New football stadium opens in Kyiv

The Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) has hailed the opening of a new stadium for Livyi Bereh Kyiv.

The stadium in the Ukrainian capital will be the new home of Livyi Bereh, which was only founded in 2017 and had been playing in the Second League, the third tier of domestic football.

Livyi Bereh had been one of the promotion contenders during the 2021-22 season, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the suspension of the competition. The war has meant that the club has yet to return to action, but it is reportedly planning to do so in time for the 2023-24 season.

The UAF said the 4,700-capacity stadium has been built in a “fairly short” period of time. It is equipped with a natural playing surface, undersoil heating and meets the key criteria needed to potentially host matches for the national women’s and youth teams.

The presentation of the stadium was attended by a high-level delegation from the UAF. President Andriy Pavelko said: “Does the enemy have a chance to defeat a country where children are playing football during the war and clubs are building new stadiums? None! 

“In addition to the new stadium, Livyi Bereh already has a stadium with an artificial surface for 1,500 seats, which was the first in Ukraine to receive a FIFA certificate, an indoor arena, training fields and an excellent children’s academy. Such infrastructure can be envied by many Ukrainian clubs. 

“Thanks to (Livyi Bereh founder) Mykola Lavrenko and all dedicated enthusiasts who, even in such a difficult time, invest in the development of Ukrainian football. Thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, whose heroism and with the support of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we can hold competitions, develop football and implement such global initiatives as submitting an application to host the 2030 World Cup together with Spain and Portugal.

“We support our defending heroes with football and together we bring Ukraine closer to victory.”

It was announced earlier this month that Ukraine will be incorporated into Spain and Portugal’s joint bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.