2020–21 Ukrainian Second League
The 2020–21 Ukrainian Second League is the 30th since its establishment.
The football competitions in the Second League kicked off on 6 September 2020, about half a month after promotion/relegation playoffs. The planned 12th week of the season that accomplished the first half took place on 21 November 2020, yet the extra week was provided for few games that were forced to be rescheduled before teams retired for the winter intermission. The second half is scheduled to restart on 19 March 2021.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Metal Kharkiv |
| Promoted | Metal Kharkiv (Group B) Podillya Khmelnytskyi (Group A) Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih (Group B) Uzhhorod (Group A) |
| Matches played | 134 |
| Goals scored | 365 (2.72 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 9 – Yevhen Chepurnenko (Dinaz) |
| Biggest home win | Metal 6–0 Real Pharma (11 September 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Dnipro 0–4 Metal (5 September 2020), Karpaty L. 0–4 Volyn-2 (23 October 2020) |
| Highest scoring | Kryvbas 6–1 Nikopol (11 September) |
| Longest winning run | 7 – Metal |
| Longest unbeaten run | 19 – Metal |
| Longest winless run | 8 – Mykolaiv-2 |
| Longest losing run | 7 – Nyva |
| Highest attendance | 1,100 – Karpaty L. – Rubikon (3 October 2020) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 – 61 games |
| Total attendance | 13910 |
| Average attendance | 290 |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → All statistics correct as of 4 February 2021. | |
Summary
In this season, the bottom two teams of the First League will be relegated to the Second League. The top two teams from each group of the Second League will gain promotion to the First League for the next season.
Teams
Promoted teams
Seven teams have been promoted from the 2019–20 Ukrainian Football Amateur League:
- Epitsentr Dunaivtsi – 2nd place of Group 1 (debut)
- Karpaty Halych – 4th place of Group 1 (debut)
- FC Chernihiv – 3rd place of Group 2 (debut)
- Rubikon Kyiv – 6th place of Group 2 (debut)
- Dnipro Cherkasy – 9th place of Group 2 (returning after 12 seasons, last played season in 2008–09)
- Yarud Mariupol – 4th place of Group 3 (debut)
- Peremoha Dnipro – 7th place of Group 3 (debut, the club was admitted despite disciplinary sanctions from the UAF about the last season "beef")
One reserve and one other team were added also without participation in the Ukrainian Football Amateur League:
- Volyn-2 Lutsk – (debut, based on Volyn U-19 Lutsk)
- Metal Kharkiv – (debut)
Relegated teams
Four teams have been relegated:
- Karpaty Lviv – 12th place in the 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League (debut, the club was admitted despite being expelled from the Premier League for no show)
- Balkany Zoria – 14th place in the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League (returning after 3 seasons, relegated on own initiative)
- Metalurh Zaporizhya – 15th place in the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League (returning after a season, lost relegation play-off)
- Cherkashchyna Cherkasy – 16th place in the 2019–20 Ukrainian First League (returning after a season, lost relegation play-off)
Withdrawn teams
- Avanhard-2 Kramatorsk – withdrawn before the season
- Chornomorets-2 Odesa – withdrawn before the season
- FC Kalush, after failing to arrive for the game against Epitsentr, it was confirmed that the club will not host the game against Karpaty Lviv. The club withdrew even after paying their season's dues without playing a single game.
- Cherkashchyna Cherkasy – withdrawn during the winter break. Before the break the club played 10 games winning 5 of them, tying 4 and losing one game with goal difference having 14 scored and 7 allowed. Soon after the announcement, the newly elected President of PFL, Oleksandr Kadenko denied fact of withdrawal as no official request has been made. On 3 March 2021 the club has sent a letter confirming that it is leaving the competitions.
Merged and renamed teams
- FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih – it was restructured from FC Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih. On 29 July 2020 the president of Hirnyk Kostiantyn Karamanits confirmed that his team is being renamed into Kryvbas-2020 next season. Later it changed to Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. The club's rebranding was triggered on petition of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who is a native of Kryvyi Rih.
