FC Vorskla Poltava

Kolos Poltava The club draws its history from 1955, when on the initiative of the first secretary of the regional party cell Mikhail Stakhursky in the city of Poltava was established a football club Kolhospnyk within the republican trade union sports society Kolhospnyk. The same year it entered the Football Championship of the Ukrainian SSR, where it was already played by one of the older clubs from Poltava, Lokomotyv Poltava. Besides Kolhospnyk and Lokomotyv, at the republican level, Poltava was represented by some other sports societies before the 1950s. Rumors about the appearance of the new club in Poltava, based at the VSS "Kolhospnyk", started to circulate in the fall of 1954. Besides Mikhail Stakhursky, one of the others who initiated the creation of the club was a chairman of the regional committee of physical culture and sport Oleksandr Kobushko who until 1953 played for various Poltava teams including Dynamo and Spartak. The team debuted in the Ukrainian Premier League in the 1996–97 season, finishing that season in 3rd place. Vorskla have remained in the Premier League since, and participated twice in the UEFA Cup. In 2003–2005, the club was named Vorskla-Naftogaz due to sponsorship reasons. Soon after, Vorskla lost its financial support from Naftogaz, and the club found a new sponsor locally, Ferrexpo. In 2009, Vorskla met Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2009 Ukrainian Cup Final. Mykola Pavlov's men won the match 1–0 after Vasyl Sachko's goal in the 49th minute. As a Domestic Cup winner, Vorskla participated in the annual opening game of the season Ukrainian Super Cup, meeting the champions Dynamo Kyiv. After a 0–0 draw at full-time, Vorskla lost the cup to Dynamo on penalties. One of the biggest successes of Vorskla in European competition was their qualification to the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group phase. On 26 July 2014, the club's president Oleh Babayev was shot dead, while police has opened a criminal cases under Article “premeditated murder". In the 2017–18 season, the club finished third in the top division for the first time since the 1996–97 season. On 1 June 2025, Vorskla were relegated to First League after drawing 2-2 against FC Kudrivka on aggregate and losing 4-3 on penalties, ending 29 years in the top flight. Following the winter break of the 2025–26 season in the First League, there were rumors that Vorskla may not return to competitions. On 31 March 2026, it was announced that Kostiantyn Zhevago and the club's leadership were removed from the club, including the club's president, Roman Cherniak. Earlier, in Paris, Zhevago received a notice of suspicion from Ukrainian law enforcement agents. The same day, the club presented its new management team headed by the new general director, Maksym Harus. Zhevago called the process as a corporate raid. While playing in the 2025–26 season in the First League, the club came under strict sanctions from FIFA, restricting them from registering new players. In April of 2026, Vorskla hired Volodymyr Chesnakov as a sports director voluntarily (на громадських засадах) to ensure that the club would stay in the First League. ==Club's infrastructure and departments==

Stadiums and training facilities The first team plays its home matches at Butovsky Memorial Vorskla Stadium, which is named after one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee in 1894, Oleksiy Butovskiy. Vorskla plays its games at Oleksiy Butovskyi Vorskla Stadium (Ukrainian: Стадіон «Ворскла» імені Олексія Бутовського). Vorskla has been playing there since 1955. The stadium underwent significant reconstruction between 1968 and 1975, and again between 1995 and 2000. In 2021, on the northern outskirts of Poltava, a smaller stadium with an artificial turf "Molodizhnyi" was built. It was built in place of a smaller sports field belonging to the local bankrupt factory. Vorskla uses the stadium for its reserve teams. Reserve teams, women teams, and farm-clubs Vorskla has several reserve teams, among which are Vorskla U-19 and Vorskla U-21 that are playing in the Ukrainian Premier Reserve League. There was also FC Vorskla-2 Poltava. In 2021, Vorskla adopted WFC Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv, which was gaining momentum. The team was integrated into the club, becoming Vorskla Poltava. ==Supporters & Rivalries==

