Vladimir Koval ( uk, Володимир Романович Коваль; born February 28, 1975) is a Ukrainian former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

, and co-founder of

FC Ukraine United FC Ukraine United is a Canadian soccer club founded in 2006. The team is currently a member of the Canadian Soccer League a league that is not sanctioned by any FIFA recognized body. Their home venue is located at Centennial Park Stadium in Etob ...

of the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; french: Ligue canadienne de soccer — LCS) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (C ...

. As a player Koval initially began his professional career in the Ukraine, where he later emigrated to Canada in the 1990s. Abroad he played in the

Canadian National Soccer League The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

(CNSL) notably with Toronto Italia, and

Toronto Croatia Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

. He continued playing in the CNSL's successor league the Canadian Professional Soccer League until 2001 with Toronto Croatia. In 2007, he co-founded

, and fielded the team in the

Ontario Soccer League The Ontario Soccer League (OSL) is a competitive amateur soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The OSL is affiliated with and governed by the Ontario Soccer Association. According to the OSA, the OSL has Provincial Leagues, Regional Leagues and Multi-J ...

. After securing the necessary capital in 2016 the club was granted a franchise in the

. In 2023, Vladimir Koval was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2023 FIFG Footgolf World Cup.

Playing career

Koval attended Karpaty Lviv Soccer Academy and began his professional career with

FC Hazovyk Komarno FC Hazovyk Komarno ( uk, Футбольний клуб "Газовик Комарно") is a football club from Komarno, Lviv Raion, Ukraine. In 1992–2001 the club participated in the Ukrainian championship. In 2004 another club ''Hazovyk-Khurt ...

in the

Ukrainian Second League Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * Som ...

. In 1995, he went abroad to Canada to play with Toronto Italia in the

. In 1996, he signed with

and played in the Canadian International Soccer League (Puma League). In 1998, he played with the Mississauga Eagles P.S.C. of the Canadian Professional Soccer League. He made his debut for the club on May 31, 1998 against

York Region Shooters York Region Shooters is a Canadian soccer team, that plays in the Canadian Soccer League. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The team's colours were blue and white, mirroring ...

. In 1999, he returned to Toronto Croatia and made his return on June 7, 1999 against

St. Catharines Wolves St. Catharines Roma Wolves (also known as St. Catharines Wolves or simply Roma Wolves), are a Canadian soccer team, founded in 1967. The team currently plays in the semi-professional League1 Ontario in both the men's and women's divisions. The ...

. The following season he signed with

North York Astros The North York Astros were a Canadian soccer team that was founded in 1990. The team initially played in the National Soccer League. The team played their home games at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, a district of the city of Toronto, Cana ...

. He returned to play with Croatia for the 2001 season. In 2007, he played in the

for

Administrative career

In 2007, Koval along with Evgen Ishchak, and

Andrei Malychenkov Andrey Yuryevich Malyshenkov (russian: Андрей Юрьевич Малышенков; born March 28, 1968) is a former Russian footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach for FC Continentals in the Canadian Soccer Lea ...

formed

in order to accommodate and combine talent from the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

located in Canada. The club originally played at the indoor level at the Soccer City, and ultimately entered the

. Originally he primarily served as the general manager, vice president, and occasionally as a footballer. The organization managed to win several accolades, and secure promotion to the Premier Central Division. In 2016, the club acquired the necessary funds in order to apply for a franchise in the

. The club successfully made the transition to the professional level after receiving approval from the league ownership at the annual general meeting of team owners. In 2018, he served in the capacity of an assistant coach to Malychenkov. Since the club's entry into the professional realm the team has secured the First Division title in 2018, and the Second Division championship in 2017.

Honors

Toronto Croatia * CISL Championship (1): 1996

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koval, Vladimir 1975 births Living people Footballers from Lviv Ukrainian footballers Ukrainian expatriate footballers FC Hazovyk Komarno players Toronto Italia players Toronto Croatia players North York Astros players FC Ukraine United players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Canadian soccer chairmen and investors Men's association football midfielders Ukrainian Second League players