- Earlier in 2020, FC Chernihiv merged with Avanhard Koriukivka as Chernihiv-Avanhard and kept its original team Chernihiv-YSB during the 2019–20 Ukrainian Football Amateur League. During the season Avanhard Koriukivka had more points and even played in post season play-offs. In August 2020 to the Second League instead of the merged club was admitted FC Chernihiv only. There is no real procedure on promotion from the amateur championship and clubs are being selected regardless of final standings such as FC Dnipro Cherkasy or FC Peremoha Dnipro.
- SC Tavriya Simferopol merged with FC Tavriya Novotroitske.
Location map
The following map displays the location of teams. Group A teams marked in red. Group B teams marked in green.
Volyn-2
(Marianivka)
Cherkasy
Home venues of teams in the 2020–21 Ukrainian Second League. SC Tavriya is forced to play its home games outside of Crimea (Autonomous Republic of Crimea).
Stadiums
| Team | Stadium | Position in 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Karpaty Lviv | Ukraina Stadium | PL |
| Dinaz Vyshhorod | Dinaz Stadium Stadion im.Brukvenka Koncha-Zaspa training | 4th |
| Podillia Khmelnytskyi | Sport Complex Podillia Stadion Rukh | 6th |
| Chaika | Stadion im.Brukvenka Arsenal Arena | 7th |
| Bukovyna Chernivtsi | Bukovyna Stadium Stadion Olimpiya | 8th |
| Nyva Vinnytsia | Tsentralnyi Miskyi Stadion Stadion Khimik | 9th |
| FC Uzhhorod | Avanhard Stadium | 10th |
| Obolon-2 Bucha | Yuvileinyi Stadium | 11th |
| FC Chernihiv | Chernihiv Arena Livyi Bereh Arena Stadion Champion | Am |
| Epitsentr Dunaivtsi | Kolos Stadium Skif Stadium Yunist Stadium | Am |
| Karpaty Halych | Enerhetyk Stadium | Am |
| Rubikon Kyiv | Arsenal Arena | Am |
| Volyn-2 Lutsk | Pidshypnyk Stadium | — |
| Team | Stadium | Position in 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Balkany Zoria | Stadion im.B.Tropantsia Stadion Liustdorf Stadion im.Liubchika | 1L |
| Cherkashchyna Cherkasy | Zorya Stadium | 1L |
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Slavutych-Arena | 1L |
| Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih | Hirnyk Stadium | 4th |
| Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka | Enerhiya Stadium | 5th |
| FC Nikopol | Elektrometalurh Stadium | 6th |
| MFC Mykolaiv-2 | Park Peremohy Stadium | 7th |
| Tavriya Simferopol | Marianivskyi Stadium | 8th |
| Real Pharma Odesa | Stadion Ivan | 9th |
| Dnipro Cherkasy | Tsentralnyi Stadion | Am |
| Peremoha Dnipro | Stadion Olimpiyski Rezervy | Am |
| Yarud Mariupol | Zakhidnyi Stadium | Am |
| Metal Kharkiv | Soniachny Stadium | — |
Managers
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Uzhhorod |  Mykhailo Ivanytsia | Resigned | 18 June 2020 | Pre-season | Volodymyr Vasiutyk | 23 July 2020 | Pre-season |
| Real Pharma Odesa | Oleksandr Spitsyn | Unknown | 28 June 2020 | Artem Riazantsev | 28 June 2020 | ||
| Metal Kharkiv | New club | Oleksandr Kucher | 25 July 2020 | ||||
| Karpaty Lviv | Roman Sanzhar | Mutual agreement | 29 July 2020 | Lyubomyr Vovchuk | 24 August 2020 | ||
| Peremoha Dnipro | Yevhen Fetisov | Undisclosed | 5 August 2020 | Evgeny Yarovenko | 5 August 2020 | ||
