While the pessimists moaned that amateur football was losing its intrigue, the competitions committee of the Bucha District Football Association rolled out a 2026/27 calendar with no easy weekends in it. The First League starts as early as 12 September, the Higher League a week later; the autumn half of the Higher League runs until 14–15 November, that of the First League until 21–22 November, and the spring half has been drawn up but not yet dated.
We studied the approved fixtures closely — and the tension is off the scale before the first whistle.
A Bucha FM exclusive: the calendar was approved on 11 September by the association’s executive committee, our correspondent was at the meeting, and the document is in the newsroom’s possession.
The association is awaiting permission from the Bucha District Military Administration, to which it submitted an application from each team confirming stadiums, responsible persons and safety rules. The association’s head Vasyl Oleksiuk warned that without a permit the police may stop a game, and the responsible team would then forfeit it.
Higher League — ten gladiators and no easy matches
Ten clubs will play in the Higher League: reigning champions FC Horenychi, the ever-hungry SC Zabiria and FC Dmytrivka, plus FC AKOL (Petropavlivska Borshchahivka), FC Vyshneve, FSC Vyshnia (Vyshneve), FC Kimerka (Hostomel), FC Viktoria (Kyiv), SC Sofia (Sofiivska Borshchahivka) and the division’s newcomer FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB (Vyshneve), silver medallist of the First League.
Last year there were twelve teams. Iskra of Nalyvaikivka, which was already missing matches in the spring, is not in the entry list; Fakel of Hostomel (seventh place) and Prohres of Kriukivshchyna (tenth) will play in the First League, while Sofia, which finished eleventh, stayed in the Higher League — the reasons for these moves were not explained at the meeting, and, as it emerged there, the regulations provide for no mandatory exchange between the leagues.
Vyshneve is represented by three clubs at once; Viktoria is the only Kyiv team in the Higher League (Ajax-Kyiv plays in the First).
Ten teams mean 18 rounds instead of 22: nine in the autumn and nine in the spring. Kick-off times are not set in the calendar. Last year’s medallists meet early: Dmytrivka host Horenychi as soon as round 3, and Zabiria do so in round 5.
| Round | Date | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19–20.09 | FSC Vyshnia (Vyshneve) | FC Kimerka (Hostomel) |
| FC Horenychi | FC Vyshneve | ||
| SC Zabiria | SC Sofia (Sofiivska Borshchahivka) | ||
| FC Dmytrivka | FC Viktoria (Kyiv) | ||
| FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB (Vyshneve) | FC AKOL (Petropavlivska Borshchahivka) | ||
| 2 | 26–27.09 | FC Kimerka | FC Horenychi |
| SC Sofia | FSC Vyshnia | ||
| FC Vyshneve | FC Dmytrivka | ||
| FC AKOL | SC Zabiria | ||
| FC Viktoria | FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | ||
| 3 | 03–04.10 | FC Kimerka | SC Sofia |
| FC Dmytrivka | FC Horenychi | ||
| FSC Vyshnia | FC AKOL | ||
| FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | FC Vyshneve | ||
| SC Zabiria | FC Viktoria | ||
| 4 | 10–11.10 | FC Dmytrivka | FC Kimerka |
| FC AKOL | SC Sofia | ||
| FC Horenychi | FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | ||
| FC Viktoria | FSC Vyshnia | ||
| FC Vyshneve | SC Zabiria | ||
| 5 | 17–18.10 | FC Kimerka | FC AKOL |
| FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | FC Dmytrivka | ||
| SC Sofia | FC Viktoria | ||
| SC Zabiria | FC Horenychi | ||
| FSC Vyshnia | FC Vyshneve | ||
| 6 | 24–25.10 | FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | FC Kimerka |
| FC Viktoria | FC AKOL | ||
| FC Dmytrivka | SC Zabiria | ||
| FC Vyshneve | SC Sofia | ||
| FC Horenychi | FSC Vyshnia | ||
| 7 | 31.10–01.11 | FC Kimerka | FC Viktoria |
| SC Zabiria | FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | ||
| FC AKOL | FC Vyshneve | ||
| FSC Vyshnia | FC Dmytrivka | ||
| SC Sofia | FC Horenychi | ||
| 8 | 07–08.11 | SC Zabiria | FC Kimerka |
| FC Vyshneve | FC Viktoria | ||
| FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | FSC Vyshnia | ||
| FC Horenychi | FC AKOL | ||
| FC Dmytrivka | SC Sofia | ||
| 9 | 14–15.11 | FC Kimerka | FC Vyshneve |
| FSC Vyshnia | SC Zabiria | ||
| FC Viktoria | FC Horenychi | ||
| SC Sofia | FC Hostynnyi Dvir-SB | ||
| FC AKOL | FC Dmytrivka |
The return fixtures begin with round 10, with home and away reversed; the calendar has no dates yet for the spring rounds.
First League — twelve Spartans, starting 12 September
If the Higher League is chess, the First League this season turns into a real Championship: twelve teams and 22 rounds, 11 in the autumn and 11 in the spring.
The line-up: FC Borodianka (last year’s league champions), SC Ajax-Kyiv, SC Atletyk (Bilohorodka), FC Dynamo (Vyshneve), FC Sviatopetrivske, SC Shpytky, SC Hatne (last year Yunior Hatne), SC Yurivka, FC Boiarka-Vents, plus FC Fakel (Hostomel) and SC Prohres (Kriukivshchyna), who played in the Higher League last season, and FSC Makariv, which was not in the district championship last year. Last year’s Sofiivskyi and Vyshneve-2 are not in the entry list.