Fans and supporters Due to censorship in the Soviet Union, development of fan movement in Poltava could be traced as far as 1985. Then on the stadium began to appear first green-white scarves and fan chants. In the 1990s, fans began to actively go abroad. In particular Vorskla fans were present at the legendary match between Ukraine and Russia October 9, 1999 in Moscow. European competition games with FC Daugava from Latvia and Anderlecht from Brussels in 1997 allowed fans try their hand on the European stage. The largest fan club is known as the Crew of Golden Eagle. Vorskla maintains friendly relations with Shakhtar Donetsk and Chornomorets Odesa fans. Strained relations with: Metalist Kharkiv, Karpaty Lviv, Dynamo Kyiv, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Zorya Luhansk and Obolon Kyiv. Now all fans have declared a truce because of the war in Eastern Ukraine. Rivalries The club participates in regional rivalry with the main Kremenchuk city club Kremin at least since the Soviet period in the third tier (Second League). ==Honours==

• Ukrainian Premier League • Third place (2): 1996–97, 2017–18 • Ukrainian Cup • Winner (1): 2008–09 • Runners-up (1): 2019–20, 2023–24 • Ukrainian Persha Liha • Winner (1): 1995–96 • Football championship of the Ukrainian SSR (part of the Soviet Second League) • Runners-up (1): 1988 • Football Cup of the Ukrainian SSR • Winner (1): 1956 • Ukrainian KFK competitions (amateur competitions) • Winners (1): 1986 ==Kit manufacturers and sponsors==

Current squad Out on loan == Notable players ==

Players whose name is listed represented their countries while playing for Vorskla Poltava. ;Ukraine • Roman Bezus • Denys Dedechko • Artem Hromov • Andriy Khomyn • Yuriy Kolomoyets • Oleh Krasnopyorov • Serhiy Kravchenko • Denys Kulakov • Mykola Matviyenko • Dmytro Riznyk • Yevhen Selin • Hryhoriy Yarmash ;Europe (outside of Ukraine) • Debatik Curri • Armend Dallku • Ahmed Januzi • Taulant Seferi • Ardit Toli • Gegham Kadimyan • Uladzimir Makowski • Joonas Tamm • Lasha Jakobia • Aleksandre Kobakhidze • Ardin Dallku • Olivier Thill • Vincent Thill • Sergiu Epureanu • Alexandru Onica • Filip Despotovski • Adis Jahović • Gjoko Zajkov ;Africa • Ibrahim Kane • Najeeb Yakubu • Chukwudi Nworgu • Sofiane Melliti ;Asia • Nazar Baýramow • Rasim Kerimow • Guwançmuhammet Öwekow • Sanzhar Tursunov ;North America • Fernán Faerrón ==Coaches and administration==

Owners • 1955–1968 Agricultural trade unions, Kolos (Kolhospnyk) sports society • 1969–1972 Poltava Oblast department of agricultural construction • 1973–1982 Agricultural trade unions, Kolos sports society • 2000–2004 Naftogaz • 2005– Finance and Credit holding company Presidents • 2000–2004 Valentyn Ulyanov • 2005–2014 Oleh Babayev (Kremenchukmyaso) • 2016– Roman Chernyak (AvtoKrAZ) Notes: • Kremenchukmyaso, Finance and Credit bank, Ferrexpo, and AvtoKrAZ are part of a holding company Finance and Credit owned by Kostiantyn Zhevaho, who, since 2005, has been appointed as the "honorary" president. ==Managers==

