1993 1993 establishments in Ukraine

Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hardcourt, hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and Indoor soccer, indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players ...

Professional sports leagues in Ukraine

History

Winners

Performance by club

See also

External links