Only for the first round does the calendar contain kick-off times — and that is this coming weekend:
| Date | Kick-off | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.09, Sat | 17:00 | FC Boiarka-Vents | SC Ajax-Kyiv |
| 12.09, Sat | 17:00 | FC Dynamo (Vyshneve) | SC Hatne |
| 13.09, Sun | 10:30 | FC Fakel (Hostomel) | SC Shpytky |
| 13.09, Sun | 11:00 | FSC Makariv | SC Yurivka |
| 13.09, Sun | 17:00 | SC Prohres (Kriukivshchyna) | FC Sviatopetrivske |
| 13.09, Sun | 17:00 | FC Borodianka | SC Atletyk (Bilohorodka) |
Photo: Bucha FMThen it is round after round until the end of autumn. Squad depth and stamina will decide everything here: the calendar allows no breathers between rounds.
| Round | Date | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 19–20.09 | FC Sviatopetrivske | FC Boiarka-Vents |
| SC Shpytky | SC Prohres | ||
| SC Ajax-Kyiv | FC Dynamo | ||
| SC Yurivka | FC Fakel | ||
| SC Hatne | FC Borodianka | ||
| SC Atletyk | FSC Makariv | ||
| 3 | 26–27.09 | SC Shpytky | FC Sviatopetrivske |
| FC Dynamo | FC Boiarka-Vents | ||
| SC Prohres | SC Yurivka | ||
| FC Borodianka | SC Ajax-Kyiv | ||
| FC Fakel | SC Atletyk | ||
| FSC Makariv | SC Hatne | ||
| 4 | 03–04.10 | FC Sviatopetrivske | FC Dynamo |
| SC Yurivka | SC Shpytky | ||
| FC Boiarka-Vents | FC Borodianka | ||
| SC Atletyk | SC Prohres | ||
| SC Ajax-Kyiv | FSC Makariv | ||
| SC Hatne | FC Fakel | ||
| 5 | 10–11.10 | SC Yurivka | FC Sviatopetrivske |
| FC Borodianka | FC Dynamo | ||
| SC Shpytky | SC Atletyk | ||
| FSC Makariv | FC Boiarka-Vents | ||
| SC Prohres | SC Hatne | ||
| FC Fakel | SC Ajax-Kyiv | ||
| 6 | 17–18.10 | FC Sviatopetrivske | FC Borodianka |
| SC Atletyk | SC Yurivka | ||
| FC Dynamo | FSC Makariv | ||
| SC Hatne | SC Shpytky | ||
| FC Boiarka-Vents | FC Fakel | ||
| SC Ajax-Kyiv | SC Prohres | ||
| 7 | 24–25.10 | SC Atletyk | FC Sviatopetrivske |
| FSC Makariv | FC Borodianka | ||
| SC Yurivka | SC Hatne | ||
| FC Fakel | FC Dynamo | ||
| SC Shpytky | SC Ajax-Kyiv | ||
| SC Prohres | FC Boiarka-Vents | ||
| 8 | 31.10–01.11 | FC Sviatopetrivske | FSC Makariv |
| SC Hatne | SC Atletyk | ||
| FC Borodianka | FC Fakel | ||
| SC Ajax-Kyiv | SC Yurivka | ||
| FC Dynamo | SC Prohres | ||
| FC Boiarka-Vents | SC Shpytky | ||
| 9 | 07–08.11 | FC Sviatopetrivske | SC Hatne |
| FC Fakel | FSC Makariv | ||
| SC Atletyk | SC Ajax-Kyiv | ||
| SC Prohres | FC Borodianka | ||
| SC Yurivka | FC Boiarka-Vents | ||
| SC Shpytky | FC Dynamo | ||
| 10 | 14–15.11 | FC Fakel | FC Sviatopetrivske |
| SC Ajax-Kyiv | SC Hatne | ||
| FSC Makariv | SC Prohres | ||
| FC Boiarka-Vents | SC Atletyk | ||
| FC Borodianka | SC Shpytky | ||
| FC Dynamo | SC Yurivka | ||
| 11 | 21–22.11 | FC Sviatopetrivske | SC Ajax-Kyiv |
| SC Prohres | FC Fakel | ||
| SC Hatne | FC Boiarka-Vents | ||
| SC Shpytky | FSC Makariv | ||
| SC Atletyk | FC Dynamo | ||
| SC Yurivka | FC Borodianka |
The second half of the First League season begins with round 12; the calendar has no dates for it yet either.
What the calendar says between the lines
First — the First League winner did not go up. Borodianka won last year’s title in a play-off, 2:1 against Hostynnyi Dvir-SB, but it was Hostynnyi Dvir-SB that entered the Higher League. At the executive meeting Borodianka’s representative said that many in the team do not want to, and cannot, go to the Higher League; the head insisted on sporting merit, and the question was put off until after the first half of the season.
Second — geography. There is not a single team from Bucha or Irpin in the calendar: Bucha Fortuna plays in the Kyiv regional championship, not the district one. The clubs of the district championship closest to the district centre are Kimerka and Fakel of Hostomel. The longest away trips in the First League are to Borodianka and Makariv.
Third — the Higher League launches a video-review pilot which the association’s head calls the first in amateur football: where a match is being filmed, the referee, at the request of a captain or on their own initiative, may take up to three minutes to review an episode involving a direct red card or a penalty. Time for the sceptics to take their seats in the stands — more on this and the executive’s other decisions in a separate article.
As a reminder, Bucha Fortuna thrashed Kolos 4:0 in the Kyiv regional championship — the Bucha side’s next regional match, against Kalynivka, is on Saturday 12 September at Skylark Arena.
Nota bene
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