• Kostyantyn Skrypchenko (1955 – April 1955) • Anatoliy Zubrytskyi (April 1955 – December 1956) • Andriy Zhyhan (January 1957 – April 1957) • Yosyp Lifshyts (April 1957 – December 1958) • Oleksandr Zahretskyi (January 1959 – June 1959) • Hennadiy Duhanov (July 1959 – July 1960) • Viktor Zhyltsov (August 1960 – July 1964) • Kostyantyn Skrypchenko (interim) (July 1964 – August 1964) • Hryhoriy Balaba (August 1964 – July 1965) • Kostyantyn Skrypchenko (July 1965 – October 1965) • Viktor Zhyltsov (January 1966 – December 1966) • Volodymyr Aksyonov (January 1967 – October 1967) • Oleksandr Alpatov (December 1968 – August 1970) • Yuriy Voynov (September 1970 – July 1972) • Oleksandr Alpatov (July 1972 – July 1973) • Viktor Nosov (July 1973 – November 1974) • Anatoliy Vitkov (December 1974 – May 1976) • Vasyl Salkov (May 1976 – December 1976) • Stanislav Basyuk (January 1977 – May 1980) • Volodymyr Aksyonov (May 1980 – May 1982) • Hennadiy Putivskyi (May 1982 – November 1982) • Viktor Pozhechevskyi (February 1984 – January 1990) • Hennadiy Lysenchuk (January 1990 – August 1990) • Viktor Pozhechevskyi (August 1990 – November 1990) • Vladimir Khodus (January 1991 – August 1991) • Leonid Koltun (February 1992) • Serhiy Dotsenko (March 1992 – July 1992) • Volodymyr Bryukhtiy (July 1992 – July 1993) • Viktor Maslov (July 1993 – November 1993) • Viktor Pozhechevskyi (January 1994 – June 1998) • Oleksandr Dovbiy (June 1998 – August 1998) • Serhiy Sobetskyi and Ivan Shariy (interim) (August 1998 – October 1998) • Anatoliy Konkov (October 1998 – August 2000) • Serhiy Morozov (August 2000 – June 2001) • Andriy Bal (1 July 2001 – 18 August 2003) • Oleh Morhun (interim) (August 2003) • Oleg Dolmatov (August 2003 – October 2003) • Oleh Morhun (interim) (October 2003 – December 2003) • Volodymyr Lozynskyi (December 2003 – July 2004) • Volodymyr Muntyan (1 July 2004 – 16 June 2005) • Viktor Nosov (17 June 2005 – 30 June 2007) • Anatoliy Momot (interim) (6 July 2007 – 27 December 2007) • Mykola Pavlov (27 December 2007 – 29 May 2012) • Vadym Yevtushenko (6 June 2012 – 15 August 2012) • Serhiy Svystun (interim) (15 August 2012 – 15 December 2012) • Serhiy Svystun (15 December 2012 – 10 June 2013) • Anatoliy Momot (interim) (4 July 2013 – 22 June 2014) • Vasyl Sachko (22 June 2014 – 27 March 2019) • Vitaliy Kosovskyi (interim) (28 March 2019 – 3 June 2019) • Vitaliy Kosovskyi (4 June 2019 – 14 November 2019) • Yuriy Maksymov (15 November 2019 – 31 May 2022) • Viktor Skrypnyk (1 July 2022 – 19 December 2023) • Serhiy Dolhanskyi (interim) (4 January 2024 – 30 June 2024) • Serhiy Dolhanskyi (1 July 2024 – 23 October 2024) • Yuriy Maksymov (24 October 2024 – 10 June 2025) • Željko Ljubenović (24 June 2025 – 10 July 2025) • Oleksandr Babych (13 July 2025 – 9 October 2025) • Valeriy Kutsenko (interim) (10 October 2025 – present) ==League and Cup history==

European record Its first European competition participation occurred in 1997–98 season in UEFA Cup. Vorskla played its first game at this level away at Daugava Stadium in Riga on July 23, 1997, against the Latvian club Daugava Rīga. Vorskla did not achieve any noticeable feats yet managed to qualify on couple of occasions to the Europe League group stage. Reaching the group stage of the UEFA Europe League in 2011, it has been the highest achievement in European competitions to this date. ==References==