The first training camp of 2026 for the social project of the Ukrainian Association of Football - the League of the Mighty - took place in Zakarpattia. The event brought together 11 amputee football specialists from Ukraine, 22 coaches, 16 referees, and two new teams: Stal Bukovyna (Chernivtsi) and Podilski Vovky (Khmelnytskyi).
Over several days, participants combined theoretical sessions with practical work on the field. The training program included the fundamentals of amputee football techniques, basic tactical principles, rules and specifics of refereeing, psychological preparation, and medical-biological aspects of working with amputee football players.
A separate part of the program focused on coach education under the D-Diploma in Amputee Football certification program, which was successfully completed by 22 coaches.
The training camp was joined by Paweł Susek, Head of the Amputee Football Referees Committee in Poland, Referee Instructor, and member of the Development Committee of the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF).
Together with Dmytro Zaporozhenko, the Amputee Football Refereeing Curator in Ukraine, he delivered educational lectures for Ukrainian referees and shared international refereeing experience.
“Amputee football in Ukraine has great potential. It is important that the Ukrainian Association of Football develops projects like this for veterans, as in many countries such initiatives do not yet exist.
My goal was to share knowledge and methodology with Ukrainian referees for working at competitions. I look forward to the moment when someone calls me and says: we already have a referee ready to officiate at international tournaments. That will be an important indicator of the growth of amputee football refereeing in Ukraine,” said Paweł Susek.
As part of the training camp, a friendly match took place between Stal Bukovyna (Chernivtsi) and Podilski Vovky(Khmelnytskyi). The match ended with a 2-1 victory for the team from Chernivtsi.
For both teams, the match became an important stage of preparation for official competitions. This weekend, Podilski Vovky and Stal Bukovyna will meet again on the field in the Round of 16 of the Amputee Football Cup of Ukraine.
The training camp was implemented with the support of the exclusive charitable partner of the League of the Mighty — Mastercard and Oschadbank, as well as partners including the Lvivske brand, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, and the Legacy of War Foundation.
