More than 1,000 fans at the Slavutych Arena. A lot of emotions. In the final of Ukraine’s first in football cup of amalgamated hromadas (AHs) of the Zaporizhzhya Oblast, the teams of Hulyaypillia and Hirsivka played with a score of 3:0.

“This match is interesting because it is the first time when teams of AHs are playing,” said Eduard Gugnin, deputy head of the Oblast State Administration.
“This year, the Zaporizhzhya Oblast Council has allocated funds for construction of sports compounds like this stadium in 12 AHs,” said Vladyslav Marchenko, deputy chairman of the Zaporizhzhya Oblast Council.

According to Oleksandr Svystun, director of the Zaporizhzhya Local Government Development Centre established with the support of the U-LEAD Europe programme and  MinRegion, 16 teams of AHs played in the cup tournament. And every time there were full stadiums. Football is not only a game, it is also consolidation that promotes development.

“If we had three teams before the amalgamation, now we have just one, the only one. Such events really consolidate our community. They trained so much together,” said Natalia Popova, head of the Hirsivska AH.

During the break, the teams participating in the tournament received balls from the Zaporizhzhya Oblast Football Federation, and after the results, of course, there were medals, statuettes and the winner's Cup, as well as the confidence that the AHs Football Cup will be held in the future - moreover, not only in the Zaporizhzhya Oblast.

“For us, this is not just an event, it's the big event. Our people, children were able to visit the real stadium,” Head of the Yakymivka Rayon State Administration Oleksandr Pravosud shared his impressions.

The Football Cup of hromadas was made possible thanks to the U-LEAD with Europe programme, the Zaporizhzhya City Council, the Zaporizhzhya Oblast State Administration, the Zaporizhzhya Oblast Council, the Football Federation of Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhya Local Government Development Centre. The participants of the tournament were Oryhivska, Prymorska, Voskresenska, Komysh-Zoryanska, Bilenkivska, Dolynska, Veselivska, Tavriyska, Osypenkivska, Berestivska, Pavlivska, Velykobilozerska, Shyrokivska and Vodyanska AHs.