| Karpaty Halych | Petro Rusak | Undisclosed | 24 August 2020 | Roman Hnativ | 24 August 2020 | ||
| Metalurh Zaporizhya | Oleksiy Hodin (interim) | End of interim | 27 August 2020 | Volodymyr Mykytyn | 27 August 2020 | ||
| Volyn-2 Lutsk | New club | Albert Shakhov | 3 September 2020 | ||||
| FC Cherkashchyna | Oleksandr Kyrylyuk | Undisclosed | 6 September 2020 | Anatoliy Bezsmertnyi | 6 September 2020 | ||
| Rubikon Kyiv | Viktor Kuriata | Undisclosed | 9th | Serhiy Litovchenko | 8 October 2020 | 9th | |
| Chaika Petropavlivska Borshchahivka | Taras Ilnytskyi | Resigned | 13 October 2020 | 5th | Oleksandr Protchenko (interim) | 10 October 2020 | 5th |
| Oleksandr Protchenko (interim) | End of interim | 21 October 2020 | Oleksandr Shcherbakov | 21 October 2020 | |||
| Peremoha Dnipro | Evgeny Yarovenko | Fired | 19 November 2020 | 6th | Pavlo Taran | 24 November 2020 | 6th |
| Balkany Zoria | Andriy Parkhomenko | Resigned | 20 November 2020 | 10th | Denys Kolchin | 1 December 2020 | 10th |
| FC Nikopol | Hryhoriy Varzhelenko | Change of duties | 20 November 2020 | 11th | Evgeny Yarovenko | 1 December 2020 | 11th |
| Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka | Oleh Fedorchuk | Moved to Tavriya | 3 January 2021 | 7th | Eduard Khavrov | 10 January 2021 | 7th |
| Tavriya Simferopol | Serhiy Shevchenko | Sacked | 3 January 2021 | 2nd | Oleh Fedorchuk | 3 January 2021 | 2nd |
| Nyva Vinnytsia | Oleh Shumovytskyi | undisclosed | 23 January 2021 | 12th | Volodymyr Tsytkin | 23 January 2021 | 12th |
| Yarud Mariupol | Volodymyr Kilikevych | undisclosed | 25 January 2021 | 12th | Oleh Krasnopyorov | 25 January 2021 | 12th |
| MFC Mykolaiv-2 | Mykola Popelyshko | undisclosed | 29 January 2021 | 13th | Anatoliy Didenko | 29 January 2021 | 13th |
| Chaika Petropavlivska Borshchahivka | Oleksandr Shcherbakov | Resigned, family matters | 1 February 2021 | 6th | Viacheslav Bohodyelov (interim) | 1 February 2021 | 6th |
| Peremoha Dnipro | Pavlo Taran | Unknown | February 2021 | 6th | Dmytro Ryabyi | 8 February 2021 | 6th |
| Bukovyna Chernivtsi | Stepan Makoviychuk | Mutual agreement | 5 February 2021 | 7th | Yevhen Kovalenko | 28 February 2021 | 7th |
| FC Nikopol | Evgeny Yarovenko | Fired | 7 February 2021 | 11th | Serhiy Vorobei | 23 February 2021 | 11th |
| FC Cherkashchyna | Anatoliy Bezsmertnyi | Left the club | 23 February 2021 | 5th | Withdrew | ||
| Tavriya Simferopol | Oleh Fedorchuk | Fired | 21 April 2021 | 4th | Yuriy Chumak (interim) | 26 April 2021 | 4th |
| FC Chernihiv | Vadym Postovoy | Fired | 21 April 2021 | 10th | Valeriy Chornyi (interim) | 21 April 2021 | 10th |
| Obolon-2 Bucha | Oleksandr Antonenko | Assigned to Obolon Kyiv | 12 May 2021 | 10th | Andriy Kornyev (interim) | 12 May 2021 | 10th |
| Tavriya Simferopol | Yuriy Chumak (Interim) | Interim term ended | 10 June 2021 | 4th | Serhiy Puchkov | 10 June 2021 | 4th |
| Peremoha Dnipro | Dmytro Ryabyi | Resigned | 11 June 2021 | 9th | Serhiy Vorobei | 11 June 2021 | 9th |
| FC Nikopol | Serhiy Vorobei | Moved to Peremoha | 11 June 2021 | 11th | Oleksandr Poklonskyi | 11 June 2021 | 11th |
Notes:
