The Extra-Liga () is an association of futsal clubs of Ukraine and the top men's
futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
league in
the country. It is organized by the Association of Mini-Football of Ukraine which is a collective member of the
Ukrainian Association of Football
The Ukrainian Football Association (, ; UAF) is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Ukraine. Before 2019, it was known as the Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU; ). As a subject of the International Olympic Movement, UAF is a me ...
(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 sand soccer, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand between two teams of five players each.
Association football has long been played informally on ...
, 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
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
.
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 Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, 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 1 ...
.
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
MFC Interkas Kyiv ( ukr. Міні-Футбольний Клуб «Інтеркас» Київ), is a futsal club from Kyiv, Ukraine, and plays in Ukrainian Men's Futsal Championship.
The club is one of the most titled clubs in Ukraine.
Honour ...
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.
Winners
Performance by club
See also
*
Ukrainian Women's Futsal Championship
External links
extra-liga.org.uafutsal.in.ua
{{Top sport leagues in Ukraine
Futsal competitions in Ukraine
Football leagues in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
Sports leagues established in 1993
1993 establishments in Ukraine
Futsal
Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
Professional sports leagues in Ukraine